Surgeon enlists computer to treat knee injuries

Published on Wednesday 27 May 2009 00:31

A COMPUTER-AIDED technique to help surgeons repair damaged knee ligaments is being tested in Scotland.

Leading sports surgeon Gordon Mackay is using the system to make sure ligament grafts are correctly placed.

Mr Mackay said surgeons hoped the OrthoPilot programme would improve results and cut complications for knee patients. Injuries to the part of the knee known as the anterior cruciate ligament are especially common among, though not unique to, footballers and rugby players.

The standard treatment involves use of X-rays and CT scanning of the knee to help guide the surgeons in placing grafts.

But Mr Mackay said this only provided a static image and did not give surgeons information about the degree of movement inside the knee.

To tackle this, the computer system takes live 3D measurements as surgeons enter the knee.

"Mr Mackay said: "The accuracy this can introduce, in theory millimetres or a few degrees of difference in terms of placement, might transpire years down the line to have a big difference in outcome."