Minimally Invasive Knee Surgery

A new minimally invasive solution (MIS) procedure now provides an alternative to total knee replacement for qualified patients. The replacement, called the M/G Unicompartmental Knee System or Uni Knee, is designed for patients who suffer from advanced osteoarthritis of the knee.

In the procedure, surgeons using new, specialized instruments are able to perform the surgery through a small 2-3 inch incision, as compared to the 8-12 inch incision required for traditional, open knee surgery. From there, the surgeon removes only the diseased portion of the knee, leaving the healthy part untouched, and implants the prosthesis. The Uni Knee design conserves the surfaces of the patient's bone, which aids in future surgery, if necessary.

Current clinical results suggest that a shorter hospital stay (24 hours or shorter) and a shorter recovery time (two to five weeks) may result from the new procedure. Recovery time for a total knee replacement can last as much as six months or more, says Zimmer Warsaw, IN, USA), which developed the procedure and the new instruments in conjunction with a surgeon in Sweden.

"We are making the MIS instrumentation for the Uni Knee available to select physicians worldwide and offering training to those surgeons who want to offer this technology to their patients and build this part of their practice,” said Sheryl Conley, vice president, global marketing and commercialization for Zimmer.



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