Minimally Invasive Tibial Prosthesis

A new modular stemmed tibial prosthesis can be assembled within a patient, making the procedure minimally invasive. This tibial component has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The novel implant is designed to be used with all of the minimally invasive solutions (MIS) offered for total knee procedures by Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (Warsaw. IN, USA), and is particularly well suited for use with the Zimmer MIS quad-sparing total knee procedure, a technique designed to avoid the quadriceps tendon and muscles rather than cutting through or manipulating them. When compared to traditional total knee replacement techniques, the quad-sparing technique is accomplished through a smaller and less conspicuous incision and produces less tissue trauma. Also, patients usually require a shorter hospital stay and experience a faster improvement in range of motion.

One of the design elements that permits the implant to accommodate a smaller exposure is the low profile and the length of the keel. The subsequent reduced keel length allows the implant to be inserted into the joint through a smaller opening. After the implant has been fixed in place on the proximal tibia, a stem extension can be dropped down through the plate. Zimmer believes that the additional benefits of the new implant design will further facilitate the minimally invasive procedure.

"The MIS stemmed tibial plate will allow us to insert the component within the confines of the small incision for quadriceps-sparing knee replacement with greater ease,” said Alfred J. Tria, Jr., a developer of the quad-sparing technique and a clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (New Brunswick, NJ, USA).





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