NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases Uses Innovative Navigation Technology For Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery

NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases has a state-of-the-art surgical computer navigation system from Stryker, which is used in conjunction with hip and knee joint replacement surgery. Image guided navigation technology for orthopaedic surgery is an innovative procedure designed to allow a surgeon to align an artificial joint with greater precision within the body. Precise alignment is an important factor that may reduce joint wear and extend the life of the implant. Use of the system has many potential benefits including improved joint stability and range of motion.

Orthopaedic navigation technology is similar to directional tracking systems used in cars and ships – it is, in effect, a global positioning system (GPS) for the surgeon. Infrared sensors placed in the operating room act like satellites constantly monitoring the location of markers and instruments placed along a patient’s anatomy.

As the surgeon moves an instrument within a patient’s joint, the infrared sensors calculate its position and smart wireless instruments instantaneously transfer the data to a computer in the OR. This information is then displayed as an interactive model of the anatomy or “blueprint” that supplies the surgeon with the optimum angles, lines and measurements needed to align the implant within the patient.

Dr. Patrick Meere, a hip and knee replacement specialist and Chief of Service, Adult Reconstructive Surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, is currently using navigation technology from Stryker in knee and hip replacement surgeries. Many surgeons are using this technology in less invasive techniques that help reduce the size of the incision and disrupt less soft tissue. However, smaller incisions may also limit the surgeon’s field of view. Computer assisted surgery overcomes this barrier, providing the surgeon with a clearer view.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) about 500,000 hip and knee replacement procedures are performed annually in the United States. This figure is expected to increase as the population ages and arthritis affects more people. Currently, more than 70 million Americans suffer from some form of this degenerative disease.

For more information on computer navigated surgery, please call the Joint Replacement Center of NYC at 212-263-2366.