Vikram Hospital has now joined the bandwagon of medical centres in Karnataka to offer navigated knee replacement surgery enabling accuracy during joint replacement. There are about four to five hospitals in Bengaluru offering the same.

The quaternary care multi-specialty hospital has now successfully carried out a navigated knee replacement surgery on a 67-year-old women patient who was suffering from severe pain in the right knee which stalled basic movement. The orthopedic team at Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru  performed the computer navigated knee replacement surgery and the patient was made to  walk on the same day after the procedure.

“The MRI’s indicated a totally worn out knee that needed a joint replacement. Computer navigation helps in ligament balancing, the most significant aspect in a total knee replacement. It improves the longevity of the joint and allows the implant to be laid at the exact location and at a precise angle. With the help of this technology, surgeons can achieve  greater accuracy in the alignment of the joint, unlike regular knee replacement surgery,” said Dr Chethan Nagaraj, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Vikram Hospital.

“Unlike in India, developed countries use this technique commonly in a surgery of this nature. The cost implication of a navigated knee replacement surgery around Rs.12,000 extra for a patient because of the  technology that  provides superior accuracy. Often, the knee may not regain its normal range of motion after a replacement surgery but with the help of computer navigated surgery, one can come closer to the natural range of motion. Much of this is dependent on pre-operative function of the joint as well,” he added.