At Memorial Hermann, patients have access to leading technologies in knee replacement, including robotic-arm assisted technology, Computer Assisted Navigation, and custom fit knee implants. These knee replacement technologies aid in overall knee health, extending the relief for years to come.

Custom Fit Implants

Custom Fit implants are patient-specific implants that are made to fit the unique shape of your knee. These implants are made possible due to advanced CT and MRI technology. This technology converts CT/MRI data into implants that are designed to conform to the unique 3D structure of your joint.

The design process begins when you receive a diagnostic scan as prescribed by your surgeon. We then map the surface contours of your joint in the areas affected by osteoarthritis. This information facilitates the creation of an implant that is designed to precisely match your individual knee anatomy.

Benefits include:

  • Implant matched to individual size and shape
  • Natural, anatomic feel and alignment
  • Significant bone preservation
  • Less trauma to the knee during surgery
  • Faster recovery time

Implant Durability

With today's improved materials and technology, implants can now last 20 years or longer. At advanced centers like Memorial Hermann, qualifying patients receive prosthetic joints made of new ceramic materials and improved plastics that are scratch-resistant and demonstrate lower wear than the alternatives.

Other recent innovations in implant design include methods of avoiding excessive stress in any one spot and a more perfect match to your specific anatomy. "Robotic-assisted technology allows the physician to more closely match the implant to a patient’s anatomy,” says Dr. Chimenti, chairman of the department of Orthopedics at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. "This provides advantages, including greater bending torque, less trauma to the knee, plus a more natural, stable fit and less wear, leading to the potential for greater implant longevity.”

In many patients, we are also able to replace the traditional bone cement used to secure the implants with a method that prompts the bone to adhere to the implant, forming a biologic fixation which is more durable.

The durability of implants depends on many factors you have some control over as well, such as weight and activity level. Low-impact but weight-bearing activities such as walking, hiking, golf and doubles tennis help strengthen bones and surrounding muscles while minimizing destructive wear and tear.

Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology

This technology provides three-dimensional modeling to help your surgeon plan your procedure, and it gives the surgeon real-time feedback during surgery to ensure accurate implant placement and alignment. Robotic-arm assisted technology partial knee replacement is the ideal solution for patients with arthritis in only one or two compartments of the knee. Total knee replacements, once thought to be the only option, are no longer the only choice for many patients. During this procedure, the diseased part of the knee is resurfaced, sparing the healthy bone and surrounding tissue. The surgeon places the implant in the joint to allow the knee to move normally again.

Benefits include:

  • Smaller incisions
  • Healthy bone and tissue preserved

ACL Sparing Knee Replacement®

ACL Sparing Knee Replacement® is the first and only knee replacement surgery available that allows for the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to be preserved.

While most total knee replacements require surgeons to remove the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), ACL Sparing Knee Replacement® allows for the ACL to stay intact. Patients who are active and have a healthy ACL can preserve this ligament and its normal function even after total knee replacement.

Quad-sparing Total Knee Replacement

Quad-sparing total knee replacement is a minimally invasive surgery done through a small incision. Patients who have quad-sparing total knee replacement typically have quicker recovery, less pain, and a smaller incision so the scar isn’t as visible. People in the Houston area are fortunate to have this option for knee replacements available so close to home.

A traditional knee replacement is done through an incision 8 to 12 inches long. In order to reach the joint, the surgeon cuts through the quadriceps tendon (the main tendon of the muscle above the knee).

In a quad-sparing total knee replacement, the incision is 3 to 4 inches. Special instruments allow the surgeon to go through the side of the knee. The surgeon doesn’t cut through the tendon or violate the muscles. This technique spares the quadriceps tendon.

Cutting the quadriceps tendon causes weakness for quite a long time, but with quad-sparing surgery, the weakness is absent, so patients are walking and returning to normal activities in a much shorter time. Two weeks after surgery, most patients are walking using only a cane, and most people are back to a normal lifestyle within six weeks.

Computer-Assisted/Navigation Surgery

Computer-assisted surgery, also known as Navigation, utilizes advanced technology that provides valuable information about the joint and the patient’s anatomy to the surgeon. The surgeon is able to pre-plan the surgery using CT images and Navigation software to determine the most accurate implant placement. The results are improved alignment and orientation of the implant and greater range of motion, stability and mobility, thus causing less wear and tear on the implant.

Find Relief from Joint Pain

Each year, Memorial Hermann Joint Center physicians perform more than 3,000 hip and knee joint replacement procedures, more than are performed at any other hospital system in the Greater Houston area. 

If you're experiencing symptoms of knee pain and are seeking relief, Memorial Hermann Joint Centers can help. Our orthopedists see patients with everything from minor knee pain that requires rest and self-care, to those with chronic, serious knee pain, requiring a targeting non-surgical or surgical treatment plan. Find a location near you.

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