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WIRRAL TO BE THE FIRST AREA IN THE LIVERPOOL CITY REGION TO OFFER ROBOTIC KNEE SURGERY
Wirral Life talk to Mr Muthu Ganapathi , a Consultant Hip and Knee Surgeon at Spire Murrayfield Hospital , Wirral
Trail blazing innovative technology which will improve the precision of knee replacement surgery is about to become available in Wirral as Spire Murrayfield unveils the ROSA , which stands for Robotic Surgical Assistant .
This ground-breaking piece of surgical equipment will be in the hands of consultant hip and knee surgeon Mr Muthu Ganapathi who is based at Spire Murrayfield , and we caught up with him to find out more about this amazing advancement in medicine .
How does ROSA work ? Robot-assisted joint replacement is a new advance in the field of total knee arthroplasty . ROSA stands for Robotic Surgical Assistant and the assistant part of this is important ! The robot doesn ’ t conduct the surgery ! It allows the surgeon to personalise the knee replacement to closely match the person ’ s individual knee . The surgeon plans what they want and asks the robot to help .
During surgery , the knee joint is mapped carefully and the camera in the robotic system captures the reference points ( it is like a high-tech GPS system ). Once the mapping is completed , the surgeon then can fine tune where everything needs to be positioned before making the bone cuts .
Each person ’ s knee is different but traditional knee replacements are done with ‘ one shape fits all ’ approach . This may be one of the reasons why about 20 % of knee replacement patients are not happy with them . There is now increasing focus on personalising the knee replacements to improve outcome . The precision of the ROSA helps the surgeon to personalise the knee replacements to closely match the individual ’ s knee to get the best possible result so this piece of kit is opening doors to helping more people get a better quality of life .
Have you already had success with ROSA ? Yes absolutely ! I ’ ve been using it in North Wales since last year and have completed close to 50 robotic knee replacements using this system , but this is a first for Wirral and I ’ m really looking forward to bringing this technique to the area .
I moved into doing knee replacements using MRI based 3D moulds of the patient ’ s knee in 2012 and went on to do almost 1000 knee replacements this way . ROSA is a further advancement of this technique as it allows real time planning and adjustments during surgery .
ROSA was initially used for brain surgery and has been adapted to help with knee replacements , as it offers a precision which the human eye cannot match . Multiple studies have shown that robotic assisted knee replacements are more precise compared to conventional mechanical instruments . There are also recent studies suggesting less soft tissue damage and faster recovery as well . I ’ ve seen this in my own practice . The knee joint is a complex structure . It is quite difficult for the human eye and conventional mechanical instruments to do this type of personalisation . ROSA is allowing us to achieve this much more precisely .
What is a common situation for you to use ROSA in ? One of the most common conditions for a knee replacement is osteoarthritis . But sometimes we see other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or post traumatic arthritis . ROSA can be considered in any situation where a knee replacement is needed .
What ’ s different about using ROSA ? In some cases , patients whose knee replacement would be quite difficult can be helped with ROSA much more easily . I did a knee replacement recently in a patient with juvenile arthritis who was only in her early 30 ’ s .
The knee was extremely stiff with very little movement . In order to do a conventional knee replacement , you need to be able to bend the joint to carry out the surgery which of course was not possible , and surgery would have been technically very difficult . With the help of ROSA , even without bending the knee much , I was able to map it and able to perform the knee replacement . She went home on the first postoperative day and when I saw her at 6 weeks , she was able to walk unaided with excellent knee movement , she was amazed at how much she could bend it and how fast she had recovered .
What are you hoping to achieve for your patients ? A better quality of life generally , but in addition I want them to feel as if they ’ re back to their pre-condition self or as close to their normal as we can get .
Being able to personalise my approach to the operation based on the patient ’ s individual joint , the knee replacement may feel more natural and can potentially result in better functional outcome .
Do you have other areas of specialisation ? I also specialise in hip replacements . My focus in general is to minimise soft tissue damage to allow early functional recovery . To this effect , I perform majority of the hip replacements using a minimally invasive approach . More details could be found on my website https :// ganapathihipkneesurgeon . com
At Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral , our consultants have wide experience in the latest techniques and innovations and our inclusive prices and access to 0 % finance options make the process easy and more affordable . For further information on our broad range of procedures , and to find out more about our team of expert Consultants , search ‘ Spire Wirral ’ or call our specialist advisors on 0151 929 5408 .
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