Thursday, April 27, 2006

High Tech Orthopedic Surgery by My Dad


Million Dollar Man’s Million-Dollar Machine

NEW State-of-the-Art Surgical Navigation System

New York, NY – Countless people suffer from arthritis pain associated with hip and joint pain. In the past, correcting these problems via surgery meant lengthy tests and less precise procedures that lead to more post-operative care. The idea of being a bionic man through joint replacement seemed less like fact and more like fiction. The Sci-Fi future of joint replacement has now become a reality. Dr. Elton Strauss, Chief of Orthopaedic Trauma and Adult Reconstruction at Mount Sinai Hospital Center, is among the first to use the revolutionary new technology known as the Stryker Navigation System. The mechanism is an interactive operating monitoring system designed to improve the surgical performance and clinical outcome of joint replacement. According to Dr. Strauss, “the computer guided equipment allows me to achieve microscopic precision, while providing a more cost effective and minimally invasive procedure. ”

Developed by Stryker Leibeinger, the PC based navigational system provides accurate decision making for alignment and orientation of instruments, trials and ultimately implants. Unique to other joint replacement navigators, the navigational system provides surgeons with pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative assessments of the patient's joint kinematic measurements. The software features include imageless technology (no CT/MRI images) and provide patient kinematics derived by using motion analysis and bony landmarks.

The system also provides a unique visualization tool for tissue balancing, online visualization of joint angulations and displacement, and step-by-step comprehensive initialization of a patient’s anatomy. In all, the system provides more accurate, faster and easier assessments of a patient’s condition, which assists the surgeon in providing the best care possible. According to a spokesperson for Stryker Leibinger, “the navigation system allows the surgeon to receive completely new insights that can help optimize the outcome of surgical efforts. The smart instrumentation and the software are tailored to the specific needs of the different surgical branches.” Through smart tools and computer vision, it will also allow for the continued evolution of limited incision surgery.

How does it work?

The navigation system uses an infrared camera and markers along with unique instrument tracking software to continually monitor the position and mechanical alignment of the implant and the surgical instruments relative to the patient’s knee anatomy. Wireless instruments send data pertaining to the knee kinematics (movement) to a computer.

The computer analyzes and displays kinematic data on a monitor in the form of charts and graphs that supply the surgeon with the optimum angles, lines and measurements needed to align the prosthetic joint within the patient. The patient receives the best possible outcome in their joint replacement, accuracy to within one to two millimeters is extremely important. Just as a wheel alignment affects the life of automobile tires, precise alignment is key to smooth movement and long-term wear in joint replacements.

“Joint replacement is an extremely successful way to treat patients suffering from arthritis,” says Dr. Strauss. “The new computerized surgical navigation technology allows my surgical team and me to provide the best alignment of the joint, or bone. By doing so, we can increase the expectancy (20+ years) of an implant and give a patient the best possible stability and range of movement, even in difficult anatomic situations.”


Book an apointment to see Dr. Strauss 212.241.1648 Tell them I sent you :-)

Treating the Elderly

For additional information or to speak with Dr. Strauss, please contact Jill LaVorgna at 212.213.6444, or jill@kmrcommunications.com.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Pre-order The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new album, Stadium Arcadium, and automatically receive the new single, “Dani California.” The pre-order also gives users access to pre-sale tickets for the group’s upcoming tour. And they'll be automatically entered to win the band’s complete catalog and an engraved Red Hot Chili Peppers iPod.

RHCP-300x300

Red Hot Chili Peppers' blog