ATLANTA – (April 17, 2008) – Saint Joseph’s Hospital announced today that it is the first hospital in Georgia to offer the MAKOplasty® procedure which allows surgeons to perform partial knee resurfacing robotically through a minimal incision. Saint Joseph’s performed the first procedures last week.
“This is an alternative for people suffering from osteoarthritis or just plain ‘bad knees’ who have been told that they should wait for a total knee replacement,” says Ken Kress, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at Saint Joseph’s Hospital. “MAKOplasty allows me to treat patients at earlier stages of degenerative joint disease, reducing chronic pain and restoring the ability for an active lifestyle.”
The MAKO Guidance System™ is unique in that it creates an active 3-D visualization and maps out the patient’s knee. The surgeon makes a minimal incision and restores the patient’s knee function by resurfacing the arthritic defects while keeping the healthy bone and tissue intact. The process ensures that only the diseased portions of the joint are removed.
Most patients have a shortened hospital stay and resume normal daily activities within weeks of the procedure. In addition, there usually is decreased need for intense physical therapy. Saint Joseph’s is one of the leading orthopaedic hospitals in the region and is recognized as in the top five percent of hospitals in the country for total joint replacements and spine care.
