BRUNSWICK, Georgia: April 21, 2008 – Orthopaedic surgeons at the
Southeast Georgia Health System Brunswick Campus were among the first
in the country to perform MAKOplasty®, a minimally invasive partial
knee resurfacing procedure used to treat early to mid-stage osteoarthritis
of the knee. Now they are utilizing the next generation of the robotic
arm system by MAKO Surgical Corp, the new RIO™ Robotic Arm Interactive
Orthopaedic System.
With RIO™ and the new knee implants designed specifically for use
with the system, the minimally invasive MAKOplasty® procedure is now
available to a larger pool of patients. Previously, the procedure was
available to treat only the inner portion of the knee. The RIO™
System now makes possible resurfacing of the inner (medial), top (patellofemoral)
or both components of the knee.
“Precision is the key in planning and performing partial knee surgeries,”
says Beau Sasser, Jr., MD, orthopaedic surgeon at Summit Sports Medicine
& Orthopaedic Surgery, a strategic affiliate of the Health System.
“For a good outcome you need to align and position the implants
in just the right way. Precision in surgery, and in the pre-operative
planning process, is what this new robotic arm system delivers. We are
very excited to use the new RIO™, and to be able to offer MAKOplasty®
to a greater number of patients. Having this early intervention procedure
is important since osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis
and a leading cause of disability worldwide.”
During the procedure, the surgeon uses the robotic arm, which provides
tactile, acoustic and visual feedback, to limit the bone preparation to
the diseased areas. This provides optimal implant placement. The goal
of this minimally invasive procedure is to restore the patient’s
natural knee motion with as little bone cutting and tissue trauma as possible,
for a more natural feeling knee post operatively and a rapid recovery.
Also performing the surgery at the Brunswick Campus are orthopaedic surgeons
Denny Carter, MD, J. Melvin Deese, MD, and J. Kevin Brooks, MD.
For more information about the RIO™ System or to make an appointment,
please call Drs. Deese, Carter, or Sasser at 912-262-9961 or Dr. Brooks
at 912-265-9006.