JERUSALEM: SURGEONS PERFORM FIRST EVER COMPUTER ASSISTED HIP SURGERY

Record ID: 862876

  • Title: JERUSALEM: SURGEONS PERFORM FIRST EVER COMPUTER ASSISTED HIP SURGERY
  • Date: 26th February 2004
  • Summary: DOCTOR TALKING ABOUT SURGERY
  • Embargoed: 12th March 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JERUSALEM
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Health,Quirky,Science,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAB93GYQ6WH8T4O96GHEX1FVQX9
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: In Israel, surgeons have performed the first ever computer assisted hip surgery.
    Israeli Orthopaedic Surgeons this week performed the first ever computer assisted hip replacement surgery at Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital.
    Hip replacement, a significant and complex orthopaedic procedure, is increasingly in demand as populations age and the hip joint becomes more brittle.
    Until recently, hip replacement surgery was a major procedure for the patient and the surgeons. To reduce the impact of the operation on the patient, doctors sought ways to minimize the incision. This necessitated their receiving some image of the anatomy of the patient, using a fluoroscope machine.
    The new, sophisticated computer navigation system provides surgeons with an accurate three-dimensional virtual picture of the surgical area on a computer screen in front of them as they proceed with the operation.
    Special sensors attached to the patient's body transmit data to the computer indicating the location of the hip joint relative to the space at the site. A fluoroscope machine provides the basis of the virtual picture through the transmission of an x-ray image of the hip to the computer. The data and the virtual picture on the computer screen guide the surgeons in positioning the replacement through a display of the exact co-ordinates of the surgical site and angle at which the implant should be placed.
    According to the virtual picture and data that appear on the computer screen, surgeons now know in advance exactly where to enter the hip, where to position the replacement and are aware of their location inside the hip at every stage of the surgery. This complex procedure is conducted through a minimal incision of 2 inches.
    The state-of-the-art technologies that Hadassah doctors use were developed by the American corporate giants Zimmer and Medtronics, which chose Hadassah as a highly suitable medical institution in which to install them. In his annual report to stockholders this week, Zimmer CEO specifically mentioned that the first use of this advanced technology took place in Israel.
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