Two weeks before Arlene Jensen of Independence Township was due for knee replacement surgery, she got a call from her doctor.
“He asked if he could try something new ? I said sure, as long as it doesn’t hurt anymore,” said Jensen, 57.
Dr. Safa Kassab, orthopedic surgeon, successfully performed a custom-fit knee replacement procedure, the first in Michigan, at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac.
“My goal is to give the patient a pain-free, functional joint,” Kassab said. “This is another step in that direction.”
Designed by OtisKnee Custom Fit Knee Replacement of California, the procedure usings MRI technology to precisely measure the patient’s knee.
The scan is used to create a three-dimensional image of the arthritic joint, and a corrected version. This is used to make precision cutting guides for the surgeon to follow.
The procedure means less cutting and quicker recovery, Kassab said.
The new approach ‘is changing the way we cut the knee. There’s less dissection, less bone cutting and less time in surgery. It also decreases the trauma to the patient,? he said.
‘It allows the patient to be painfree, recover a lot quicker and resume all activities of life.?
Before surgery, Jensen was receiving cortisone treatment for her knee every 2-3 months. When that was no longer enough, she became a candidate for surgery.
“It was a long time coming,” said Jensen, who goes to Novacare in Clarkston for rehabilitation. “It’s doing better every day.”
Kassab said the custom approach will soon also be used for elbows, hips, and other joints. He expects to do several hundred in the coming year.
For more information, call St. Joseph Mercy Oakland at 800-372-6094.