UVA/Novant introduces robotic-arm assisted knee surgery

Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center recently became one of the first hospitals in Northern Virginia to offer robotic-arm assisted total knee and partial knee replacements with Stryker’s Mako System.

This advanced robotic technology assists the surgeon and improves accuracy, the hospital tells us. It is using the Mako Total Knee application, which is a knee replacement treatment option designed to relieve the pain caused by joint degeneration due to osteoarthritis. Through CT-based, 3D modeling of bone anatomy, surgeons can use the Mako System to create a personalized surgical plan and identify the implant size, orientation, and alignment based on each patient’s unique anatomy.

The Mako System also enables surgeons to modify the surgical plan intra-operatively and assists the surgeon in executing bone resections. By targeting only the part of the knee damaged by osteoarthritis, surgeons can resurface the diseased portion of the knee while helping to spare the healthy bone and ligaments surrounding the knee joint.

On the east side of Prince William County in Woodbridge, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center offers a similar service.

“Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center offers robotic and computer-aided surgical techniques that allow our orthopedic surgeons to determine the best course of action to fit the individual needs of their patients,” said Susan Bahoric, a hospital spokeswoman.