Robot surgery for chronic knee osteoarthritis under local anesthesia
Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Dubai performs the first “robot surgery” to end the suffering of a 40-year-old man with chronic knee osteoarthritis under local anesthesia
Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Dubai performed the first robotic surgery to replace the knee cap joint with the femur bone for a patient in his forties who suffered from acute and chronic pain and symptoms, limited range of motion and climbing stairs, and difficulty performing daily activities, as explained by Dr. Louay Al Khatib, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement and Sports Medicine, Head of the Medical Team, who holds a British and Canadian Fellowship.
Dr. Louay Al Khatib added that upon the patient’s arrival at the clinic and listening to his complaint, it became clear that he had previously undergone more than one knee joint surgery, but those interventions failed and did not achieve the desired results, especially with his following an intensive physical therapy program. Accordingly, the patient began searching for other, more advanced treatment methods to end his health problem, indicating that he underwent accurate examinations with CT scans, MRI, and a number of laboratory tests.
The results showed severe and chronic roughness in the anterior knee joint and partial cartilage erosion. Accordingly, the patient underwent an advanced operation using surgical robotic techniques, which began by providing the system with information about the patient, in addition to measurements of the knee and hip joints and details of the artificial knee joint to be implanted, which gives the case high-precision recovery results, in line with the structure of the knee and surrounding tissues.
He pointed out that the operation was performed under partial anesthesia without the need for general anesthesia, and lasted for two and a half hours, during which the damaged part of the knee cap and femur were replaced. Praise be to God, it was crowned with complete success, and the patient was able to walk on the same day of the operation, and left the hospital within 48 hours, in good health, after getting rid of all the symptoms he had suffered from over the past years, with an intensive physical therapy program to strengthen the muscles and ligaments.
In conclusion, Dr. Al-Khatib explained that the robotic surgeon techniques are the latest and most effective technology produced by medical technology in the field of knee joint replacement. Its operations are characterized by being the closest to the natural joint in terms of stability, balance and flexibility. They are performed with a small surgical incision, which ensures the preservation of the tissues surrounding the surgical area, and the highest degree of precision in bone cutting operations, and the creation of the virtual shape of the knee before performing the superficial cutting of the bone parts, and knowing the result of the operation in advance. It also ensures a longer life for the artificial joint, and provides a high degree of safety by reducing the use of harmful CT scans, in addition to reducing post-operative pain, and the recovery and hospitalization periods, so that the patient can return to his normal life in a short period.