New technology could improve accuracy of THA procedures by over 20%

A study by Orthopaedic surgeons at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital (GJNH) indicates that new technology could improve the accuracy of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) procedures by over 20 per cent.

Kamal Deep, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, recently told the British Orthopaedic Association Congress, that the research aimed to prove the effectiveness of computer navigation software in hip replacements.

Discussing the study, Mr Deep said: “At the moment, standard practice for most Total Hip Arthroplasty procedures relies largely on the surgeon’s best judgement and pre operative x-rays to ensure the replacement joint is in the correct position. However, with computer assisted navigation, we have detailed 3D orientation of the surgical area and instruments which can dramatically improve accuracy, reduce the risk of complications at a later date and improve the quality of a patients care.”

A cross section of 229 post-operative x-rays of patients from across Scotland between 2008 and 2012 shows that computer assisted navigation could improve the accuracy of THA from 70 per cent to over 90 per cent.

As this is not standard practice in the UK, further research is necessary to determine the long term advantages of this approach to patients.

The Golden Jubilee National Hospital has performed over 22,000 orthopaedic procedures since its launch in 2003 and is now Scotland’s largest elective arthroplasty centre, carrying out 15 per cent of all hip and knee replacements.

Mr Deep added: “We recently celebrated ten years of our orthopaedic service. I have been using this technique for approximately nine years. As a result, I can confirm it has a patient satisfaction rate of over 95% according to the independent assessment systems:  a significant improvement in Oxford Hip Scores can be seen following surgery with this method.

“The Golden Jubilee is leading the way with computer assisted navigation; it is already using this technology in more than half of our total knee replacements. There is evidence to demonstrate that this technology is making a difference to thousands of patients every year.”