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Frank DiMaio, MD, Chairman of Orthopaedics, is one of only 10 American surgeons asked to evaluate procedure
Winthrop-University Hospital's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery continues to reach new frontiers in minimally invasive surgical procedures -- first with total hip replacements and now with total knee replacements.
One of a select group of Long Island hospitals with the new technology to perform minimally invasive total knee replacement, Winthrop now offers patients another alternative to traditional, open surgery.
Additionally, Frank DiMaio, MD, Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery, is one of only 10 evaluating surgeons throughout the United States testing the new technology being used in minimally invasive total knee replacements.
The innovative surgical technique utilizes specially designed instruments that allow for an incision up to nine inches smaller than that required by traditional open knee surgery. But, despite the smaller incision, the same clinically proven knee implants continue to be used with the minimally invasive technique.
In addition to the modified instruments used in the surgery, the surgeons also utilize the latest computer-assisted navigation software, which helps them evaluate their progress as the surgery moves forward, and affords them greater precision in the placement of the knee implant.
Traditional open knee surgery necessitates a 12-inch incision down the front of the knee. With the new minimally invasive knee replacement procedure, a three-to-five inch incision is made on the front of the knee, but the "quad" tendon, which controls knee bending, is untouched.
"The smaller incision limits soft tissue and muscle damage," explained Dr. DiMaio. "With traditional knee replacement surgery, a patient's recovery can take up to 12 weeks. With the minimally invasive technique, most patients are fully recovered within just eight weeks."
For more information, call the Department of Orthopaedics at 516-663-2263.
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