Many of my patients have been asking about concerns related to metal on metal hip implants. While we have had tremendous success with metal on metal, but the feature that I feel is the most beneficial is the large ball and socket that make dislocations less likely. Metal on metal also has less wear than traditional plastic. However, during the last ten years, plastic technology has caught up in many respects. We are now able to use cross linking techniques to make the plastic stronger and use vitamin E to prevent the plastic from getting brittle while it is cross linked. I am happy to report that we have ePoly available for both hip and knee replacement . It should provide us all the benefits of metal on metal without the worry about metal ion generation. While we can never promise, I think we are getting closer to lifetime joint replacements with each new innovation.

Tags: Total knee, Total hip

Conformis has been working on a CT guided, custom knee replacement for a number of years now, using the same technology we are using for their uni knee replacement. Unlike other systems, this is a true custom knee unique to each patient. it should allow a more accurate knee without giving up the benefits of a total knee replacement. We should be able to start our first cases in the fall. I’m really looking forward to offering this to our knee arthritis patients.

Tags: Knee, Total knee, conforis, iTotal