Knee surgery patients set to benefit from Leeds research projects
Patients in Leeds who need knee replacement operations or knee surgery following a sports injury are set to benefit from new research.
Researchers have been awarded charity funding to use computer technology to develop more precise surgical techniques used in knee replacement surgery, and also to improve surgery to help patients who have ruptured knee ligaments.
A team of bioengineers and orthopaedic surgeons at the University of Leeds' Medical School have been awarded two separate grants from medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) totalling almost £160,000 over the next two years.
The aim of the first project is to improve the outcome of surgery for patients who need a knee replacement, particularly those undergoing new unicompartmental knee surgery, which is performed through a small incision.
"The technique we are working on will assist surgeons in identifying the correct size of the implant, and designing a tailor-made jig (a surgical guide for cutting bone) for the individual patient," explained Dr Bahaa Seedhom. Dr Seedhom is an arc Reader in Bioengineering who is running the research project with research fellow Kenneth Chelule and consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust Kevin Sherman. "These customised jigs will help the surgeon shape the bones so that the implant components fit accurately within the joint."
The technique will allow surgeons to visualise the patient's bones on a computer screen and trialling various artificial joint components to choose the best one. "The tremendous advantage of this pre-operative planning to both surgeon and patient is that it gives the surgeon ample time to get in the implant in the right position, with a "second bite at the cherry," added Dr Seedhom. "If the position of the implant isn't accurate, there is an opportunity to correct it - an unprecedented luxury not affordable in the operating theatre!"
Dr Seedhom is also working on a second arc grant with postdoctoral research fellow Mostafa Raïf which will improve treatment of patients who need surgery after rupturing knee ligaments following an accident or sports injury.
Surgeons use a patient's own tissue to repair ruptured ligaments, in order to try to prevent the onset of osteoarthritis. The arc study aims to mimic in the lab the repair processes that occur in the body, to enable surgeons to decide on the appropriate amount of patient's tissue to use, or another substance, and also how best to exercise after the operation.
