Join us to watch an innovative approach to knee replacement surgery - on the Internet. During the webcast, doctors at Woodwinds Health Campus perform state-of-the-art computer assisted knee replacement surgery.

The web cast was broadcast live from the Orthopaedic Learning Center at Woodwinds on Tuesday, May 16 at 3:00 pm central time.

During the interactive webcast, surgeons responded to inquiries about the procedure.

Watch the webcast

Click here to go to the webcast on the OR-Live web site.

The surgery was performed by Daniel Hoeffel, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon. He was joined by Jack Drogt, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon who provided commentary on this leading-edge approach to joint replacement.

About the surgery

During a total knee replacement, plastic and metal parts are used to replace injured or damaged parts of the knee. Until now, a doctor had to rely on his or her experience to remove bone, replace it with implanted material and align the plastic or metal material with the bone. Since each patient's knee is different, this can be a challenge.

How computer assisted knee surgery is different

Computer assisted knee replacement uses infrared to display a 3D model of the patient's knee on a computer screen. The image of the knee allows the surgeon to clearly see inside the joint and more exactly align the bone and implanted material in the knee.

Patients often benefit from better outcomes after surgery and smaller incisions. "The technology allows the surgeon to customize the total knee replacement for each patient," says Dr. Hoeffel.

"The objective of computer-assisted surgery is to combine the precision and accuracy of computer technology with the surgeon's skill and expertise," says Dr. Drogt. "The goal is establishing anatomic alignment, which greatly increases the durability and longevity of the joint replacement. As a result, surgeons are able to align a patient's bones and joint implants with a degree of accuracy not possible with the naked eye."

During the live webcast, Dr. Hoeffel used the Ci® Navigation System by DePuy, a division of Johnson and Johnson.

About the surgeons

Daniel Hoeffel, MD, specializes in total joint replacement and is certified to train other orthopaedic surgeons in the proper use of the Ci computer navigation system. Dr. Hoeffel's practice includes the treatment of orthopedic injuries including fractures. His area of subspecialty is total joint replacements and revision of failed total joints.

Jack Drogt, MD, sees patients with hip and knee disorders and injuries with an emphasis on hip and knee replacement and fracture care. Dr. Drogt specializes in knee reconstruction, knee arthroscopy and hip and knee joint replacement.

To learn more

For more information about knee replacement and the Orthopaedic Specialty Center at Woodwinds, visit: www.woodwinds.org

Click here for more information on OR-Live and the knee replacement webcast.