Flamingo’s, Duck’s and Arthritis

Uni knee 4 On the 20th November 2013, the MSk Lab opened its skills lab to host a number of delegates to take part in a one day course: Uni-Knee Arthroplasty – Medial and Lateral Procedures. Supported by Biomet, the day was packed with insightful talks by a number of experts in the morning and then dry bone workshops in the afternoon – with a bit of bone crushing for good measure!

“I liked the memorable comparison’s eg; Flamingo’s get lateral compartmental arthritis and ducks get medial compartmental arthritis” (regarding a talk given by Professor Justin Cobb)

Uni-compartmental arthroplasty is not widely practised yet is an extremely successful and beneficial operation for patients to have – in most cases more so than total knee arthroplasty. The delegates had the opportunity to hear reasons why this is so, from Professor Justin Cobb, Mr Dinesh Nathwani and Mr Gareth Jones. They also presented details on different approaches to the procedure – manual and robot assisted, as well as discussing a variety of case studies. Mr Keith Thomas from Biomet gave a talk about the evolution of uni-knee replacements and how their prosthesis The Oxford was designed.

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“Nice to see photos of ‘famous knee people’ to put a face to a name – really imformative!” (a delegate commented about the Biomet talk)

Following lunch, the delegates got to see a step by step medial arthroplasty on dry bones performed by Professor Cobb before trying the procedure for themselves. Then to bring an element of competition, the implants were then tested for fracture resistance using the Mecmesin force tester. This provided the delegates with a good idea of how accurately they had positioned and placed their uncondylar components and added another dimension to the day.

Mr Vikas Seth, a Trauma Fellow, walked away with the prize for the day, as his replacement sustained the most force before fracturing. If you need a uni-knee replacement in the future – look out for this up and coming consultant!

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For more pictures visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84938068@N03/sets/72157638415031734/

 

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