Apollo Hospitals here has performed a minimally invasive knee replacement surgery, claimed to be the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh and one of the few performed in India.

This new technique of knee surgery eliminates the need for bone cut, facilitating quicker recovery. “This is an FDA-approved (US Food and Drug Administration) procedure and is 50 per cent less expensive than traditional knee surgery,” Dr Prabhat Lakkireddi, who led the team of orthopaedic surgeons, told mediapersons here today.

The most common cause of knee pain is arthritis, in which the joint lining called cartilage is damaged due to wear and tear, causing inflammation and pain. “In India, 50 per cent of the general population develops arthritis during their lifetime and is the second largest ailment after diabetes,” he said.

OrthoGlide, a metallic, wedge-shaped device, is a novel implant that replaces worn cartilage inside the knee. It offers patients a less invasive alternative to total knee replacement — the device is inserted into the knee through a 5-7 cm incision, which relieves pressure, restores joint alignment, distributes the load more evenly and increases stability.

The team of doctors at Apollo performed a bilateral (on both the knees) OrthoGlide knee surgery on a 45-year-old woman, the entire surgery lasting for about 45 minutes. “OrthoGlide allows delay of total knee replacement until patients are older and less likely to require a second knee replacement. The surgery can be opted after conservative oral medical treatments fail,” Dr Prabhat said.

>amitmitra@thehindu.co.in

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