As with any moving part, proper fit and alignment are essential to a joint implant’s smooth movement and long-term wear. Dr. Grimsley utilizes the latest advances in orthopaedic surgery, including MAKOplasty computer-assisted navigation and ConforMIS custom 3-D printed knee implants, to ensure your joint replacement mimics your original joint’s shape, size and alignment. This results in a more stable, natural-feeling joint that lasts longer.

MAKOplasty Computer-Assisted Navigation:

In joint replacement surgery, there is a well-recognized relationship between accuracy and outcome. One of the challenges the surgeon faces is ensuring that the implant is aligned and positioned accurately. The MAKOplasty computer-assisted navigation system allows Dr. Grimsley to obtain a 3-D model of your joint, providing him with a comprehensive view of your joint mechanics. During surgery, he uses a highly advanced, surgeon-controlled robotic arm to correctly position the implant components into your pre-arthritic alignment, ensuring an optimal fit for the new joint.

The knee joint is the most complex joint in the human body. One of the limitations of knee replacement surgery is that traditional “off the shelf” implants are rarely a perfect fit. Surgeons must select the implant that appears to be the closest match to the patient’s own anatomy, and then, during surgery, must chip away at different parts of the bone until the implant fits, potentially leaving the patient with years of discomfort if the size isn’t quite right.

Dr. Grimsley utilizes the revolutionary ConforMIS iFit Image-to-Implant technology platform, which allows him to offer 3D-printed joint replacement implants individually sized and shaped to suit the unique needs of each patient’s body. By using data from a preoperative CT scan, ConforMIS will 3D print patient-specific knee replacement implants and custom surgical cutting blocks.

A 3-D prosthesis conforms in terms of size and shape to what’s already there; that means there’s a lot less cutting needed to achieve the perfect fit.