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Robotic Assisted Partial Knee Resurfacing by Dr. Velyvis 2013
624 partial knee resurfacing procedures but some 560 of them were performed
using robotics
March 12, 2013 Sometimes medical advances come by degree: sometimes
medicine leapfrogs into a new approach that dramatically advances patient
treatment. Dr. John Velyvis, MD, Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, specialist
in minimally invasive knee and hip surgery, is Director of the Robotic Knee
Center at St Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco. He is Fellowship
Trained from the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard University Medical
School. Dr. Velyvis obtained his medical doctorate at Columbia University, New
York and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Biomedical
Engineering.
Dr. Velyvis says that from his first contact with Robotic Knee Preservation and
Restoration, he knew the days of radical total knee replacement being used as
the go-to surgery for arthritic knee pain were numbered. As an example Dr.
Velyvis has logged some 624 partial knee resurfacing procedures but some 560 of
them were performed using robotics.
Robotic Assisted Partial Knee Resurfacing is a growing discipline in the
treatment of arthritic knee joints and Dr. Velyvis has emerged as one of the
leaders in the field. At one point, the doctor had performed 12% of such robotic
assisted surgeries in the United States, performed using the MAKOplasty
procedure. Explained Dr. Velyvis, "From a surgical perspective, we do everything
we can to perform to exacting tolerances. Once the surgeon sees the level of
sophistication the robot provides, there is simply no way to go back to
unassisted resurfacing. The robotic surgeries are simply better outcomes."
But Dr. Velyvis says while total knee replacement has its place in more advanced
cases, "Two critical ligaments are surgically severed. These are the very
ligaments that guide motion and stability to the joint. The ends of the tibia
and femur, the two large bones that make up your upper and lower leg are severed
to accommodate the new artificial knee joint. But we focus on knee preservation,
and none of that trauma even takes place with this new surgery. The surgeon uses
computer mapping to guide the robotic resurfacing. Minute amounts of tissue are
removed. The tolerances are very precise, far more exacting than could ever be
accomplished unaided by the robot. We use a very small implant within the joint
itself, and thereby eliminate the pain of arthritis, with dramatically shorter
and easier recovery times. Anyone who makes the allegation that these approaches
are of equal value needs to review the trauma that doesn't take place with
resurfacing."
Because the trauma of Robotic Assisted Knee Replacement is so limited and
standards are so precise, Dr. Velyvis believes improved outcomes and the
diminished chances of malpractice litigation will act as a strong attractant to
Robotic Assisted Joint Replacement for orthopedic surgeons in years to come.
Remarked Dr. Velyvis, "In my opinion these are simply better, more predictable
outcomes."
Along with the notoriety of surpassing the 600 surgery mark, Dr. Velyvis has had
to battle to bring his patients state-of-the-art procedures and technology. When
Dr. Velyvis felt he was being pressured to use a medical device which was not
state-of-the-art, he refused. According to published reports, Dr. Velyvis was
eventually victorious in standing up for his patients' rights and was paid a
substantial negotiated settlement. He continues his work as an educator and
consultant, and an unyielding advocate for his patients.
Dr. Velyvis, Director of the Robotic Knee Center at St Francis Memorial Hospital
in San Francisco, specializes in the minimally invasive Robotic Partial Knee
Resurfacing Technique, as well as continuing his work in advanced minimally
invasive hip and total knee replacement surgery. He has lectured and published
considerably on these topics within the field of orthopedics. For more
information about Dr. Velyvis, please visit www.johnvelyvis.com.
International and out-of-state patients can provide their medical information
for review. We offer second opinions. In many cases even those patients told by
doctors that they need a total knee replacement do qualify for this
technologically advanced procedure. To schedule an appointment, please call
(760) 835 7317.
SOURCE John Velyvis MD
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