rectly, the tension of the MCL and LCL is inconsistent; ligaments
might be considerably tight in a certain position of the knee and
very loose in others. Achieving essentially equivalent pressure at
each point of motion creates a more symmetric tensioning of the lig-
aments. The accelerometer-based tool helps achieve this symmetry
before placing the final implant.
That extra check facilitates recovery because if ligaments are equal-
ly tensioned throughout a full range of motion, the patient doesn't
have to work as hard during physical therapy. It also might improve
implant longevity because imbalanced ligaments create asymmetrical
pressure on the implant material that can lead to premature failure.
Using an accelerometer-based navigation tool unfortunately length-
ens surgery times and adds extra expense to the surgery, but no
knee replacement should be conducted without it because of its
valuable contribution to symmetric knee balancing.
OSM
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 3
Dr. Kreuzer (skreuzer@inov8hc.com) is a board-certified and fellowship-
trained joint replacement surgeon in Houston, Texas.
