For the first time in Israel, the staff of Shaare Zedek Medical Center performed two knee replacement surgeries using a new navigation technology. The surgery was performed by Dr. Yadin Levi, Director of the Department of Joint Transplants, Dr. Moshe Lifschitz, a senior physician in our Orthopedics Department and Dr. Michael Toybenshlak, a senior physician in our Orthopedic Department.

The knee navigation application software used is a new innovation developed by Brain Lab in cooperation with Johnson and Johnson’s Medical Device Company. During the operation, a number of sensors are placed on the patient’s leg and pelvis that show the different parts of the joint. The system then displays the images in real-time, allowing for maximum accuracy.

Dr. Yadin Levy explained, “The surgeries were successful and we are anticipating the patients who have already gotten out of bed and have started walking with the help of a physical therapist to have a quick recovery. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of joint replacement surgeries as the average life expectancy increases. Despite various developments in these surgeries and the improved quality of implants, one of the challenges in these procedures is still the instability and dislocation of the joint, which can result from the way different components were transplanted during the surgery. The navigation software increases the accuracy of the component transplantation and reduces the margin of error. Another challenge is reconstructing the biomechanics of the hip joint and, in particular the leg involved in the surgery. The navigation system shows the expected result of the length of the leg and joint at the end of the operation. Using this information, the surgical team can adjust the leg length during the surgery so that the legs are equal in length at the end of the surgery”.