Dr. Mahmoud Hafez devised an advanced method for adjusting the corners of the damaged knee joint during the process of replacing it with an artificial joint. And dispense with the new method about 300 tools used by traditional methods, and depends on the use of computers to design a template template tool that fits the patient perfectly to adjust the knee, and then use the technique of three-dimensional printing to produce the template financially.
Hafez, an orthopedic and prosthetic consultant in England, and head of the orthopedics department at 6th October University in Egypt, revealed that his innovation contributed to many surgeries successfully without complications.
The new technique is based on conducting three-dimensional CT scans on the knee joint, and the results of the rays are used in pre-planning the surgery using a computer with an expectation of the result, then the templates are designed to suit the patient’s diagnosis, to be printed later using a 3D printer.
Hafez said, in an exclusive interview with the Future Observatory, “We use only two pieces of electronic molds to perform the surgery with this technique, so we dispense with more than 300 pieces that we were relying on in traditional replacement surgeries, which reduces the time required for the operation, and reduces the dose of anesthesia required to perform it. The best option for many medical conditions that cannot tolerate high anesthesia doses, in addition to preventing the penetration of the medullary canal into the bone, so the patient avoided many complications that were common in traditional replacement surgeries, such as the formation of fatty clots or bleeding or the need for blood transfusion ».
He added «this technique is best suited to complex cases, which cannot be implemented by traditional methods, such as severe warps, distortions and old fractures, as well as in some chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, diabetes, liver, and blood thinners, or in the case of old slices and nails, in order to adopt the technique On advance planning for the surgery ».
The new technology boils down to using two printed molds, one of which is attached to the shin and the other is fixed to the thigh bone, and they contribute to adjusting the pivot easily. The electronic mold technique facilitates the opportunity to replace the knee joints in one surgery.
It is worth noting that the patient who undergoes knee joint replacement with the printed mold technique can move three hours after the operation, unlike traditional surgeries, in which the patient remains restricted and unable to move for about three months, and this technique is characterized by a low cost if compared to traditional surgeries, according to Hafiz's statements.
Hafez performed the operation on more than 500 patients around the world.
Finally, he used the same technique to replace the hip joints of a patient who had an accident, as a result of which he lost his ability to move for more than 27 years, but he regained his ability to move again.
Innovation has contributed to many surgeries successfully without complications.