[news 2007-2008]

New patient-specific guide for orthopedic surgery benefits younger, active patients

For immediate release:

Oct. 20, 2008

KINGSTON, ON -- A patient-specific guide for orthopedic surgery developed by researchers at the Human Mobility Research Centre, a joint venture between Kingston General Hospital and Queen’s University, has been exclusively licensed to a large U.S. orthopedics company by PARTEQ Innovations.

The tool is an innovative drill template, created by using three-dimensional computer models from a patient’s computed tomography, or CT scan. (CT scans use diagnostic imaging to produce precise cross-sectional images of anatomical structures.) Using specially engineered software, these images are used to create a surface-matched plastic drilling template that is an exact fit with the patient’s bone structure. These patient-specific forms, augmented by a novel verification component, enable surgeons to more precisely and accurately align and place the metallic implants used in hip resurfacing and other related surgeries.

“The three-dimensional advantage of the CT scan is incorporated into the design to create a customized form that increases accuracy and efficiency in the OR,” says Dr. John Rudan, orthopaedic surgeon at Kingston General Hospital and Professor of Surgery at Queen’s University. Dr. Rudan is also Vice President of Clinical Relations at iGO Technologies Inc., the Kingston-based medical technology firm that assisted with the customized surgical planning software development. “The virtual representation in this form of computer-assist surgery allows for better reproducibility and a reduction in errors.”

Dr. Rudan originally designed the drill template for a procedure known as hip resurfacing arthroplasty. This relatively new surgical technique preserves more of the bone structure than with traditional hip replacements, in which the entire femur head is replaced with an artificial joint. With this newer, less radical technique, only the damaged cartilage on the femur head is removed and replaced with a metal cap, providing a more natural range of motion for the patient and a return to normal activity levels.

To date the guide has been successfully used in nearly 50 hip resurfacing procedures at Kingston General Hospital, a leading health sciences centre in southeastern Ontario.

A significant challenge with this unique form of joint surgery is that precise placement of the metal implant is critical to prevent undue strain on the remaining healthy bone structure. There are few surgeons in the world skilled enough in freehand drilling to accomplish this precision, so computer-assist surgery systems are used to achieve precise placement. With the development of this new patient-specific drill template, orthopaedic surgeons are able to quickly and accurately align the metal cap, thereby reducing operating room time and postoperative complications for improved patient outcomes.

Most important, this drill template allows surgeons at hospitals anywhere to perform this advanced surgical procedure without the necessity for complex and expensive computer-assist operating room infrastructure usually found only at health sciences and research centres such as Kingston General Hospital.

The drill template has applications in other orthopedic procedures, such as knee and ankle replacements and shoulder surgeries similar to hip resurfacing arthroplasy. All of these procedures are geared towards the younger, more active patients who would otherwise outlive traditional total joint replacements and be left with permanent impaired mobility and decreased quality of life.

The guide was created at the Human Mobility Research Centre by Dr. Rudan and Dr. Manuela Kunz, the mechanical and software engineer behind this exciting and innovative tool. This world-class research facility is shared by a multidisciplinary group of leading clinician-scientists, basic scientists and engineers interested in the mechanisms of musculoskeletal diseases and disorders.

With the licensing agreement now in place, patients and surgeons around the world will benefit from this important advancement in orthopaedic surgery, says Dr. Kunz.

“This is a completely new way of performing navigational surgery, allowing patients and surgeons access to the most advanced techniques outside of the clinical research setting,” she explains. “It is very rewarding to see the results of research commercialized to allow a greater number of patients to ultimately benefit.”

About the Human Mobility Research Centre
The centre is a partnership between Queen’s University and Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and serves as a point of collaboration between the disciplines of medicine, engineering, health sciences, and information technology. HMRC provides shared research space and services for clinicians, orthopaedic surgeons, university faculty, students, and industry. The centre is located at KGH and includes specialized labs for connective tissue, bio-simulation, tissue processing, prosthesis design, software development, and gait analysis, as well as one of the world’s first computer-enhanced surgical suites.

About Kingston General Hospital:
Affiliated with Queen’s University, Kingston General Hospital is a 456-bed specialized teaching and research hospital that serves more than 500,000 people in southeastern Ontario and is the community hospital for the Kingston area. KGH provides an array of specialized acute and ambulatory clinical services including trauma, cardiac, stroke, pediatric, perinatal, end stage renal and stem cell transplants. Home to the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, KGH is dedicated to compassionate, high quality health care in a dynamic academic research environment. It features a robust research program and provides hands-on skill training for close to 1,900 health-care students annually. For more information, visit the web site at www.kgh.on.ca .

About Queen’s University
Queen’s University at Kingston is one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious universities and is consistently ranked among Canada’s top five medical-doctoral schools in the annual surveys by Maclean’s and the Globe and Mail. This esteemed reputation is a reflection of the University’s dedication to excellence in all aspects of its academic, research and extracurricular programs. Enrolment currently stands at almost 18,000 students (undergraduate and graduate), who are drawn from every Canadian province and territory, and from 98 other countries.

About PARTEQ Innovations:
PARTEQ Innovations is the not-for-profit technology transfer arm of Queen’s University. PARTEQ works with researchers and the business and venture capital communities to bring early stage technologies to market. Since 1987 PARTEQ has been instrumental in the establishment of more than 40 companies developing a variety of products, from potential drugs for Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease to automated bacteria detection for water systems, solar-powered appliances, and advanced materials used in the plastics, automotive, aerospace and household appliance industries.

Contact:

Jason Hendry

Manager, Commercial Development

PARTEQ Innovations

P: 613.533.6000, ext. 74780

E: jhendry@parteqinnovations.com

Kim Kattouw

Public Affairs Specialist

Kingston General Hospital

P: 613.549.6666 ext. 4687

E:kattouwk@kgh.kari.net