Surgeon Perceptions Regarding
Custom-fit Positioning Technology
for Total Knee Arthroplasty
Michael A. Mont, MD
Director
Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
Aaron J. Johnson, MD
Fellow
Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
Michael G. Zywiel, MD
Fellow
Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
Peter M. Bonutti, MD
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Bonutti Clinic, Effingham, IL
Recently, studies have begun to assess the use of custom-fit arthroplasty sytsems that use magnetic resonance imaging to determine component placement. The purpose of this study was to assess how commonly this new technique is being used by surgeons and whether they perceive any benefits to their patients and/or to their practices. Fifty orthopaedic surgeons responded to a 19-question survey regarding custom-fit positioning total knee arthroplasty as part of a regional orthopaedic meeting. Overall, 10 of the 50 surgeons surveyed reported using custom-fit positioning technology. Of the remaining questionnaire participants, 29 of 40 indicated that they were interested in trying the new technique. The two reasons that were most frequently cited by the surgeons who were not interested in adopting the technique were costs and not enough clinical outcomes reports. The results of the present study suggest that if additional clinical studies at longer-term follow-up support these findings, then more surgeons may adopt this technique. Although cost was a perceived barrier to using this technique, the results of this survey suggest that some surgeons who use this technique may have reduced procedure time.
