Orthopedic & Muscular System: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

Customised Jigs in Primary Total Knee Replacement

Nikolaos V. Bardakos and Anastasios K. Lilikakis

Patient-specific surgery employing customising jigs for bone resections is becoming increasingly popular for total
knee replacement surgery. Theoretical advantages of this technology include, but are not limited to, more accurate
limb alignment and reduced surgical time, blood loss and in-patient hospital stay. In turn, these may result in more
cost savings when compared with standard techniques of performing knee replacement surgery. The literature
published so far has primarily examined alignment data but has failed to consistently confirm the previously
proposed benefits. It appears that longer-term data, focusing on patient function and implant survival, will be
required before the clinical and cost utility of these guides can be determined. This article briefly outlines the
manufacturing process and surgical technique of patient-specific jigs and presents the clinical evidence pertaining to
key elements of this new technology.