Neurologic and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago First Center in Chicago to Offer Bi-Compartmental Knee Replacement

March 12, 2007—Chicago orthopedic surgeon Mitchell Sheinkop, MD, of the Neurologic and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago, aims to do for the knee what he has helped do for the hip-namely, provide a knee implant procedure that meets the needs of younger, more active patients who suffer pain associated with arthritis. View an educational video of the knee by Mitchell Sheinkop, MD | View a Q&A session with Mitchell Sheinkop about knee treatments

Sheinkop was among the first group of surgeons to adopt hip resurfacing for younger patients who experienced significant hip pain, and could benefit from the bone sparing and minimally invasive procedure that hip resurfacing provides.

Now, Sheinkop and his colleague John Cherf, M.D. are the first two orthopedic surgeon in Chicago to be selected for training by orthopedic device maker Smith and Nephew to offer a new procedure for the knee; the anterior cruciate preserving knee resurfacing called The Journey Deuce.

According to Sheinkop and Cherf, the Deuce resurfacing is appropriate for patients with arthritis in two areas of the knee and an intact anterior cruiate ligament as opposed to those who require a total knee replacement after arthritis has attacked all three areas of the knee.

In a typical knee reconstruction, an orthopedic surgeon will remove the medial compartment, the patella-femoral section and the lateral compartment thereby sacrificing the ACL . However, in 70 percent of these cases, arthritis actually attacks only medial and patella compartments, leaving the lateral compartment disease free. The preservation of the anterior cruciate ligament assists athletes and active people with pivoting, cutting and planting, Sheinkop said.

"Before the Deuce resurfacing came along, we would have to perform total knee replacement on patients who only had disease in two of the three areas, and resect the major stabilizing knee ligament " Cherf said. "Now, we can offer these patients a procedure that allows us to spare the anterior ligament and preserve a lot of athletic function."

They said preserving the anterior ligament allows patients who enjoy tennis, skiing, and even sailing, for instance, to continue these activities at a much higher level than that following a standard TKR . Patients who undergo total knee replacement must curtail those activities that require significant stress on the knee such as sports that require lateral cutting and planting including soccer, baseball and tennis.

For patients, the Deuce knee resurfacing surgery may be done through a minimally invasive incision , but Sheinkop and Cherf said that the surgical instruments and method is different than the approach used for standard knees surgeries. They recently returned from an intensive training session at Smith and Nephew headquarters in Memphis , Tenn.

As the population increases and ages, it is estimated that total knee replacements will increase over 30% percent from 418,000 in 2005 to nearly 550,000 by 2015. For more information on The Journey Deuce procedure at the Neurologic and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago, call: 773-250-1000.

The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago is the country's first freestanding acute care hospital dedicated exclusively to neuroscience and orthopedic services. It utilizes breakthrough technology and minimally invasive techniques as well as advanced procedures for neurosurgery, orthopedics, pain management, neuro-oncology, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.