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Client NewsNews Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Houston Surgeon Introduces New Guided Navigation Technology for Orthopedic Joint Replacement Surgery- GPS system helps better align implants for improved range of motion, reduced wear - HOUSTON, TX (August 10, 2006)Dr. Al Cuellar, a surgeon with the KSF Orthopaedic Clinic at 17270 Red Oak Drive in Houston, recently introduced an image-guided navigation technology for joint replacement surgery that is designed to allow a surgeon to align an artificial joint with greater precision within the body. This new system is designed to help provide patients with longer-lasting and more comfortable joint replacements and, unlike traditional knee-replacement surgeries, it does not require pins to be placed in the shafts of patients legs or thighs. Dr. Cuellar recently was the first surgeon in Texas to use the technology in a post-trial surgery. "There is a lot of mechanics involved in joint replacement surgery," Dr. Cuellar says. "Total joint replacement has improved the lives of many, many people to the point where some of them who have been significantly disabled are now pain free and functioning in society again. That's the result of technology all of these innovations allow me to tackle some very complex orthopaedic problems." Precise alignment is an important factor that may reduce joint wear and extend the life of the implant. Use of the system has many potential benefits including improved joint stability and range of motion. Surgeons across the country now have access to Dr. Cuellars technology, allowing them to apply less invasive techniques that help reduce the size of the incision and disrupt less soft tissue. Typically, smaller incisions may also limit the surgeons field of view. Computer-assisted surgery overcomes this barrier, providing the surgeon with a clearer view. Orthopedic navigation technology is similar to directional tracking systems used in cars and ships it is, in effect, a global positioning system (GPS) for the surgeon. Infrared sensors placed in the operating room act like satellites constantly monitoring the location of markers and instruments placed along a patients anatomy. As the surgeon moves an instrument within a patients joint, the infrared sensors calculate its position and smart wireless instruments instantaneously transfer the data to a computer in the operating room. This information is then displayed as an interactive model of the anatomy or blueprint that supplies the surgeon with the optimum angles, lines and measurements needed to align the implant within the patient. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) about 500,000 hip and knee replacement procedures are performed annually in the United States. This figure is expected to increase as the population ages, as baby boomers live more active lives and as arthritis affects more people. Currently, more than 70 million Americans suffer from some form of this degenerative disease. About Dr. Al Cuellar Dr. Albert D. Cuellar is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A & M University with a degree in Bioengineering. He attended medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He completed his Internship in General Surgery and his Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at UTMB. He also did a Preceptorship and one year Fellowship in Adult Joint Reconstruction at Presbyterian Hospital/Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Dr. Cuellar is a member of The American Medical Association, The Texas Medical Association, The Houston County Medical Society, the Singleton Surgical Society, the G. W. N. Eggers Society, the American Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons, the Texas Orthopaedic Association, the Houston/Galveston Orthopaedic Association, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Houston/Galveston, and the Houston Orthopaedic Society.He lives in The Woodlands with his wife and two children. For more information on Dr. Cuellar, visit his Web site at www.cueallarclinic.com. ALL darbyDarnit NEWS RELEASES ALL CLIENT NEWS RELEASES
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