Dr. F. Thomas D. Kaplan, the Fellowship Director at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center, is the first surgeon in the Indiana to perform patient-specific reverse total shoulder replacement surgery.
The surgery is first planned prior to the day of surgery using a CT scan of the patient’s shoulder and the Exactech Pre-Planning software to create a 3-Dimensional model of the patient’s arthritic joint.
Seeing the patient’s actual 3D anatomy, Dr. Kaplan is able to pre-select the best size, shape, and location of the artificial joint implants that will best restore the patient’s arthritic joint to relieve pain and improve function.
The interesting part is what happened next. During the surgery, the Exactech GPS Navigation system allowed Dr. Kaplan to visualize the patients 3D bone model and pre-selected implants, then make precision bone cuts so that the implants would be placed exactly as planned.
Active trackers are mounted on the patient and the surgical instruments bringing the 3D model to life. Dr. Kaplan could then see exactly where to remove arthritic bone, place holes & optimize screw lengths to secure the new implants, and ensure the artificial joint matched the pre-operative plan and patient’s anatomy.
According to Dr. Kaplan, “The ability to have GPS guidance in surgery will likely revolutionize joint replacement surgery just as GPS guidance has revolutionized driving.”
To learn more about Dr. Kaplan and the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center visit www.indianahandtoshoulder.com, to learn more about ExactechGPS Shoulder Replacement Surgery visit https://www.exactechgps.com
