Two advanced medical procedures related to knees were performed last month in the orthopedic department. For the first time at Rambam hospital an operation was performed under the guidance of Prof. Michael Soudry, head of the orthopedic department, for the implantation of an artificial knee joint without using cement for the fixation of the implant. With the introduction of this option, patients now have the opportunity to receive at Rambam hospital the whole range of possible combinations of artificial joints from partial replacement to complete replacement and with fixation with or without cement.

Biotechnology was also taken on by the orthopedic department in the first operation wherein a new biotechnological product, named Biocart, was used. The operation was performed by Dr. Gabriel Nierenberg, head of the arthroscopy and sports trauma department, on a patient, a nurse by profession, who was injured while ice skating. Cartilage transplantation operations are performed on patients with cartilage damage sustained in sports injuries or other knee injuries. Cartilage transplantation is performed in two stages. At the first stage an arthroscopy of the knee is performed whereby the lesion is identified and measured. Concomitantly, a small amount of cartilage is harvested from a non-weight-bearing region. This specimen is sent for tissue culture wherein cartilage cells are grown by a biotechnological procedure. At the second stage, upon completion of the tissue culture procedure, the cells are reimplanted in the area of the lesion by means of minor invasive surgery. The tissue culture is the product of development by an Israeli firm and the entire procedure is performed in this country