Pioneering ‘printed metal’ procedure to create bespoke treatment for early knee osteoarthritis is set to be trialled in the UK following MHRA approval.
A groundbreaking new treatment that uses 3D printed implants and that could bring relief to tens of thousands of knee osteoarthritis sufferers has received approval. The personalised early knee osteoarthritis treatment, developed by engineers at the University of Bath’s Centre for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI), uses state of the art 3D metal printing technology to make personalised medical-grade titanium-alloy plates that perfectly fit every patient.
The TOKA (Tailored Osteotomy for Knee Alignment) treatment improves the operative procedure and fit of high-tibial osteotomy plates used to realign a patient’s knee, making them more stable, comfortable and better able to bear weight than existing generic plates. The technique also simplifies HTO surgery, making operations quicker and therefore safer.