Intermountain Press Release

Salt Lake City—Clinicians and patients from around the country on Thursday will be able to see surgeons from LDS Hospital implant the world's first 'gender-specific' artificial knee, which is designed specifically for women.

A surgical team led by LDS Hospital surgeon Kim Bertin, M.D., will implant the artificial knee in a special webcast that will be broadcast online at www.or-live.com as part of an educational series to show surgeons from medical centers throughout the United States how the procedure is performed. Patients and the public are also invited to access the webcast. The procedure will begin at 6 p.m. MT.

Last May, surgeons from LDS Hospital became only the second team in the world to implant the new knee replacement. The Gender Solutions knee, manufactured by Zimmer, is the first artificial knee replacement shaped to fit the unique anatomy of the female knee.

Knee replacements have long been available in many sizes, but merely using a different size for women doesn't resolve anatomical differences and shape considerations. The design of the Gender Solutions knee is based on three distinct and scientifically documented shape differences between women's and men's knees. In designing the knee, researchers used a sophisticated and highly detailed map of the female knee using three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) imaging. All other implants now being used for total knee replacement are based upon an average between the size of women's and men's knees. Mounting research shows that the anatomical structure of the female knee is very different than the male knee. Meeting the knee replacement needs of female patients is about implant shape, not size, says Dr. Bertin.

Nearly two-thirds of the more than 400,000 annual knee replacement patients are women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and the numbers continue to increase each year. Research shows that while both women and men vastly underuse knee replacement, women are three times less likely than men to undergo the procedure, although they suffer from more knee pain and resulting disability.

LDS Hospital orthopedic surgeons played a role in the design of the new Gender Solutions' knee. A growing body of research indicates that a woman's knee is not simply a smaller version of a man's knee. The differences involve the bones, ligaments and tendons in the joints, says Dr. Bertin.

"Because women's knees are shaped differently than men's it makes perfect sense to design knee implants with women in mind, particularly considering that women are by far the majority of the knee replacement patients," he says.

When placing traditional implants, some surgeons have accommodated women's differences by removing more bone or repositioning the implant during surgery, but their ability to make the implant precisely conform to the patient is limited. The Gender Solutions implant was designed so the surgeon can more closely match the female patient's knee anatomy.

Dr. Bertin will perform the surgery. The webcast will be moderated by Aaron A. Hofmann, M.D., Professor of Orthopedics, University of Utah School of Medicine. Questions from both surgeons and the general public can be sent in via email during the broadcast.

This program is part of an ongoing effort to provide convenient, innovative educational opportunities to orthopedic surgeons worldwide and is intended to help orthopedic surgeons enhance their skills to build confidence in providing the best orthopedic care possible for their patients.