Knee surgery has come a long way as surgeons turn to technology to find less invasive and more effective ways to help their patients. That's tonight's Medical Minute.

Knee replacement surgery isn’t new but pre-surgical custom fitting of joint implants is an important innovation. It represents a big step forward for a patient whose knee joint has been damaged by osteoarthritis.

Knee replacement surgery involves removing the diseased bone and cartilage and resurfacing it with orthopedic implants. The implants are typically made from various metals and plastic.

For many knee replacement patients, surgeons at Botsford Hospital are using a new system that provides a custom fit implant procedure that is personalized for each patient.

Three-dimensional MRI images of a patient’s joint are used to plan the surgery. The surgeon selects from a range of 90 different size combinations for greater precision in the knee implant’s position and alignment.

The actual surgery is less invasive, fewer instruments are used to align the joint, fit is more accurate and reproducible, and efficiency is enhanced.

For Medical Minute, I’m Dr. Jack Lennox.