Mr Bilal M. Barkatali is a Specialist Consultant Knee Surgeon at the OrthTeam Centre. He qualified from Edinburgh University Medical School in 2004, after which he went on to study and teach anatomy at the University of Oxford. Bilal completed his higher surgical training in 2014, becoming a consultant trauma and orthopaedic knee surgeon at Salford Royal NHS Trust where he developed a complex knee surgery practice, performing thousands of successful operations. Bilal prides himself on providing the highest level of care, with world-leading, cutting-edge techniques using robotics and biologics.
What is robotic knee surgery?
Robotic knee replacement surgery is a huge advancement in the way knee replacement procedures are planned and carried out. Conventional surgery uses two x-ray images to plan the operation, whereas robotic surgery uses a CT scan to reconstruct your knee in 3D, providing detail accurate to a millimetre. This enables a more advanced appreciation of your joint anatomy, leading to precision planning prior to performing the operation. During the procedure, the surgical plan is created using a live computer programme to assess your knee balancing and the Mako Robot is used to carry out the bone cuts with high accuracy, allowing perfect placement of the implants.
What are the advantages of robotic knee surgery?
The key benefits are much higher precision and accuracy of the operation, which means better balancing and range of movement of the knee replacement, resulting in a better outcome. Alongside this, the procedure is done through smaller incisions leading to less tissue damage, bleeding and pain, which has been reported to result in a quicker recovery post-surgery.
What is the recovery like after surgery?
The knee is stable from the time of surgery, and you can fully weight bear with crutches. We use the most advanced anaesthetic and surgical techniques to ensure that you feel well after the surgery. The average time in hospital is usually one or two nights, and it’s even possible to do the surgery as a day case, going home that evening. No stitches need to be removed, and after around six weeks, you should be well recovered from the surgery, in some cases, even earlier.
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