People needing partial knee replacement have new option at Blessing Hospital

QUINCY — People needing a partial knee replacement have a new option to feel better faster with new technology at Blessing Hospital.

Orthopedic surgeons Dr. Darr Leutz and Dr. Sean Moroze and their surgical teams are now using the VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution in Unicompartmental Knee Replacement, more commonly known as partial knee replacement.

The knee has three compartments. Arthritis can affect one, two or all three compartments. Dr. Leutz says until now, patients whose arthritis did not affect all three compartments had limited choices for their surgical care.

“Until today, we had to do partial knees manually,” Dr. Leutz said in a press release. “We used our experience and manual instruments to determine incision size, often having to make additional cuts to try to balance the knee properly. Now, the robot makes those calculations precisely through AI, leading to the right incision size the first time and perfect balance. It’s incredible.”

A review of medical literature posted to the National Library of Medicine website predicts a growing demand for partial knee replacement with the evolution of the procedure.

“By increasing the accuracy and precision of partial knee replacements through robotic assistance, the longevity of the implant and the patient’s function is also enhanced,” Dr. Moroze said. “Using this technology will allow us to continue to offer the best care to our patients and get them back to an active, pain-free life.

The VELYS partial knee replacement technology was federally cleared for use in the summer of 2024.

Blessing orthopedic surgeons also use robotic assisted solutions for total knee replacement, including another VELYS system and technology known as ROSA, used by Dr. Barry Werries.

For more information on the care provided by the Blessing Orthopedic and Sports Medicine team, go to blessinghealth.org/ortho.