MedStar Union Memorial Hospital issued the following announcement on Nov. 27.
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital unveiled this month a custom-built, cutting-edge robotic simulator that replicates musculoskeletal motion, allowing researchers to study the forces on muscles, bones and joints, and improve surgical methods utilized in orthopaedic reconstructive surgery.
The system, which is the only one like it in the world, will help anchor the MedStar Musculoskeletal Education and Research Institute, a system-wide research initiative in collaboration with the MedStar Health Research Institute, which has expanded and enhanced existing research efforts in the areas of degenerative, deformity, traumatic, and congenital pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Bryan W. Cunningham, PhD, a seasoned research leader with more than 30 years experience, was hired earlier this year to lead the institute.
“This device will help us to better understand how certain surgical techniques influence the biomechanics of musculoskeletal motions,” Dr. Cunningham said. “It’s an exciting technological advancement that will help us better understand the dynamics of the musculoskeletal motion and improve upon existing technologies in an effort to enhance the surgical care and quality of life for patients with musculoskeletal pathology. That’s what it’s all about – advancing patient care.”
The musculoskeletal simulator is known as a six-degree-of-freedom simulator, so called because it’s capable of replicating multidirectional motions: forward, backward, up and down, and side to side.
The fundamental application of the technology allows for surgeons to perform surgical reconstructions in a laboratory setting to determine how a specific technique (e.g. spinal fusion) affects motions and forces at the operative site and adjacent levels.
The team at the MedStar Musculoskeletal Education and Research Institute will use the device to establish and maintain a premier musculoskeletal research and teaching center, while developing a collaborative worldwide network of research colleagues dedicated to the treatment of patients with musculoskeletal disorders.
Original source can be found here.
Source: MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
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