To enhance services offered at FV’s Orthopaediatrics & Hand Surgery Department, FV Hospital has launched a new Bone & Joint Centre for the surgical treatment of joint conditions and injuries.

Staffed by a team of highly experienced doctors, such as led by Dr Le Trong Phat, and equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology, FVH’s Bone & Joint Centre is able to perform a wide range of advanced surgeries to improve joint performance and condition.

Shoulder arthroscopy

Shoulder arthroscopy is a type of keyhole surgery that helps doctor to look inside the joint. This surgical treatment is usually recommended for ligament or tendon injuries, cartilage problems and joint damage or tears due to trauma, inflammation and other health conditions.

Shoulder arthroscopy is performed through a small incision in the skin. The surgeon will first inject sterile fluid into the shoulder, which will help the surgeon to see all the structures of the shoulder more easily. The arthroscope will then be inserted. Images from the arthroscope are projected on the video screen showing your surgeon the inside of your shoulder and any damage that has occurred.

The surgeon will insert other small instruments as required to repair the injured parts of the joint or remove the factors causing stiffness or pain. Your surgeon will then withdraw the fluid and close the incisions with stitches or steri-strips (small Band-Aids).

Common arthroscopic procedures include: rotator cuff repair, bone spur removal, removal or repair of the labrum, repair of ligaments, removal of inflamed tissue or loose cartilage and repair for recurrent shoulder dislocation.

Arthroscopic ACL surgery reconstruction

The initial treatment of an acute ACL injury often includes ice, anti-inflammatory medication, and physical therapy directed at restoring the range of motion of the injured knee. However, for long-term recovery, surgical treatment of the torn ACL usually involves an arthroscopic surgical reconstruction of the injured ligament.

Although a number of different types of tendon have been utilised to reconstruct the ACL, the most common type of ACL reconstruction involves a graft from the semitendinosus tendon. After performing a diagnostic arthroscopic examination of the knee, the graft tendon is harvested. Then drill guides are used to place holes into the tibia (bone below the knee) and femur (bone above the knee). By placing the drill holes at the attachment sites of the original ligament, when the graft is pulled through the drill hole and into the knee, it will be placed in the same position as the original ACL. Fastening the graft in this manner allows new blood vessels to grow into the transferred graft and for healing to occur.

Knee replacement

Knee replacements are most commonly performed on people between the ages of 60 to 80 years of age. However, younger people with severe knee pain and disability may also benefit from the procedure.

Knee replacement surgery involves removing damaged meniscus, and the joint surface of the femur (thighbone) and the tibia (shinbone). The joint surface is then replaced with a prosthesis, an artificial knee, made of metal and plastic. The prosthesis restores the function of the knee.

Total knee replacement can increase mobility and decrease pain in people who have an injured or arthritic knee joint. Patients who have knee replacement surgery experience less pain and greater mobility in their knee following the procedure.

A hip replacement is a surgical treatment often recommended for hip conditions when other forms of treatments have been unsuccessful. Depending on the condition of each individual patient, a partial or total hip replacement can be recommended.

Total hip replacement involves the replacement of the femoral head and the resurfacing of the socket with prosthetic materials. A partial hip replacement involves the replacement of the femoral head, only.

Shoulder replacement

Partial or total shoulder replacement is a complicated procedure for restoring shoulder function. In this procedure the arthritic or injured ball part of the joint is replaced by a smooth metal ball, which is affixed to the head of humerus (the upper arm bone).