Invasive knee-implant surgery may no longer be necessary in early-to-mid-stage osteoarthritic knee disease. A new machine called the Mako Tactile Guidance System (TGS) eliminates the need for total knee replacements. The device mounts a cutting tool on a proprietary robotic arm that helps control a surgeon's movements. Should the tool stray from an allowable cutting area, the surgeon feels a slight resistance. The device was designed in SolidWorks 3D CAD from SolidWorks Corp. in Concord, Mass. (solidworks.com).

The TGS uses computer-generated surfaces to define cutting areas based on patient-specific 3D data from preoperative MRI or CAT imaging. In this way, a surgeon makes cuts that remove only the tissue and bone needed before placing a minimally invasive knee — resurfacing implant.

“SolidWorks' surfacing capabilities facilitated the design of the TGS and the knee implants,” says Mako CTO and cofounder Rony Aboviz. “The software also helps establish the safe cutting zones that guide surgeons in reshaping patients' bone before an implant.”