On Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March, Dr Munjed Al Muderis and Dr Kevin Tetsworth and their surgical team at Norwest Private Hospital, conducted the first two operations in Australia to magnetically lengthen short residual femoral bone. The development of the PRECICE Freedom Nail by Ellipse Technology, now part of NuVasive Specialized Orthopaedics™ provides surgeons with the ability to extend the residual bone by using a combination of rare-earth magnets and patented gears located inside the Telescoping Nail. These are the very first implantations of the PRECICE Freedom Nail in the Asia Pacific region!
Professor Al Muderis runs the Osseo-Integration Group in Australia http://www.osseointegrationaustralia.com.au/ and has conducted over 200 Osseo-integration procedures. Dr Tetsworth is the International President of ASAMI-BR http://www.asami-br.com/
When asked what this means for patients, Fraser Cleve, General Manager, LifeHealthcare Orthopaedics, Australia, replied “Whilst these patients are at the start of their journey and have a long way to go with their post-operative care, they have been given a real chance, that following lengthening, that they will be able to be fitted with an Osseo-integration device with an advanced prosthetics leading to a much better quality of life. We look forward to supporting the surgeons, limb lengthening coordinators and patients in their rehabilitation clinics over the coming months”. 
In this first operation, the patient lost their leg in an accident as a child. The mid-thigh amputation left a residual bone too short to operate on until the PRECICE Freedom Nail became available.
A femoral osteotomy was done with fixation of the Nail above and below with locking bolts and cabling. Once the femur is lengthened and consolidated, the PRECICE Nail can be removed and an Osseo-integration device implanted. The patient will then have access to an advanced prosthetic.
It would not have been possible to support Dr Al Muderis and Dr Tetsworth help their patients, without the efforts of many people and departments working as a team. Particular thanks go to the Ellipse / NuVasive Specialized Orthopaedics™ design teams and LifeHealthcare Customer Service, Operations and Clinical Support.
LifeHealthcare Orthopaedics team is proud to have been a part of these life changing events and as a specialist lower limb ‘complex surgery’ team we work with the leading Australian and New Zealand Paediatrics, Tumour, Complex Revision and Amputation surgeons.
We are proud to run distribution of the PRECICE Nail portfolio and to offer pre-operative planning, clinical solution and post-op operative support to our surgeons on behalf of NuVasive Specialized Orthopedics™”.
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