Professor Manuela Ferreira
International knee transplant study to inform future care New Federal Government funding will see researchers from the Kolling Institute and the University of Sydney drive an international study to determine the best treatment for those with knee cartilage damage. can lead to symptoms such as pain, stiffness and locking of the knee which can be debilitating.
“The current treatments are determined by the extent of the damage. A small tear to the meniscus can be repaired with surgery, but generally the damage requires partial or total removal of the meniscus with a meniscectomy. “These treatments are often effective at relieving the symptoms of meniscal damage, but they leave the patient with a meniscal deficiency which will often lead to further knee damage, such as osteoarthritis.” There is increasing evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of meniscus transplant surgery, known as a meniscal allograft transplant, where a donor meniscus is inserted into the knee to reduce pain and improve function. The technique is currently being performed at some centres in Australia and the UK, yet there are few randomised trials or large scale studies supporting the use of the procedure. “Our study will comprehensively examine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the technique, providing robust data to inform clinical practice and establish the best treatment strategy,” she said. More than 140 participants will be involved across the two sites in Australia and the UK.
More than $1 million has been awarded through a collaborative research grant scheme involving Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research in the United Kingdom. Professor Manuela Ferreira welcomed the announcement, saying the project will compare the outcomes of two approaches to rehabilitation and pain relief for people who have had their meniscus cartilage removed from their knee. The five-year study will determine the clinical and cost effectives of meniscus transplant surgery compared with non-surgical treatment of exercise and physiotherapy. Manuela said there is a significant need for this research with meniscal damage one of the most common knee injuries, affecting a large share of the community. “Degenerative meniscal damage is more common in the older population while acute traumatic tears predominantly occur in the younger population due to sporting injuries,” she said. “Regardless of how the damage is caused, it
NEW IMAGING SYSTEM RIS-PACS GOES LIVE AT ROYAL NORTH SHORE The RIS-PACS go-live team has been thanked for their hard work, with the final site of the rollout going live this week. The team was thanked for their expertise and patience as staff began to use the new system in medical imaging.
WWW.NSLHD.HEALTH.NSW.GOV.AU
5
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online