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Shoulder Surgeries Less Traumatic with Medical Advances
08.03.2010 - Shoulder surgeries less traumatic with medical
advances
By ERIN MADISON • Tribune Staff Writer • August
3, 2010
On a recent Thursday, Dr. Nicholas Bonfilio, an
orthopedic surgeon at the Great Falls Clinic,
performed three shoulder surgeries.
By the end of the day, all three patients were home and comfortable. Their short hospital stays and low pain levels were in large part because the surgeries were performed arthroscopically.
"Instead of having to open up the shoulder, we're doing it all through the scope," Bonfilio said.
In arthroscopic surgery, the surgeon uses small
incisions to insert a scope and surgical
instruments. The joint isn't fully opened, saving muscle from being cut and speeding recovery.
Arthroscopic shoulder surgery isn't new, but it isn't widely performed, Bonfilio said.
It can be tricky to learn, but once a surgeon
becomes proficient, the technique is faster and more efficient than open surgery.
In arthroscopic surgery, the surgeon views images from the scope on a large TV screen. The image is magnified tenfold.
"With the scope we're able to see much more
effectively," Bonfilio said. "You're looking at this huge panoramic field."
Some injuries are impossible to see or repair with open surgery. Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior, or SLAP, a tear where the bicep attaches to the shoulder, really can't be seen in open surgeries, he said.
Surgical technology is ever evolving.
Bonfilio and his surgical team recently practiced the latest arthroscopic techniques with representatives from Arth-rex, a surgical supply company, and Pacific Medical.
The team from Pacific Medical, a medical equipment distributer, was touring the western United States to show off and train surgeons on Arthrex's latest equipment. They brought a trailer in which surgeons could try out the equipment on plastic models and cadaver joints.
Arthrex works with surgeons to develop equipment, said Dave Meech, of Pacific Medical. Surgeons who use the equipment know best what improvements could be made or what type of tools are lacking.
"As we do procedures, we're giving feedback to
these guys," Bonfilio said. "As they're designing new things, it's easier and easier to use."
"We're constantly churning out new stuff," Meech said.
Reach Tribune staff writer Erin Madison at 791-
1466 or 800-438-6600 or e-mail her at
emadison@greatfallstribune.com.
(TRIBUNE PHOTOS BY DANIEL WEST)
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