The laboratory’s involvement with total joint replacement began with Dr. Ramon Gustilo’s             development of the Genesis I total knee system in the early 1980s. Various implants have             been developed and evaluated in conjunction with the laboratory over the years.

While most patients have excellent results with primary hip and knee replacement surgery,

the outcome of the revision of failed primary replacements has been significantly less             successful. Because the number of revision procedures is expected to increase in coming             years, a major emphasis of joint replacement research is to improve the outcome of             revisions of joint replacements.             The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded work based on our collaboration with             Dr. Kjeld Søballe from Aarhus, Denmark, on revision surgery. Numerous studies have             been conducted on materials and methods to encourage the growth of bone and increase             stability at the implant/bone interface in the revision.             Wear is one of the main factors that limits the life of hip and knee replacements. MORF             scientists are studying ways to decrease wear and increase the life of hip replacement             components.             Adequate stability of the fixation of joint replacement components to bone must be             obtained for a successful outcome. MORF scientists are looking at ways to improve the             stability of hip and knee replacement components. Our scientists also developed the             concept of preparing bony surfaces for hip and knee replacement by compaction of             existing cancellous bone, rather than removal of this bone with a rasp.             Instrumentation systems needed for insertion of knee and hip arthroplasty components             are very complex and expensive, thereby limiting their use. In an attempt to increase the             availability of joint replacement, particularly in third–world countries and to less experienced             orthopedists, the laboratory developed simplified, inexpensive and accurate knee             instrumentation that allows precise preparation of bony surfaces to receive knee implant             components. Improved instrumentation for minimally invasive arthroplasty surgery is also             being developed.