Reverse customization more accurate and efficient

In the old days, like four years ago, a knee replacement involved making a knee to fit the patient. The modern method involves making the patient fit the standard-sized knee replacement.

Dr. Ron Clark, an orthopaedic surgeon at the South Bend Clinic, is the first in the region who uses the approach, which starts with an MRI of the joint that produces a digital image for planning trim cuts on the bones.

"We're doing the customization in reverse," he says. "We're customizing the cuts to fit the bone with a standard implant. Compared to the traditional method,...