modern medicine

• keyhole surgery

  • less invasive, only small incision made in the skin
  • A small video camera is inserted into the incision, along with specialised medical instruments with which to perform the surgery
• advantages of keyhole surgery

  • Less blood loss and scarring of the skin
  • Less pain after surgery and a quicker recovery
  • This leads to a shorter hospital stay and the patient can quickly return to doing normal activities
• example of keyhole surgey- fixing cruciate ligament

  • The cruciate ligaments are found in the middle of the knee and it connects the thigh bone to the lower leg bone
  • The damaged ligament can be removed and replaced by a graft from another tendon in the patient's leg or from a donor's tendon
• prostheses

  •  the missing or damaged body part may be replaced with an artificial version called a prosthesis
  • they may replace entire limbs (e.g. legs or hands) or parts of limbs (e.g. hip or knee joints)
  • Some prostheses may be connected to electronic devices that can 'read' information form the nervous system in order to operate the body part (e.g. hand prostheses enabling the user to move the fingers)
• example of prosthesis-replacing a damaged knee joint

  • The damaged cartilage and bone is replaced by a metal device on both long bones to create a smooth surface for articulation
  • A plastic spacer is often inserted between the metal ends of the prosthesis to provide cushioning andreduce the impact on the knee
  • The knee prosthesis enables those with serious knee injuries to be more mobile and even participate in low-impact sports