Look Who it Was Random video

Printing the Perfect Knee

225 views · Published 17 February 2015 · 1:59 · Indexed 24 October 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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Sue Bobak spends a lot of time on her feet. It was during a European vacation that her knee started acting up. And she knew where it was leading.

“I went to see Dr. Fifer and he said ‘Well, it’s not going to get better, you know, you can wait.’ But, because I walk a lot, on my feet a lot, I figured why put it off,” says Bobak. 

Sue decided replacement surgery was for her when she learned she could get a knee implant that was designed perfectly for her.

“The Conformis Knee is designed specifically for your knee. It anatomically re-creates your size, shape, and pattern,” says Dr. John Fifer, who is an orthopedic surgeon on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

Technology is the key. Using CT imaging, specialized software and a 3-D printer, implant manufacturer Conformis fabricates a replacement joint.

“It exactly matches their femur and their tibia, so it’s going to have no overhang, it’s going to be exactly the shape of their knee. It should give them a more normal-feeling knee,” says Dr. Fifer. 

3-D printers are making a mark on medicine. Producing physical objects by spraying ultra-thin layers of material one on top of another. In recent years, printers have been making products from artificial heart valves to skin grafts.

“This knee uses a cat scan to size the femur. There’s like a hologram spiraling around this knee and specifically through their mathematical algorithm creating the implant,” says Dr. Fifer. 

With a turn-around time of 4-6 weeks, the custom joint comes with perfectly matched cutting guides, which expedite surgery with less bone loss. 

“Immediately, they know that there’s less swelling, less bleeding, and less pain,” says Dr. Fifer. 

“I have come along pretty well. I mean I can walk normal, says Bobak.

Not a match made in heaven, sue is enjoying the perfect pairing of a computer matched knee. 

View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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