Medical experts at Chinese University have become the world's pioneers in using computer navigation technology for bone tumour surgery.
The technique has been used in the treatment of orthopaedic trauma, spinal surgery and joint replacement surgery in the past but never for removing bone cancer.
Surgeons at the university have successfully treated about 15 bone tumour patients with the new approach since early last year.
Wong Kwok-chuen, honorary clinical assistant professor of the university's orthopaedics and traumatology department, said the technique greatly enhanced surgeons' visibility and accuracy in removing bone cancer and could also be employed in other surgical procedures.
'The technique is particularly useful for knee operations as doctors are able to preserve healthy cartilage joint in paediatric bone cancer patients so that the bad effects on normal bone growth will be minimised,' he said.
'The new method has also been used for complex pelvic surgery and patients with distorted anatomy and severe tissue scarring who have to undergo a number of operations.'
In conventional treatment of bone cancer, Dr Wong said doctors had to rely on their experience to guess which part of the bone should be removed.
