The Laser Difference

The laser bone shaping technology developed by ArthroLase is a non-contact, fast, sub-millimetre accurate and safe alternative to mechanical cutting tools for the removal of diseased bone.

What is a Laser?

A laser is a device which produces a highly concentrated beam of light. Lasers have been revolutionary in the modern era, from rapid 3D manufacturing to fibre optics supercharging the Internet. Lasers provide a method to precisely focus energy which can be harnessed to perform a wide range of tasks. Applications such as metal laser cutting use high-power continuous lasers with high penetration to slice through hard materials. Delicate medical procedures such as tumour removal and cataract eye surgery employ low-power lasers which deliver small pulses of energy to a pinpointed location to remove biological tissue.

Laser Bone Shaping

Laser bone shaping, developed by ArthroLase, is the use of high-speed pulses from a low penetration laser to remove tissue from a diseased bone surface. When water on the tissue surface absorbs laser energy it is instantaneously vapourised, extracting a precise amount of bone from a sub-millimetre area. The laser is specifically developed to maximise reactivity with water while minimising heat damage to the underlying tissue. There is no physical contact with the tissue being removed, enabling the removal of bone from a distance while maintaining direct visual observation.

A Cut Above Mechanical Tools

Laser bone shaping offers a series of significant benefits over mechanical surgical tools:

• Submillimetre precision and accuracy
• Ligament sparing capability
• No bending or deflecting of saw blades under stress
• No mechanical stress on the tool or the bone surface
• Smoother finished bone surfaces
• Less damage to the tissue surface at a microscopic level
• Reduced risk of infection

A Cut with Laser Precision

The HAiLO™ system is designed to change the practice of orthopaedics as we know it today and bring us closer to the ideal of a 'forgotten knee'—a knee replacement so successful that the patient no longer experiences discomfort or is significantly aware of the implant during daily activities. Achieving this level of success will mean that patients can enjoy near-normal knee function, free from the limitations or pain that necessitated the surgery.