Why replace the knee joint?
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
TO KNEE SURGERY
Why choose Dr. Van den Wyngaert as your knee surgeon?
Experience and expertise
AZ Alma's knee center ranks amongst the largest in Belgium. Dr. Van den Wyngaert alone has performed over 3,000 knee replacements in his career, plus a multitude of other knee operations. The success of any medical procedure depends in large part on a correct diagnosis at the start and on the development of a well adapted, personalized treatment plan. This is where the surgeon's experience can make all the difference, as well as his or her preferred treatment methods.
Experience and expertise
AZ Alma's knee center ranks amongst the largest in Belgium. Dr. Van den Wyngaert alone has performed over 3,000 knee replacements in his career, plus a multitude of other knee operations. The success of any medical procedure depends in large part on a correct diagnosis at the start and on the development of a well adapted, personalized treatment plan. This is where the surgeon's experience can make all the difference, as well as his or her preferred treatment methods.
Experience and expertise
AZ Alma's knee center ranks amongst the largest in Belgium. Dr. Van den Wyngaert alone has performed over 3,000 knee replacements in his career, plus a multitude of other knee operations. The success of any medical procedure depends in large part on a correct diagnosis at the start and on the development of a well adapted, personalized treatment plan. This is where the surgeon's experience can make all the difference, as well as his or her preferred treatment methods.
Individual approach
All the experience and expertise in the world are nothing without an individualized, patient oriented approach. As a patient, your health and body are on the line. That's why AZ Alma considers individual guidance and personal contact of the utmost importance. We always look for the best possible treatment of your specific problem, because we don't believe in standard "one size fits all" solutions. Nothing off-the-rack, we offer medical solutions made-to-measure.
Every month, Dr. Van den Wyngaert and his colleagues organize a one hour info session at AZ Alma (Eeklo, Belgium) for arthritis patients who need a knee replacement. Interested patients can apply through the orthopedics office, reachable by telephone on +32 (0)9 310 04 36.
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In the case of very complicated problems, e.g. knee revision surgery, the patient is invited to a multidisciplinary consultation. Every individual case is discussed afterwards in our multidisciplinary team (surgeon, radiologist, bacteriologist, nuclearist), who together decide on the best and most complete solution. Whatever your knee problem is, at AZ Alma you are in good hands.
"State-of-the-art" treatment methods
In every field of medicine and for every type of surgery, different methods exist. These inevitably lead to different results, both immediately after the procedure and in the longer term, after rehabilitation. Dr. Van den Wyngaert and his colleagues have developed an extensive care program for every type of knee surgery, which they have tested and optimized throughout the years. This has led to an ultra-efficient method that has continually proven its effectiveness with regard to fast and safe recovery and long-term pain-free functioning of the operated knee.
Dr. Van den Wyngaert has decades of experience in the treatment of knee injuries. He knows like no other the questions and worries patients have with regard to knee surgery. Commonly, these are related to:
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the result or success of the operation
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any possible pain after surgery
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the expected duration of rehabilitation
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Dr. Van den Wyngaert: "These concerns are understandable. Fortunately, I can always reassure my patients quite quickly: the operating techniques used at AZ Alma have been developed specifically to address these three issues. In essence, all three come down to the same desire of pain-free functioning, as soon as possible."
How do these unique methods guarantee a fast and pain free recovery?
Minimizing the chance of swelling
The most common cause of knee pain is swelling, a spontaneous reaction of hurt tissue trying to repair itself. This can occur after falling on the knee, but osteoarthritis (cartilage wear) or a tear in the meniscus (an elastic shock absorber in the knee joint) can also cause an inflammatory reaction and consequently swelling and pain. This swelling usually appears at the top of the kneecap.
Knee surgery also causes swelling around the injured tissue and can therefore cause pain. This is where AZ Alma's treatment method differs from many others: it was specifically designed to minimize the chance of swelling - and thus pain. Simply put, this is achieved in two different areas: by protecting soft tissue in the knee such as tendons, muscles and ligaments ('software') and by means of instrumental surgical techniques ('hardware').
Limiting collateral damage
During knee replacement surgery, Dr. Van den Wyngaert and his colleagues penetrate the knee along a unique access route, which is only known by a handful of specially trained surgeons. This path strictly follows the anatomical planes in order to avoid and protect the soft tissue ('software') as much as possible.
For this and other types of knee surgery (keyhole surgery, cruciate ligament reconstruction, kneecap alignment, axis correction), the anesthetists in AZ Alma's knee center also use special techniques that limit bleeding during the procedure.
Hyper accurate, personalized placement
The hardware used for knee replacements is also unique: Dr. Van den Wyngaert and colleagues use a patented and ultra-accurate measuring device (PIPB = Patella In Place Balancer, patented by Dr. Ghijselings) that adjusts the placement of the knee prosthesis to optimally fit each individual knee. That way, the unique anatomical structure of the knee components (tendons, posterior cruciate ligament, kneecap) is taken into account - this structure is slightly different for every individual. This personalized measuring technique ensures superior stability in the new knee joint and consequently a swift recovery towards pain-free functioning.
Kostprijs ?
Dr. Van den Wyngaert is een niet-geconventioneerd en geaccrediteerd specialist. Dit wil zeggen dat hij voor de consultatie een vrij tarief mag rekenen.
Gemiddeld is dit 50-70 euro.
Dit vrij tarief wordt alleen aangerekend voor consultaties en geldt dus niet voor operaties.
Daarvoor wordt vanuit het ziekenhuis steeds het conventietarief gerekend. Met andere woorden, bij ALLE operaties gebruiken we het standaard tarief voor terugbetaling via uw mutualiteit.
Meer details over de kost van bijvoorbeeld een knieprothese kan je vinden op de website van AZ Alma.
Orthopedic surgeon - specialized in the treatment of knee injuries