With the advent of computer technology in medicine, are there plans to use this in surgery such as joint replacements to ensure that the joints are put in as they should be? I had a joint replacement in my knee, which turned out to cause problems because there were issues with the angles after the surgery was complete.

Computerized technology is all over medical and surgical procedures throughout the developed world. In the case of joint replacements, computer programs have been used for a while to help place the proper angles in the joints as they are being inserted into the patient.

Currently, computer-navigated total knee arthroplasty (replacement) is used to help in improving the accuracy of the joint position. The position and orientation of the replacement and the patient’s bones are measured and assessed before and during the surgery.

That being said, the technology is not foolproof and surgeons and technicians still need to find ways to improve their use of the technology to limit errors even more.