DECATUR - Forget the trays full of surgical components. The few tools of a new total knee replacement are made specifically for you, and only you.

For the first time, surgeons can precisely match the size and placement of a knee replacement implant with the use of computerized technology. Dr. Tyler Jones, an orthopedic surgeon with Raycraft and Jones Orthopaedics, first performed this new procedure June 11, the first in downstate Illinois, and has performed four more in the weeks following.

"Knee replacement up until this time was a standard procedure for everyone," Jones said. "It's a surgery that can be very invasive, but this (new procedure) is less invasive than before."

The revolutionary procedure now uses an MRI taken prior to surgery to create a 3-D image of the knee on computer software, which virtually corrects the patient's deformity. The image of the knee is matched to the size and shape of the replacement components used in the procedure.

Then, special "cutting guides" are created for use in surgery. The custom-fit cutting guides, which are accurate to within a few millimeters, indicate exactly where the surgeon should make bone cuts on the tibia and femur.

"The custom cutting guides make for a custom fit; it allows surgeons to place components very precisely and in the place that they should be," Jones said. "Everyone's knees are different."

Anyone eligible for a total knee replacement is eligible for the custom-fit procedure, Jones said. Though it is too early to accurately study the post-surgical benefits to the patient, benefits during the surgery itself seem to be positive, he said.

"This allows smaller incisions and less soft tissue dissection," Jones said. "It also conserves bone; we remove up to 40 percent less bone than before. There is less time in the operating room and less blood loss. I've been very pleased with the results I've been getting."

Jones hopes that the new technology and procedure will begin to become more commonly used among surgeons.

"This is the newest technology that is user-friendly and, in my opinion, can really change the way knee replacements are done," he said.

Courtney Klemm can be reached at cklemm@herald-review.com or 421-6968.