Dr Dr Ram Chidambaram, founder and director of Chennai ,
Revolutionary advances in shoulder re placement using ‘Modular glenoid syst tem with VIP’ and Mixed Reality Navig
ation with HoloLens at CULTCON mee ting in Chennai.
Revolutionary advances in shoulder re placement using ‘Modular glenoid syst em with VIP’and kMixed Reality Navig ation with HoloLens at CULTCON meet ing in Chennai.
Dr Ram Chidambaram, along with Top Global Shoulder Experts, Prof Stefan G reiner from Germany and Pro Stefano G um ina from Italy, launched a revolution ary technology for Shoulder Replaceme nt surgery using Modular glenoid syste m with VIP (Virtual Implant Positioning) and Mixed Reality Navigation with Holo Lens. Dr Ram Chidambaram performe th e first live surgery demonstration of VIP shoulder in March 2024, and the first Mi xed Reality guided shoulder replacemen t using HoloLens in India in May 2023.
These innovations were highlighted wit h re-live demonstrations of reverse sho ulder surgery performed using Arthrex VIP system with MR navigation and Hol oLens in CULTCON 2024.
CULTCON stands for Chennai Upper Lib u Unit Teaching Convention. Featur ing expert talks,Panel discussions and live d emonstrations by 2 international and 25 national faculty, the conference aims to teach and train general orthopaedic sur geons and post graduate residents in th e specialised field of shoulder and upper limb surgery, a novel concept in India.
With over 400 orthopaedic surgeons fr om all over the country in attendance, it is evident that CULTCON is taking place at the right time.
Chennai Upper Limb Unit is a dedicated specialist centre in Alwarpet that exclus ively caters to patients with problems af fecting the shoulder, elbow, wrist and ha nd. Inaugurated this year by Dr Radhakr ishnan IAS, it is the first of its kind in Ind ia, offering treatment for all kind of upp er limb trauma sports injuries and joint replacement. The patient’s well-being is at the core of Chennai Upper Limb Unit’ s philosophy, a trait that is reflected in t he clinic’sstate-of-the-art equipment an d physiotherapy services.
To patient s with problems affecting the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. Inaugur ated this year Dr Radhakrishnan IAS, it i s the first of its kind in India, offering tr eatment for all kinds of upper limb trau ma, sports injuries and joint replaceme nt.
The patient’s well-being is at the core of Chennai Upper Limb Unit’s philosophy, a trait that is reflected in the clinc’s state-of-the-art equipment and physiotherap y services.
Dr Ram Chidambaram, founding directo r of the Chennai Upper Limb Unit, is a se nior consultant shoulder & upper limb s urgeon with over 30 years of experience in India and the UK.
In 2011, he left behind a flourishing orth opaedic practice in the UK’s National H ealth service and settled in Chennai. He developed an exclusive practice in sport s medicine and treating upper limb ailm ents and is now regarded as one of the b est shoulder and upper limb surgeons in Asia. He has performed over 4,500 keyh ole surgeries, 1,100 joint replacements and 3,500 upper limb trauma surgeries. He served as the president of shoulder and Elbow Society, India for 4 consecuti ve years, from 2017 to 2021.
Dr Ram has a passion for reverse shoul der arthroplasty, a unique and novel pro cedure where the ball is replaced with a prosthetic socket and vice versa. He is c redited with performing the first revers se shoulder replacement in South India in 2011, and the first stemless shoulder in 2012.
Regarding the Arthrex VIP system, Dr R am says ‘Shoulder replacement surger y is a procedre to ease pain and regain fun ction in people with severe shoulder joi nt issues like arthritis or fracture. Tradit ional methods sometimes struggle with precise implant placement. This new sy stem is a game-changer designed to tack le these issues, customising the implane t the implant according to the patient’s unique anatomy.
Regarding the new HoloLens technolog y, Dr Ram says ‘We use AI to process inf ormation from the patient’s CT scans to identify the best possible placement for the glenoid peg and screws. I wear the H oloLens during surgery, take references from bone points, and project the 3D ho logram on patients in real time during t he operation. This helps to further heih ten the accuracy and precision of my sur gery.
With robust implant placement, smaller incisions and far less tissue damage, pati ents operated with this technology can make a much faster recovery. In fact, th ey don’t even need a sling! Patients can start moving their arm the very next day after the operation.
Dr Ram has also made it his mission to i mprove public perception of upper limb injuries and encourage the right way to seek treatment. The Chennai Upper Lim b Unit is proud to launch its newest feat ure – a 24-hour helpline that allows pros spective patients to call in and learn mor e about their conditions and seek secon d nd opinions, in addition to booking ap pointments and scheduling surgeries. H e wishes to provide the best service pos sible to every patient that seeks his car e, and through his teaching initiatives a nd clinical milestones, he hopes to inspi re others to do the same.
