Dr. Arianna Gianakos, a Yale New Haven Hospital surgeon and Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the Yale School of Medicine, says this new procedure allows her get vital information from the patient during the surgery.
Allison Aviles, of New Britain, has suffered back-to-back ankle injuries. Last fall, she had surgery after tearing a tendon and then she fell on the same ankle.
“Six weeks post-op, I had gotten my boot off, I was in regular sneakers and then I fell on it by missing a stair,” Aviles said.
The 26-year-old said she was in agony anytime she would walk.
Dr. Arianna Gianakos, Yale New Haven Hospital and Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the Yale School of Medicine, decided to go back in and check out what was happening but, this time during a procedure while Aviles was awake.
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First, Dr. Gianakos prepped Aviles and marked where the pain was.
“She has developed a lot of scar tissue in front of the joint due to other injuries,” Dr. Gianakos said.
The patient was brought into the operating room where she was given local anesthesia for her foot but could remain alert. Using a 1.9mm diameter camera and small instruments, Dr. Gianakos was immediately able to find the scar tissue.
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“We call this arthrofibrosis, all of the times when someone tries to walk up and down stairs or try to run, this scar tissue gets pinched in the joint causing them a lot of pain, they can’t get back to their activity,” Dr. Gianakos said.
During the surgery, the doctor was able to ask questions and test the patient's range of motion. At the same time, Aviles was able to get a better understanding of her prognosis.
“It was really great to be able to be walked through what was going on in the moment and now I understand a little bit more of how the anatomy was working and how it wasn’t working,” Aviles said.
This marked the third time the procedure was completed at Yale New Haven Hospital-St. Raphael campus. It’s the only facility in Connecticut with the ability to do the procedure.
“If you want to be at the forefront of medicine, you know you have to be doing the research, you have to be trying new things,” Dr. Gianakos added.
In the future, the goal is to take this type of care from an operating or procedure room into an office visit.
“They can come in, walk into the office, they then can sit down, have their local anesthetic and then walk out,” Dr. Gianakos said.
As for Aviles’ recovery she was able to walk out of the hospital on the same day and focus on getting better.
