Knee osteoarthritis is a common condition that can cause pain and limitations in daily life. This thesis investigated how new medical devices and advanced diagnostics can contribute to improved treatments. The results show that not every innovation automatically leads to better care: patient-specific instruments were difficult to implement in routine clinical practice and did not appear to provide clear benefits in corrective osteotomy, while some new knee implant designs require further improvement. Other innovations showed promising results, including a new knee implant design with good early stability and improved function. In addition, artificial intelligence was shown to be capable of detecting loosening of knee implants on routine radiographs. Advanced diagnostics using radiostereometric analysis further demonstrated that revision knee implants can remain stable over the long term, regardless of the fixation method used. These findings highlight that innovations in medical devices and diagnostics can improve care, provided they address a clear clinical need and are carefully developed, evaluated, and implemented.
Kelly Mills (1992) obtained her Research master's degree in human Movement Sciences from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2016, during which she conducted research in Melbourne, Australia on the gaze behaviour of tennis players. After briefly working as a software developer, she joined the Sint Maartenskliniek as a researcher in 2020, focusing on surgical orthopaedic innovations, leading to this thesis.