New Medical Device Makes it Easier for Houston Orthopedic Surgeon to Diagnose ACL Injuries

Dr. Mark Sanders using TELOS Stress Device to Better Serve Patients and Save Them Money

HOUSTON – Diagnosing a torn or stretched ligament from physical examination, an x-ray or MRI is often difficult for even the best doctor. But Houston orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Sanders is using a new medical device to quickly and effectively diagnose his patients with ACL and other ligament injuries. Dr. Sanders and the staff at the Sanders Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine are using the TELOS Stress Device during x-rays to help determine the extent of a patient’s knee or ankle injury.

stress-device-se2000The TELOS Stress Device
Picture Courtesy of Medmetric Corporation

To determine if a patient has a stretched or torn ligament, a doctor will often conduct a physical exam of the knee or ankle along with an x-ray. Although an x-ray is very effective at showing broken bones, torn or stretched ligaments are many times hard to identify and are consequently often misdiagnosed. However, by using the TELOS device combined with an x-ray, stress is put on the injured area and thus allows the orthopedic surgeon to measure and compare different angles and distances between an injured and non injured ligament. This allows for a quicker and more accurate diagnosis. In addition, the TELOS device is lightweight, portable and rather comfortable for the patient.

ACL InjuryX-Ray using TELOS Stress Device
Picture Courtesy of Medmetric Corporation

Dr. Sanders is one of only a few orthopedic surgeons in Houston using the new device which is manufactured in Germany by the Metax Corporation. “In addition to being more effective at diagnosing torn and stretched ligaments, it is much more cost effective as well”, says Dr. Sanders. “An x-ray using the TELOS device usually runs the patients around $200.”

This is quite a savings when compared to an MRI”. Many orthopedic surgeons, including Dr. Sanders, have ordered a patient to undergo an MRI to diagnose an ACL or other ligament injuries. However, in addition to being more expensive, MRI’s are not always effective at diagnosing stretched or torn ligaments. According to published reports, a MRI can miss a torn or stretched ACL 10% of the time. Recent studies have show that using the TELOS device instead of the MRI is more effective in diagnosing several different types of ligament injuries including the lateral ankle ligament.

The TELOS Stress Device allows for stress exams of the ankle (Anterior Drawer/Lateral, Talar Tilt/AP, Syndesmosis Joint and Subtalar Joint) and the knee (Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Posterior Cruciate Ligament and Collateral Ligaments). Rather than depending on a doctor or nurse to apply manual stress, the TELOS device provides a known amount of pressure that is illuminated by an LED readout, which allows the user to determine exactly the amount of stress applied to the joint.

ACL Knee ExamKnee Exam Using TELOS Stress Device
Picture Courtesy of Medmetric Corporation

Holding the patient in the stressed position enables the user to standardize the stress radiograph exam. In addition it eliminates x-ray exposure to the individual applying stress. Dr. Sanders and his staff hope to soon use the device to diagnose shoulder and elbow injuries as well. Patients favor the TELOS Stress device because it is non invasive and rather painless.

For more information about the TELOS stress device or the Sanders Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery and Sports medicine got to www.sandersclinic.net or call 1-888-8-DR MARK.

Sanders Clinic
(713) 622-3576