Recently we have gotten many patients questions regarding minimally invasive knee replacement surgery that involves sparing the quadriceps tendon and muscle. This post is to directly answers those patient questions and provide education for patients seeking additional information regarding minimally invasive knee replacement. We often speak with patients about the minimally invasive SubV Knee and how this procedure can be done outpatient with less pain and rapid return back to normal activities. Many patients want to know what, if any, difference there is between the SubV Knee and the Subvastus approach or what some surgeons call the “Jiffy Knee”. With regard to the question on Subvastus, the answer is that the SubV Knee and Subvastus approach are the exact same procedure. The SubV Knee procedure takes it name from the anatomic approach which is “subvastus”. What this means is that instead of cutting the main muscles or tendons of the knee, the exposure is performed by going underneath (“sub”) the vastus musculature. Hence the name “Subvastus” which is shortened to “SubV”. Typically the incision is more medially based (on the side of the knee) than with a typical knee replacement and often the proximal aspect of the incision is curved medially in an oblique fashion to allow better exposure to the muscle. This procedure preserves the soft tissues of the knee with potential for less pain and quicker recovery. With regard to the question of “Jiffy Knee” and any difference compared to the SubV Knee, I must say that I had to do a little research. During my career in Orthopedics I have never heard of the name “Jiffy Knee” in any textbook or journal however it appears there is a group of surgeons online who claim to perform a “Jiffy Knee” procedure. I have also recently seen patients in my office for second opinions who have undergone a “Jiffy Knee procedure”. Due to the questions patients have asked me regarding this topic I took time to review the website of this group of surgeons to see exactly what surgical technique was being performed. After review of the website and video it appears to me that what is being called a Jiffy Knee is really just a Subvastus approach to knee replacement and a similar procedure to what we refer to as the SubV Knee. This is based on my review of the available online materials since there are no peer reviewed articles that I could find on anything called “Jiffy Knee”. Typically if a procedure in medicine is novel or revolutionary then one would expect to find multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on the topic. With regard to the “Jiffy Knee”, I was not able to locate a single peer-reviewed article using a typical PubMed search. In summary, to answer the original question…… the SubV Knee, Subvastus approach, and Jiffy Knee appear to me (based on available data) to be many names for the same surgery which is a knee replacement procedure performed through a minimally invasive technique that preserves the quadriceps tendon and surrounding musculature with goals of less postoperative pain and quicker patient recovery.
Please note that Dr Wind has no association and desires no association with “Jiffy Knee” or any surgeons claiming to perform knee replacement with a “Jiffy Knee” approach
