Computer navigation and total knee arthroplasty

Research has added evidence in favor of computer-navigated techniques over conventional surgery for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The goal of the current meta-analysis was to compare the outcome of outliers in mechanical axis and postoperative complications in patients undergoing conventional vs computer-navigated techniques for TKA. English literature searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between January 2002 and August 2012. Randomized, controlled trials comparing computer navigation with conventional surgery for the measurement of mechanical axes in patients with primary osteoarthritis were considered eligible. Fifteen trials were eligible for inclusion. The baseline demographics of 2089 patients (computer-navigated=1111; conventional=978) were well matched. Publication bias was eliminated using the funnel plot. A mechanical axis of more than 30° was considered to be malalignment and an outlier in limb alignment. A significant increase of 16.9 minutes in mean operative time for computer-navigated TKA was observed (P=.046). Although patients undergoing computer-navigated TKA had fewer outliers in mechanical axis (13.4%) compared with the conventional technique (27.4%), the results did not achieve statistical significance (I2=0.0%; P=1.000). Fewer complications were observed in patients undergoing computer-navigated TKA (4%) compared with conventional TKA (6.5%).