Accuracy of a New Robotically Assisted Technique for Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Cadaveric Study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Medical Robotics
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Robotic surgery's utility is established in cadaveric studies.
• A new robotically assisted system aims for high accuracy in bone resection.
• The study hypothesizes this system will achieve precise bone cuts for total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the accuracy of a novel robotically assisted system in achieving targeted angles and resection thickness during cadaveric total knee arthroplasty.
• To evaluate the precision of bone cuts made by orthopedic surgeons using the ROSA Knee System.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 15 frozen cadaveric knee specimens (30 knees).
• Employed the ROSA Knee System (Zimmer Biomet) and its navigation tools.
• Eight orthopedic surgeons performed robotically assisted total knee arthroplasty, comparing planned to actual bone cut angles and resection thickness.

Main Results:

• Mean differences for all angles were below 1°, with standard deviations below 1°.
• The hip-knee-ankle axis difference was -0.03° ± 0.87°.
• Mean differences for resection thickness were below 0.7 mm with standard deviations below 1.1 mm.

Conclusions:

• The robotically assisted system demonstrated high accuracy in bone resection for total knee arthroplasty in a cadaveric model.
• Surgeons can achieve planned angles and resection thickness using this robotic system.
• Results suggest the system's potential for precise bone preparation in knee replacement surgery.