Accuracy of Bone Resection in MAKO Total Knee Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Robotic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate component positioning is crucial in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to prevent malalignment.
• Malalignment in TKA is linked to increased polyethylene wear and revision surgery rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of the MAKO total knee robotic arm-assisted surgery system.
• To determine if the MAKO system achieves preoperative plans for bone resection and limb coronal alignment.

Main Methods:

• A series of 45 consecutive TKA cases using the MAKO system and Triathlon Total Knee implant were analyzed.
• The study compared planned bone resections and final limb coronal alignment with the actual surgical outcomes.
• Data from 37 patients were captured using MAKO system software for analysis.

Main Results:

• Bone resections were highly accurate, with 94.29% within 1mm of the plan.
• Mean differences from the plan for femoral and tibial cuts were all under 0.5mm.
• Final limb coronal alignment accuracy was high, with 78.13% within 1° of the plan and 100% within 3°.

Conclusions:

• The MAKO total knee robotic system demonstrates high accuracy in achieving preoperative plans for bone resection and limb coronal alignment.
• This precision in robotic-assisted TKA may have implications for improving long-term implant survival.
• Further research is warranted to correlate MAKO system accuracy with reduced polyethylene wear and revision rates.