Manipulation Under Anesthesia Rates in Technology-Assisted versus Conventional-Instrumentation Total Knee...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Robotics in Medicine
• Arthroplasty

Background:

• Technological advancements, including robotic assistance, are being integrated into total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to enhance patient outcomes and reduce complications.
• Manipulations under anesthesia (MUA) serve as an indicator of postoperative knee stiffness, a complication that robotic technologies may help mitigate.
• There is a need to understand the impact of robotic assistance on MUA rates following TKA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the rates of manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) in patients undergoing robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) versus those undergoing TKA with conventional instrumentation.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 188 consecutive robotic-assisted TKAs and an equal number of conventionally performed TKAs, matched by surgeon.
• All patients received standardized postoperative rehabilitation protocols.
• Manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) rates were evaluated, and statistical analyses (Chi-square) were performed to compare cohorts at a minimum two-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• The overall MUA rate was significantly lower in the robotic-assisted TKA cohort (1.06%) compared to the conventional TKA cohort (4.79%) (p=0.032).
• A 127.5% difference in MUA rates was observed between the two groups.
• No surgeon demonstrated higher MUA rates in their robotic-assisted TKA cases.

Conclusions:

• Robotic-assisted TKA demonstrated a significant 4.5-fold decrease in MUA rates, indicating reduced knee stiffness and improved initial postoperative range of motion.
• These findings suggest that assistive robotic technologies may play a beneficial role in improving patient outcomes following total knee arthroplasty.