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Published on: May 5, 2023
751
Robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a review
Pei Liu1, Fei-Fan Lu2, Guo-Jie Liu1
1Department of Adult Joint Reconstruction, Henan Luoyang Orthopaedic Hospital (Henan Provincial Orthopaedic Hospital), Yongping Road, Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou, China.
Arthroplasty (London, England)
|March 3, 2022
Summary
Robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (rUKA) improves implant positioning accuracy and limb alignment. However, long-term benefits on clinical outcomes and survivorship remain uncertain, despite potential advantages.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Robotics in Medicine
- Biomechanical Engineering
Background:
- Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is a surgical procedure to treat knee osteoarthritis.
- Robotic assistance is increasingly explored to enhance surgical precision in orthopedic procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current literature on robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (rUKA).
- To evaluate the rationale, operative systems, advantages, and disadvantages of rUKA.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase up to March 30, 2020.
- Inclusion of studies on rUKA, clinical trials, and biomechanical research related to implant positioning, alignment, function, and survivorship.
Main Results:
- Robotic assistance enhances accuracy in bone preparation and implant placement, reducing variability and improving limb alignment.
- Early clinical outcomes are positive, but mid-term follow-up shows no significant advantage in component survivorship.
- Drawbacks include lower time and cost-effectiveness, potential rUKA-related complications, and limited high-quality supporting literature.
Conclusions:
- rUKA demonstrates potential in reducing outliers for optimal implant positioning and limb alignment.
- Further extensive studies are needed to confirm if improved positioning translates to better clinical outcomes and long-term implant survivorship.
- Accurate implant positioning suggests robotic assistance is a valuable tool for UKA.
