Excellent 10-Year survivorship of robotic-arm-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty

Robotic-arm-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an excellent solution for patients suffering from single-compartment knee arthritis. While outcomes tend to be favorable for UKAs, revision operations, commonly due to component malpositioning and malalignment resulting in accelerated wear, are a major concern. Intraoperative technologies, such as robotic assistance, can help better ensure that implants are positioned based on a patient's specific anatomy and mechanical physiology. However, long-term survivorship and patient-reported satisfaction with robotic-assisted UKAs are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the 10-year outcomes of patients who underwent robotic-arm-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Specifically, we evaluated: 1) 10-year survivorships; 2) patient satisfaction scores; and 3) re-operations.

From a single surgeon and single institution, 185 patients who had a mean age of 65 years (range, 39 to 92) and a mean body mass index of 31.6 (range, 22.4 to 39) at a mean of 10 years follow-up were evaluated (range, 9 to 11). For all patients, the same robotic-assistive device was utilized intraoperatively, and all patients underwent standardized physical therapy and received standardized pain control management. Then 10-year survivorships with Kaplan-Meir curves, patient satisfaction evaluations with a 5-point Likert scale, and re-operations were assessed as primary outcomes.

Overall implant survivorship was 99%, with only two patients requiring revision surgery. There was one patient who was converted to a total knee arthroplasty, while the other patient underwent polyethylene exchange at 5 weeks for an acute infection with successful implant retention. Overall, 97% of the patients were satisfied with their postoperative outcomes, with 81% of patients reporting being very satisfied. There were two other patients who required arthroscopic intervention: one to remove a cement loose body, the other to remove adhered scar from the fat pad and the anterior cruciate ligament.

This study is one of the first to provide longer-term (mean 10-year) survivorship and patient-reported satisfaction outcomes for robotic-assisted UKA patients. These data show strong support for utilizing this surgical technique, as nearly all patients maintained their original prostheses and reported being satisfied after a mean of 10 years. Therefore, based on these results, we recommend the use of robotic assistance when performing UKAs.