Computer-Assisted Surgery in Total Knee Arthroplasty: Our Experience

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Medical Technology
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a successful treatment for knee osteoarthritis, with a 15-year success rate of 90%.
• Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) aims to enhance the precision of component alignment and orientation during TKA.
• Accurate alignment is crucial for the long-term success and functional outcomes of TKA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of CAS in achieving accurate coronal alignment in TKA.
• To assess the impact of patient factors, such as BMI and pre-operative deformity, on CAS-TKA outcomes.
• To analyze post-operative alignment and functional scores in patients undergoing CAS-TKA.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 103 patients undergoing CAS-TKA over 3 years.
• Assessment of pre- and post-operative varus/valgus deformity, BMI, comorbidities, and Knee Society Score (KSS).
• Statistical analysis using Spearman correlation and chi-squared tests to examine outcomes like KSS, alignment, and complications.

Main Results:

• The study included 103 TKA patients (mean age 63.7 years); 54.3% had unilateral and 45.6% bilateral TKA.
• 34.8% of patients were obese, and 31.3% had severe pre-operative deformity (>15°).
• CAS-TKA consistently achieved coronal alignment within ±3°, with similar post-operative KSS scores across different BMI and deformity groups.

Conclusions:

• CAS-TKA reliably achieves excellent coronal alignment in the knee joint.
• The accuracy of CAS-TKA is not significantly affected by patient BMI or the degree of pre-operative deformity.
• Navigation in CAS-TKA contributes to consistent and accurate component placement, supporting favorable patient outcomes.