Does robotic surgical assistant (ROSA) functionally aligned TKA lead to higher satisfaction than conventional...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitative Medicine

Background:

• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a standard treatment for severe knee osteoarthritis.
• Robotic-assisted TKA (rTKA) aims to improve surgical precision and patient outcomes.
• Functionally-aligned (FA) rTKA utilizes systems like the ROSA Knee System for personalized joint alignment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the functional outcomes and patient satisfaction of FA rTKA with conventional mechanically aligned TKA (mTKA).
• To evaluate the efficacy of the ROSA Knee System in achieving superior results in TKA.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, propensity-score matched cohort study included 154 patients (46 rTKA, 108 mTKA).
• FA rTKA was performed using the ROSA Knee System; mTKA used conventional alignment.
• Patient outcomes were assessed using SF36, KSKS, KSFS, and OKS at baseline and 6 months postoperatively.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in immediate postoperative pain, ambulation, or range of motion between rTKA and mTKA groups.
• At 6 months, both groups showed no significant differences in achieving minimal clinically important differences for all assessed outcome scores (SF36, KSKS, KSFS, OKS).
• Patient satisfaction and fulfilled expectations were comparable between the FA rTKA and mTKA cohorts.

Conclusions:

• Functionally-aligned rTKA using the ROSA Knee System demonstrated equivalent functional outcomes and patient satisfaction compared to mTKA at the 6-month follow-up.
• Longer-term studies are recommended to fully ascertain the benefits of rTKA.
• Further research should explore gap balancing in mTKA and alternative personalized alignment strategies in rTKA.