Robotic Arm-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Robotic arm-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RATKA) has a number of potential advantages. Therefore, in order to more comprehensively assess this technology, we reviewed the (1) accuracy and precision; (2) soft-tissue protection; (3) patient satisfaction; (4) learning curve; and (5) its other potential benefits.

METHODS: A literature review was conducted using PubMed search database for studies reporting clinical outcomes, cadaver results, radiographic outcomes, surgeon experience, and robotic accuracy. Forty articles were included for the final analysis.

RESULTS: Advantages of RATKA may include greater component accuracy and precision, soft-tissue protection, increased patient satisfaction, a short learning curve, optimal ergonomic design, and less surgeon and surgical team fatigue. The aforementioned advantages might help improve clinical, surgical, and patient-reported outcomes.

CONCLUSION: Although there are a number of studies that highlight the potential advantages of RATKA, most of these studies report of short-term outcomes. It is hoped that longer term studies will continue to support the use of this technology in providing higher patient satisfaction and other clinical outcomes.