Summary

Robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty proved to be superior to the conventional technique with decreased operative time, less intraoperative bleeding, shorter time to walk, and an earlier discharge suggesting an improve on the cost-effectiveness of this surgery.

Abstract

Introduction

Robotic-assisted (RA) unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has shown to be successful in component positioning through a reliable preoperative planning and intraoperative adjustment.
The aim of this study is to compare our experience with patients undergoing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty with robotic assistance versus conventional technique.

Materials And Methods

Retrospective comparative study of a cohort of patients who underwent UKA surgery for osteoarthritis of a single compartment in the same center.
Patients with complete records in the institutional data base were included.
The records were reviewed to document demographic data and both intraoperative and postoperative results during hospitalization.
Statistical analysis included Fisher's test, t-student, and logistic regression for Significance of 5% (p<0.05).

Results

A total of 164 patients were evaluated, 44 operated with RA and 120 with conventional technique (CT).
There were no significant differences in both groups according to age and gender.
There was no difference in tourniquet time between RA and CT groups (79.35 min vs 77.09 min; p=0.99).
RA had a shorter operative time, with an average of 104.8 min vs 126.82 min for the CT (p = 0.003). The calculated intraoperative bleeding for the RA was 111.54 ml vs 190.625 ml for CT ( p=0.001). No patient required red blood cell transfusion.
In the RA group, 34.09% were able to walk on the same day of surgery. In the conventional group 10.83% were able to walk on the same day of surgery (p=0.001).
The robotic-assisted group had fewer days of hospitalization than the conventional group (2.61 days average vs 3.68 days), with statistically significant difference (p=0.0001).

Conclusion

Robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty proved to be superior to the conventional technique, with decreased operative time, less intraoperative bleeding, shorter time to walk, and an earlier discharge compared to the conventional technique, suggesting an improve on the cost-effectiveness of this surgery.