Abstract
Introduction
Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has seen renewed interest in recent years and is a viable option for patients with limited degenerative disease of the knee as an alternative to total knee arthroplasty. However, the minimally invasive UKA procedure is challenging and accurate component alignment is vital to long-term survival. Robotic-assisted UKA allows for greater accuracy of component placement and dynamic intraoperative ligament balancing which may improve clinical patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes in a large, consecutive cohort of patients that underwent robotic-assisted UKA.
Materials and Methods
A search of the institutional joint arthroplasty registry identified 507 patients with a mean age of 63 years (range, 28 to 88 years) who underwent robotic-assisted UKA between July 2008 and June 2010. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Oxford Knee Score and patients without recent follow-up were contacted by telephone. The revision rate and time to revision were also examined.
Results
All patients had a minimum of 2 years follow-up (mean 33 months, range 24 to 47 months). Most patients were doing well at latest clinical follow-up. Preliminary results revealed a mean Oxford Knee Score of 36.1 + 9.92. The preliminary revision rate was found to be 2.6%.
Conclusion
Robotic-assisted UKA provides good pain relief and functional outcomes at a minimum of 2-year follow-up. Improved component alignment and ligament balancing increases the probability of favorable outcomes following surgery. Proper patient selection in combination with robotic-assisted UKA may decrease revision rates encountered with early UKA systems.
