From 01/1988 to 04/2001 224 THR were performed assisted by a surgical robot (ROBODOC). The short term run of 5 years should reveal, if any benefit ore disadvantage could be detected comparing Robodo chips with hand -broached hips. In all 224 cases a straight stem prosthesis with a proximal sleeve was used (S-Rom-Prosthesis). The cup was implanted manually (RM-Cup). The average follow up has been 5 years (4,0–6,2 years). At the last investigation 3 patients had died, 6 patients could not be reached. 215 patients (96%) were examined. According to Merle d’Aubigné pain and walking ability were mesured with a maximal score of 12 points.
Robot assisted hip surgery surely offers an improved primary stability of the stem because of the outstanding precision. Missing stem loosening after 5 years seem to promiss a longer survival rate. To avoid a high learning curve certificated qualifying courses are compulsory.
