title: Robotic control in knee joint replacement surgery.
abstract: A brief history of robotic systems in knee arthroplasty is provided. The place of autonomous robots is then discussed and compared to more recent 'hands-on' robotic systems that can be more cost effective. The case is made for robotic systems to have a clear justification, with improved benefits compared to those from cheaper navigation systems. A number of more recent, smaller, robot systems for knee arthroplasty are also described. A specific example is given of an active constraint medical robot, the ACROBOT system, used in a prospective randomized controlled trial of unicondylar robotic knee arthroplasty in which the robot was compared to conventional surgery. The results of the trial are presented together with a discussion of the need for measures of accuracy to be introduced so that the efficacy of the robotic surgery can be immediately identified, rather than have to wait for a number of years before long-term clinical improvements can be demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Mechatronics in Medicine Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK. b.davies@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Rodriguez y Baena
authors.forename: A R W
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: M P S F
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jakopec
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Cobb
mesh_terms: D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*