Robotic control in knee joint replacement surgery.
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.
Davies
B L
BL
Mechatronics in Medicine Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK. b.davies@imperial.ac.uk
Rodriguez y Baena
F M
FM
Barrett
A R W
AR
Gomes
M P S F
MP
Harris
S J
SJ
Jakopec
M
M
Cobb
J P
JP
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*