Realizing the benefits
You spend
additional
computer
time on the
front end
mapping out
the joint, but
you save time
during the
cutting phase
because it's
planned out
so precisely. I
haven't yet had to revise the cuts the computer mapped out. The
robotic system is also amazing in its accuracy. For example, notching
the anterior cortex of the femur during conventional surgery has a
high incidence of periprosthetic fracture. I'm always impressed with
how the robot makes that cut perfectly every time. When reviewing
post-op X-rays, I'm also amazed that the placement of the implant
looks exactly as it did in the 3D model displayed on the screen in the
OR.
Even slight variations to the bone cuts made during conventional sur-
gery could overload one part of the knee, which might lead to an early
failure of an implant within 20 years. In contrast, the robotic system's
increased accuracy in placing implants results in a more exact recre-
ation of the knee's mechanical axis. It also ensures the replacement is
perfectly aligned, so the balance of the forces that go through the
implant are equivalently balanced on all parts of the knee. I believe
increased accuracy in aligning the mechanical axis will increase the
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 1
• EXACT FIT The added precision offered by robotic-assisted surgery improves the long-term survivability of implants.
John
Hickey
(Buffalo
News)
