Robot assistance improves outcomes in small incision unicompartmental knee arthroplasty
Justin Cobb, Johan Henckal, Robin Richards, Simon Harris, Brian Davies, Matjaz Jakopec and Ferdinando Rodrigues
In: Proc. Int. Conf. of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 15 -17 March, 2005, Washington, USA.

Abstract

We have developed a family of tools to help the surgeon accurately perform minimally invasive unicondylar knee arthroplasty. For planning, we have used a CT based a preoperative 3d model. The surgery is planned precisely to restore the femoral axis and tibial joint line with optimal positioning and sizing of implants. In the operating theatre, an active constraint device – the Acrobot enables the surgeon to perform the bone preparation using a high speed milling tool with great accuracy. Postoperatively an independant CT based system is used to document the exact position of the implant in the bone. A transformation matrix is generated with angles and translations in 3 dimensions from the planned position. The results of clinical trials are discussed with their implications.

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