Alrayes MM, Sukeik M. Robotics in total knee replacement: Current use and future implications. World J Orthop 2024; 15(6): 489-494 [PMID: 38947269 DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i6.489]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Mohamed Sukeik, FRCS (Ed), MD, Surgeon, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Road, Khobar 34423, Saudi Arabia. msukeik@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Orthopedics
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Orthop. Jun 18, 2024; 15(6): 489-494 Published online Jun 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i6.489
Robotics in total knee replacement: Current use and future implications
Majd M Alrayes, Mohamed Sukeik
Majd M Alrayes, Department of Trauma and Orthopedics, Orthopedic Surgery Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Sukeik, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital, Khobar 34423, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Sukeik, M decided the topic, provided the needed scientific materials, critical edits and amends, manuscript writing and overall supervision. Alrayes MM, carried out the literature search and manuscript writing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohamed Sukeik, FRCS (Ed), MD, Surgeon, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Road, Khobar 34423, Saudi Arabia. msukeik@hotmail.com
Received: January 7, 2024 Revised: April 29, 2024 Accepted: May 27, 2024 Published online: June 18, 2024 Processing time: 157 Days and 19.5 Hours
Abstract
Robotic total knee replacement (TKR) surgery has evolved over the years with the aim of improving the overall 80% satisfaction rate associated with TKR surgery. Proponents claim higher precision in executing the pre-operative plan which results in improved alignment and possibly better clinical outcomes. Opponents suggest longer operative times with potentially higher complications and no superiority in clinical outcomes alongside increased costs. This editorial will summarize where we currently stand and the future implications of using robotics in knee replacement surgery.
Core Tip: The use of robot-assisted total knee replacement surgery has rapidly gained popularity and shows improved radiological outcomes with no difference in complication rates. It is associated with less soft tissue injuries and blood loss intraoperatively. However, this has not translated into better long-term clinical outcomes within the limited published literature. On the other hand, there are installation and maintenance costs and longer operative times during the learning curve which are partly compensated by reduced hospital stay and 90 d readmission rates.
