Gait Studies of Robotic Total knee Arthroplasty Versus Conventional Jig-Based Outcomes: Results of A Prospective Randomised Controlled Trial

Description

In this presentation, Dia Eldean Giebaly, a senior fellow at UCLA, discusses the preliminary results of a study comparing gait outcomes in patients undergoing robotic arm-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) versus conventional TKA. He explains that robotic assistance allows for pre-operative CT imaging, enhancing the precision of bone reception and implant positioning, thereby potentially reducing human error. The study involved 30 patients and sought to analyze the inflammatory responses and kinematic metrics associated with both surgical methods. While previous studies have indicated improved gait performance with robotic assistance in unicompartmental knee surgeries, this current investigation provides new insights specifically for total knee arthroplasty.



The gait analysis performed on patients three years post-surgery showed no significant differences in baseline demographics between the groups. However, at higher walking speeds, there were noteworthy variations in parameters such as stride length and weight acceptance. Although trends suggested that the robotic assistance group performed better at high speeds, the results did not reach statistical significance.



Giebaly acknowledges the limitations of the study, including the small sample size and the lack of comprehensive kinematic data, but he notes plans for more rigorous analysis using advanced motion capture technology. Ultimately, the results suggest that robotic-assisted surgery may enhance gait outcomes during physical exertion, inviting further research into kinetic metrics to clarify these findings.

Specialties