Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Initial results of an ongoing study on partial knee replacement surgery provide clinical evidence that robotic arm assisted MAKO-Resurfacing procedures result in improved accuracy plasty Partial Knee and less pain when compared to manual procedures using Oxford® implants. Physicians Regional has been offering MAKOplasty Partial Knee Resurfacing since 2012.
When Physicians Regional invests in advanced technology, our goal is to provide patients the best possible outcomes,” said Taylor Hamilton, Director of Communictions of Physicians Regional Healthcare System. “While still early, the results of this study are very encouraging.”
The study1 compares the outcomes of 100 partial knee replacement procedures that involve only one compartment of the knee. Of these, 50 were robotic arm assisted MAKOplasty procedures, and 50 were performed manually without robotic arm assistance. The researchers found that:
• MAKOplasty patients experienced significantly lower post-operative pain (p
• Using robotic arm assistance, implants were placed with higher accuracy in all six component measures evaluated in the study, with four of the six showing statistical significance (p
• A significantly higher percentage of MAKOplasty patients (57% vs. 26%, p=0.0031) had excellent American Knee Society Scores — a widely used functional outcome measure for knee surgery — compared with those who had manual procedures1
The eventual 10–year study is being conducted at the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland, and the randomized controlled trial is considered Level 1 evidence, which is the highest level of scientific evidence. Initial results were presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2013 Annual Meeting in Chicago.
“This type of scientific evidence demonstrates how technology can help in the advancement of healthcare, and reinforces the positive experiences our own {surgeon/ surgeons} have had with this procedure,” said Hamilton. “We are pleased to offer MAKOplasty at Physicians Regional. It brings accuracy and consistency to partial knee surgery, enabling us to confidently offer this earlier intervention that is less invasive than total knee replacement to our patients.”
Partial knee replacement is a treatment option for patients with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. The patient’s cruciate ligaments remain intact and healthy tissue and bone are spared. MAKOplasty is performed using the RIO® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System and RESTORIS® implants. During MAKOplasty, the RIO system provides the surgeon with real-time visual, tactile and auditory, feedback to facilitate optimal joint resurfacing and implant positioning, which can result in a more natural feeling knee. MAKOplasty is available for unicompartmental or bicompartmental procedures to address OA on one or two compartments of the knee. The RIO system is also used for MAKOplasty Total Hip Replacement.
Physicians Regional Healthcare System has been offering MAKOplasty Partial Knee Resurfacing since 2012.
More information is available at PhysiciansRegional.com.
*Oxford is a registered trademark of Biomet, Inc.
1. Blyth MJ, Smith J, Jones B, MacLean III AB, Anthony, Rose P. Does robotic surgical assistance improve the accuracy of implant placement in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty? AAOS 2013 Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.