MAKO robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty versus conventional manual total knee arthroplasty

A recent study by Nanshan Ma et al., published in International Orthopedics (2024), evaluated the effectiveness and safety of two surgical techniques in patients with late-stage Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) during the early postoperative period.

This retrospective analysis compares outcomes of 48 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between April and July 2023, with surgeries performed by a single lead surgeon. Of these, 22 patients received robot-assisted TKA using the MAKO system (MA-TKA group), while 26 underwent conventional manual TKA (CM-TKA group). This study highlights that the MA-TKA group experienced significantly lower postoperative pain, as measured by VAS scores, at 24, 48, and 72 hours both at rest and during activity, suggesting a potential advantage of robotic navigation in improving early postoperative comfort.

Radiographic evaluation at one month postoperatively revealed that the Lateral Distal Femoral Angle (LDFA) and Hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) values in the MA-TKA group were significantly lower compared to the CM-TKA group, indicating improved alignment precision with robotic-assisted surgery. This study shows that robotic-assisted technology provides superior short-term clinical outcomes, greater alignment precision, and improved safety compared to conventional manual TKA.