FRIDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to conventional total knee arthroplasty, computer-assisted minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty is associated with an early increased rate of functional recovery and improved postoperative radiographic alignment without increased short-term complications, according to study findings published in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Andrew Quoc Dutton, of the National University Hospital in Singapore, and colleagues randomly assigned 108 patients to undergo either computer-assisted minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty or conventional total knee arthroplasty and followed them for six months.
Compared with the conventional arthroplasty group, the researchers found that the computer-assisted minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty group had a significantly longer operative time (mean 24 minutes) and a significantly shorter inpatient stay (3.3 days versus 4.5 days). They also found the computer-assisted minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty group was more likely to walk independently for more than 30 minutes at one month and that more of them had a close to ideal coronal tibiofemoral angle (92 percent versus 68 percent).
"Computer-assisted total knee arthroplasty may be cost-effective by improving radiographic prosthetic alignment and thus longevity, yet the potential complications associated with the minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty technique such as possible suboptimal implant cementation may negate such benefits," the authors state. "We are continuing with long-term follow-up to ascertain the clinical results and cost benefits of this procedure."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
