Conventional Instrumentation, Computer Navigation, and Robotic Assistance Techniques in TKA

Summary

Knee osteoarthritis is a debilitating disease that can cause severe knee pain and significant limitations to patients' activities of daily living. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA), also known as knee replacement surgery, is a well-established and successful procedure for treatment of end-stage knee osteoarthritis. Over the years, TKA surgical techniques and implant technology have improved, resulting in better patient outcomes and implant survivorship. Despite continuous improvements being made to this high demand procedure, malalignment of component position is a well-known cause of post-operative complications, including knee pain, component loosening, and failure requiring revision surgery.

Advanced techniques that utilize computer navigation or robotic-arm assistance have been developed in an attempt to avoid malalignment. Both technologies were created with the goal of improving the precision of implant positioning and implant sizing in order to improve lower limb alignment and joint line alignment. The OrthoAlign KneeAlign computer assisted navigation system is a commercially available device that uses gyroscopic limb position sensing technology mounted to intramedullary and extramedullary jigs to measure bone resection cuts in TKA that ultimately dictate implant position. The Zimmer Biomet ROSA Knee System is a commercially available, FDA-approved robotic assistant for performing TKA. It uses pre-operative x-rays to create a three-dimensional image of the patient's knee anatomy, which is used to create a pre-operative template of the implants to be used and provides intra-operative guidance for bone cuts during the TKA. The robotic system also assesses the soft tissue envelope around the knee and can assist with the soft tissue balancing of the knee arthroplasty. Alternatively, it can also be used in an imageless mode where bone cuts are performed based on intra-operative mapping using anatomic landmarks. To date, there have been no prospective studies comparing the implant positioning and patient outcomes directly of the KneeAlign system with the ROSA system and conventional TKA instrumentation techniques.

Conditions

• Knee Osteoarthritis

Interventions

DEVICE

ROSA Knee System

The Zimmer Biomet ROSA Knee System is a commercially available, FDA approved robotic assistant for performing TKA. It uses preoperative x-rays to create a three-dimensional image of the patient's knee anatomy which is used to create a preoperative template of the implants to be used and provides intraoperative guidance for bone cuts during the TKA. The robotic system also assesses the soft tissue envelope around the knee and can assist with the soft tissue balancing of the knee arthroplasty. Alternatively, it can also be used in an imageless mode where bone cuts are performed based on intra-operative mapping using anatomic landmarks.

DEVICE

KneeAlign Computer Assisted Navigation System

The OrthAlign KneeAlign computer assisted navigation system is a commercially available device that uses gyroscopic limb position sensing technology mounted to intramedullary and extramedullary jigs to measure bone resection cuts in TKA that ultimately dictate implant position.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-06-01

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2027-06-30

FDA Device

Yes

Countries

• United States

Study Locations