Robotic Surgery Offers Benefits for Total Hip Arthroplasty

THURSDAY, June 23, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Robotic-assisted total hip arthroplasty (R-THA) shows benefits in terms of dislocation rates and related revisions compared with manual total hip arthroplasty (M-THA), according to a study recently published online in The Journal of Arthroplasty.

Jonathan H. Shaw, M.D., from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and colleagues compared dislocation rates and related revisions between R-THA and M-THA. The analysis included 2,247 consecutive patients (1,724 M-THA and 523 R-THA) who received a primary THA between January 2014 and June 2020 at a single hospital (three surgeons).

The researchers observed significantly lower rates of dislocation in R-THA (0.6 percent) versus M-THA (2.5 percent). All cases of unstable R-THA were successfully treated conservatively, while 46 percent of unstable M-THA were revised for recurrent instability. In the R-THA group, cup anteversion was greater (25.6 degrees for R-THA versus 20.6 degrees for M-THA), while cup inclination was lower (42.5 degrees for R-THA versus 47.0 degrees for M-THA). There were no significant differences seen for patient-reported outcome measures or other complications.

"Patients, in consultation with their joint replacement surgeon, should decide which surgical option is best for them," Davis said in a statement. "Robotic surgery for hip replacement surgery continues to evolve and more larger studies are needed to better define the advantages."

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