The effect of pressure sensor application on early functional outcomes in robot assisted total knee arthroplasty
10.3760/cma.j.cn121113-20250407-00337
- VernacularTitle:机器人辅助全膝关节置换术中应用压力垫片对术后早期功能结果的影响
- Author:
Haoming AN
1
;
Tiejian LI
;
Deming KONG
;
Yixiao TAN
;
Xinzheng QI
;
Shaokui NAN
;
Wei CHAI
Author Information
1. 南开大学医学院,天津 300071
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Arthroplasty, replacement, knee;
Robotic surgical procedures;
Soft tissue balance;
Pressure sensor
- From:
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics
2025;45(19):1234-1240
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the effect of the combination of robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty and pressure sensor on early postoperative outcomes.Methods:Twenty patients who underwent YUANHUA robot-assisted TKA between September 2024 and December 2024 were prospectively enrolled. After randomization and exclusion of one patient lost to follow-up, 10 patients were included in the pressure-sensor group and 10 in the control (no-pressure) group. In the pressure-sensor group, surgeons used a pressure sensor to assist in soft tissue balancing after osteotomy, whereas in the control group, balancing was performed empirically. In both groups, medial and lateral compartment pressures of the knee at 10°, 45°, 90°, and 120° of flexion were recorded using a pressure sensor prior to component implantation. Clinical outcomes were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months postoperatively using the visual analog scale (VAS), Knee Society Score (KSS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Forgotten Joint Score (FJS).Results:All 20 procedures were completed successfully, and patients were followed for at least 3 months. At 10° of knee flexion, the difference between medial and lateral compartment pressures was significantly smaller in the pressure-sensor group (0.99±59.44 N) than in the control group (97.18±84.34 N; t=-2.948, P=0.009). At 45° of flexion, the corresponding differences were -12.99±36.20 N and 51.48±76.40 N, respectively ( t=-2.411, P=0.032). No significant differences in VAS, KSS, or WOMAC scores were observed between groups preoperatively ( P>0.05). At 3 months postoperatively, the KSS was significantly higher in the pressure-sensor group (174.40±16.39) compared with the control group (138.50±38.35, t=2.722, P=0.014). The WOMAC and VAS scores were significantly lower in the pressure-sensor group (12.70±11.00 and 1.20±0.92, respectively) than in the control group (27.30±18.54 and 2.70±2.00; t=-2.142, P=0.046; t=-2.153, P=0.045). At 2 weeks and 3 months postoperatively, the FJS scores in the pressure-sensor group [70.00±26.06 and 88.07(83.52, 95.83)] were significantly higher than those in the control group [37.92±32.42 and 50.00(32.50, 67.75); t=2.439, P=0.025; Z=-2.466, P=0.014]. Conclusion:The combination of precise osteotomy using robot-assisted TKA and soft tissue balancing guided by a pressure sensor provided more accurate medial-lateral compartment balance and significantly enhanced early postoperative clinical outcomes.