Comparison of a novel handheld accelerometer-based navigation system and conventional instrument for performing distal femoral resection in total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial

Navigated Versus Conventional Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Recent evidence on the cost-effectiveness of technology in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) demonstrated that navigated computer-assisted methods (N-TKA) is likely to be most cost-effective in the clinical setting. The aim of the current meta-analysis is to compare radiographic, clinical and functional outcomes between conventional TKA (C-TKA) and N-TKA methods.

Methods

All prospective randomized controlled trials (pRCTs) comparing primary TKA performed using C-TKA and N-TKA techniques were eligible for inclusion. Radiographic outcomes included postoperative coronal, sagittal and axial component alignment. Clinical outcomes included all-cause revision and aseptic revision. Functional outcomes were analyzed when reported. A random-effects meta-analysis of all available cases was performed. This allowed for all missing data.

Results

Normal coronal mechanical alignment of the tibial (p < 0.001) and femoral (p = 0.001) components was achieved more frequently with N-TKA. Normal sagittal mechanical alignment of the tibial component was achieved significantly more with N-TKA (p < 0.010). There was no difference in short-term clinical survivorship (all-cause, p = 0.649; aseptic, p = 0.79) or in functional outcomes reported between groups. There was a clinically significant reduction in the mean C-TKA operative time (87 min, σ = 16.6, 95% CI 76.4-98.8) compared N-TKA (97.6 min, σ = 16.9, 95% CI 86.2-109.1) (p = 0.17).

Conclusion

Navigated TKA achieves superior radiographic alignment for femoral and tibial components in both the coronal and sagittal plane. Operative times are 10 min longer in the N-TKA group. Functional outcomes are similar between navigated and conventional groups. Clinical outcomes reported in Level I studies are limited to short-term follow-up so future prospective studies are required.

An updated meta-analysis comparing complications, functional, clinically relevant and radiological outcomes of accelerometer based portable navigation and conventional technique of total knee arthroplasty

Introduction

Since previous studies, including small-scale meta-analyses comparing accelerometer-based portable navigation (APN-TKA) and conventional techniqueof total knee arthroplasty (CONV-TKA), have reported divergent results, there is a need for an updated meta-analysis to compare complications, functional outcomes, clinically relevant outcomes and radiographic alignment of components.

Methods

This meta-analysis was conducted as per PRISMA guidelines. Randomised controlled trials, and non-randomised comparative cohort studies in English language on primary TKA were included. The complications compared were Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Pulmonary Embolism (PE), infection, manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA) for postoperative knee stiffness, re-operation and mortality. The functional outcomes compared were the Knee Society Knee Score, Knee Society Score function, Oxford Knee Score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index. The evaluated clinically relevant outcomes were surgical time, blood loss, drop in haematocrit, tourniquet time, postoperative knee flexion and complications). The number of radiological outliers; as well as the absolute values of the alignment of the overall prosthesis, femoral and tibial components in both coronal and sagittal planes, was assessed.

Results

Twenty-five studies were included. Both the groups were comparable in terms of preoperative demographic features. There was no difference in complications and functional outcomes. Operation time was longer in APN-TKA (p < 0.00001) but there was no difference in rest of the clinically relevant outcomes. Restoration of the lower limb mechanical axis (p = 0.003) and coronal femoral alignment angle (p = 0.0002) was better with APN. APN also significantly reduced the risk of the odds of outliers of lower limb mechanical axis (p < 0.0001), coronal femoral alignment (p = 0.03), coronal tibial alignment (p < 0.0001) and sagittal tibial alignment (p = 0.0001).

Conclusion

The improvement in the accuracy of implantation by the use of APN-TKA, as determined by the overall alignments of prosthesis, or femoral and tibial components, does not necessarily translate into lesser complications and better functional and clinical outcomes.

Level of evidence

Therapeutic study, Level II.

Accelerometer-Based Navigation in Primary TKA Leads to Improved Alignment but No Change in PROs

INTRODUCTION

Computer and accelerometer-based navigation tools have demonstrated improved mechanical alignment in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Accelerometer-based navigation (ABN), in particular, is attractive due to avoidance of pins and trackers. Prior literature has yet to demonstrate an associated improvement in functional outcomes using ABN compared to conventional instrumentation (CONV). The purpose of this study was to compare alignment and functional outcomes between CONV and ABN in primary TKA in a large patient series.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 1,925 TKAs performed by a single surgeon sequentially was performed. There were 1,223 TKAs performed with CONV and measured resection technique. There were 702 TKAs performed with distal femoral ABN and restricted kinematic alignment goals. We compared radiographic alignment, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scores, rates of manipulation under anesthesia (MUA), and needs for aseptic revisions between cohorts. Chi-squared, Fisher's exact, and t-tests were used to compare demographics and outcomes.

RESULTS

The ABN cohort had higher rates of neutral alignment postoperatively than the CONV cohort (ABN 74 vs CONV 56%, P<0.001). Rates of MUA (ABN 2.8 vs CONV 3.4%, P=0.382) and aseptic revision (ABN 0.9 vs CONV 1.6%, P=0.189) were similar. The PROMIS physical function (ABN 42.6 vs CONV 42.9, P=0.4554), physical health (ABN 63.4 vs CONV 63.3, P=0.944), mental health (ABN 51.4 vs CONV 52.7, P=0.4349), and pain (ABN 32.7 vs CONV 30.9, P=0.256) scores were similar.

CONCLUSION

Accelerometer-based navigation is valuable in its ability to improve postoperative alignment, but does not improve complication rates or patient reported functional outcomes.

Comparison of navigation systems for total knee arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Component alignment is a crucial factor affecting the clinical outcome of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Accelerometer-based navigation (ABN) systems were developed to improve the accuracy of alignment during surgery. This study aimed to compare differences in component alignment, clinical outcomes, and surgical duration when using conventional instrumentation (CONI), ABN, and computer navigation (CN) systems.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was carried out using the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases. Articles that met the eligibility criteria were included in the study. Meta-analyses were performed using the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager based on Cochrane Review Method. The variables used for the analyses were postoperative clinical outcome (PCO), surgical duration, and component alignment, including the hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle, coronal femoral angle (CFA), coronal tibial angle (CTA), sagittal femoral angle (SFA), sagittal tibial angle (STA), and the outliers for the mentioned angles. The mean difference (MD) was calculated to determine the difference between the surgical techniques for continuous variables and the odds ratio (OR) was used for the dichotomous outcomes.

Results

The meta-analysis of the CONI and ABN system included 18 studies involving 2,070 TKA procedures, while the comparison of the ABN and CN systems included 5 studies involving 478 TKA procedures. The results showed that the ABN system provided more accurate component alignment for HKA, CFA, CTA, and SFA and produced fewer outliers for HKA, CFA, CTA, and STA. However, while the ABN system also required a significantly longer surgical time than the CONI approach, there was no statistical difference in PCO for the two systems. For the ABN and CN systems, there was no statistical difference in all variables except for the ABN system having a significantly shorter surgical duration.

Conclusion

There was no significant difference in the accuracy of component alignment between the ABN and CN systems, but the ABN approach had a shorter surgical duration and at lower cost. The ABN system also significantly improved the accuracy of component alignment when compared to the CONI approach, although the surgery was longer. However, there was no significant difference in PCO between the CONI, ABN, and CN systems.

Accelerometer-Based Handheld Navigation Instrumentation in Total Knee Arthroplasty Decrease Blood Loss Compared to Conventional Instrumentation: A Prospective Comparative Study

Introduction Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) can be associated with significant peri- and post-operative blood loss necessitating blood transfusion. The blood loss may be relatively less when the accelerometer-based handheld navigation system (HHNS) is used, as there is neither a need for intramedullary breach nor additional pin insertions. The primary hypothesis was that HHNS instrumentation reduced perioperative blood loss when compared with conventional instrumentation, and to prove this, we compared the perioperative parameters like tourniquet time, hemoglobin loss, and estimated blood loss between patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty using conventional instrumentation with handheld navigation instrumentation. Methods This prospective comparative study involves 40 patients in the HHNS group and 40 patients in the conventional group based on the instrumentation used, respectively. Tourniquet was used in all the cases. Patient characteristics like age, sex, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were recorded. The perioperative parameters like tourniquet time, the estimated blood loss, hemoglobin loss, blood transfusions, and the number of units transfused were recorded and compared between the groups. Results There was no significant difference in age, BMI, ASA grade, or CCI between the two groups. The tourniquet time was 83.7 ± 9.6 in the navigation and 73.9 ± 10.3 in the conventional group. The estimated Hb loss was lower at 2.5 ± 1.6 in the HHNS group compared to 3.0 ± 1.8 in the conventional group (p<0.001). Similarly, estimated blood loss was also lower at 830 ± 285ml for the HHNS group compared to 1088 ± 228 in the conventional group. Two patients in the navigation group had a total of four units transfused, whereas three patients in the conventional group had five units of blood transfusion. Conclusions The primary hypothesis that HHNS reduced perioperative blood loss was confirmed by the results of our study. We demonstrated that HHNS instrumentation significantly decreased the estimated blood loss, drain volume, and hemoglobin loss compared to conventional instrumentation with similar operating times. Though blood transfusions were seen in fewer patients, there was no significant reduction in blood transfusions by HHNS instrumentation.

Accelerometer-based navigation vs. conventional techniques for total knee arthroplasty (TKA): a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background

The aim of the study was to determine whether accelerometer-based navigation (ABN) can improve radiological and functional outcomes during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) compared with conventional techniques (CONV).

Method

We comprehensively searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Clinical Trials databases. Only randomized controlled trials were selected for meta-analysis and, ultimately, 10 studies were included.

Results

The 10 studies involved 1,125 knees, of which 573 were in the ABN group and 552 in the CONV group. The results demonstrated that ABN significantly reduced the number of outliers for mechanical alignment (MA) (RR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.54, P < 0.00001, I² = 45%), achieving more accurate MA (RR: –0.78, 95% CI: –0.93 to –0.62, P < 0.00001, I² = 76%). The results revealed that there was no significant difference in duration of surgery between the ABN and CONV groups (MD: –0.2, 95% CI: –1.45 to 1.05, P = 0.75, I² = 48%). There was less blood loss through the use of ABN (SMD: –0.49, 95% CI: –0.93 to –0.06, P = 0.03, I² = 75%). However, ABN group didn’t show better knee function (SMD: 0.13, 95% CI: –0.07 to 0.33, P = 0.20, I² = 0%), though the incidence of overall complications was significantly lower (RR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.95, P = 0.02, I² = 0%).

Conclusions

The present meta-analysis demonstrated that ABN was superior to CONV in restoring MA of the lower limb. In addition, ABN reduced the loss of blood and the duration of surgery was not prolonged. However, patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) were not improved.

Usefulness of an accelerometer-based navigation system in bilateral one-stage total knee arthroplasty

Background

Bilateral one-stage total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) have increased because it provides a number of advantages. Recently, Accelerometer-based navigation (ABN) system which guide the cutting plane without intramedullary disturbance might result in less endothelial and microvascular damage. Therefore, we hypothesized that the ABN may reduce blood loss, reduce postoperative pain, and better restore BTKA alignment compared to conventional instruments.

Methods

We retrospectively compared 44 consecutive patients receiving ABN assisted BTKA (iBTKA) to 57 patients with conventional instruments (cBTKA). Identical pre- and post-operative care was utilized to all patients. The outcome measures assessed were hemoglobin (Hb), calculated blood loss (CBL), blood transfusion, VAS score for pain, morphine consumption, knee flexion angle, and length of stay (LOS). Radiographic assessment included mechanical axis (MA) and component positioning at 3–6 months of follow up.

Results

Both iBTKA and cTKA groups had equivalent demographic data. Postoperative Hb of the cBTKA group was significantly lower than those in the iBTKA group at 24 h (p = 0.02), but there was no significant difference in drain volume, CBL, and blood transfusion rate. For radiographic measures, the iBTKA group had more accurate MA and component orientation, and had a lower number of outliers than those in the cBTKA group (p ≤ 0.01), except for the sagittal femoral component angle.

Conclusion

The ABN assisted BTKA could not reduce blood loss or postoperative pain more than cBTKA, nor improve functional recovery. However, the ABN significantly improved the accuracy of MA and prostheses positioning.

Trial registration

The protocol of this study was registered in the Thai Clinical Trials Registry database No. TCTR20180731001# on 25 July 2018.