Inflammatory Response Conventional Total Knee Replacement Versus Mako Total Knee Replacement

In the researchers' words

Total knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is a highly effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Mid- to long-term follow-up studies have shown good clinical outcomes following TKA; despite these results, there is a high incidence of patient dissatisfaction; 20% of patients reporting dissatisfaction in otherwise uncomplicated procedures. One reason for early dissatisfaction may be the trauma of surgery may lead to localised and systemic inflammatory responses that impair postoperative clinical recovery; this in turn influences long-term functional outcomes. Surgical techniques that limit the insult of surgery and help to restore the patient's native knee anatomy and kinematics may help to improve clinical outcomes, functional recovery, and patient satisfaction. The technical objectives of surgery are to restore limb alignment, preserve the joint line, balance flexion and extension gaps, and maintain the normal Q angle for optimal patella tracking. Compromise to the periarticular soft tissue structures may compromise postoperative clinical and functional recovery, reduce stability, and decrease implant survivorship. In conventional jig-based (CO) TKA, bone cuts are most commonly performed using measured resection or gap balancing. The manual error associated with inadvertent soft tissue release during preparation for implantation or tissue damage from the saw blades is an accepted part…