No abstract

Background:The use of computer navigation in total knee replacements represents one of its most important applications in orthopaedics. It can be used either with conventional or minimally invasive techniques to improve accuracy when positioning prosthetic components. Many studies, however, have associated computer navigation with increased operative time compared with the conventional methods, which makes many surgeons reluctant to use this technique. Methods:Presented is a proposed method to reduce the operative time when using computer navigation in total knee arthroplasty. Results:Total surgical time was reduced from a mean of 86.5 min to 57.7 min. The number of bony cuts and repetition were significantly reduced. No statistically significant difference was noted in the mean preoperative and the mean 2-year postoperative Oxford Knee Scores between the first 10 navigated knee replacement cases and the last 11 cases. Conclusions:The proposed method is effective, reproducible, and reduces operative time of computer navigated knee replacement. FIGURE 4. (A) Battery operated cutting saw with an extramedullary tibial guide for the tibial cut. (B) Prismatic saw blade on the left compared with the regular one on the right.