Performance Improvements in Robotic Joint Surgery Systems in Total & Partial Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract

Robot-assisted surgery has come into prominence in the last decade, supporting that it fortifies surgeons and patients with a powerful tool, which supposedly offers a more sophisticated approach in terms of precision, accuracy, enhanced speed, less caused trauma, and recovery time after the operation. In this Thesis, we will attempt to investigate these claims and shed light on the various parameters that provide a solid basis or disprove them.

The Introduction is dedicated to the description of Knee Arthroplasty, its various forms, and stages, the various implant types, the numerous techniques surgeons utilise in order to confront the challenges the disease raises, the contribution of robots to the enhancement of their endeavours, and finally, the numerous advantages and disadvantages that this technology brings forth.

In the second chapter, we are occupied with describing the Materials and Methods used for the drafting of this Thesis. We proceed further in the third chapter with the investigation of Robotic Systems, the interconnection, and interaction among their parts and components, and finally, the Human-Machine interaction that constitutes those systems operational and assistive to the surgeons.

We keep on with the overall performance of those robots, by scrutinising the relevant bibliography to present a comparison between traditional and robot-assisted surgery regarding speed, accuracy, caused trauma, pain duration, and recovery time in various surgical techniques. We incorporate in this chapter’s investigation the users’ perception regarding Human-Machine interaction and whether these robots aid actually their work or produce, in certain cases, additional problems.

Then, we explore the patients views, who underwent such a procedure, regarding the value that a robot-assisted surgery added to their cases, compared to similar ones who have not experienced it. All those mentioned above are backed by cited metrics and data.

Finally, in the last part of this chapter, we provide our readers with our propositions regarding the improvement strategies that should, according to our opinion, be followed by the manufacturers, in order to present to the Medical World more sophisticated and developed systems in terms of hardware, software, calibration capabilities, sensors’ sensitivity, reflectors’ placement abilities and life span, and last, but not least, ways and methods towards the simplification of the operational flow.

In the fourth chapter, we open a discussion about the questions and matters arising from our investigation, our contribution to existing knowledge, and whether we have answered the main topics and subjects touched by this particular work of ours. We end our Thesis content with the conclusions drawn from our investigation in chapter five.

Keywords - Robot-assisted surgery, Knee arthroplasty, DoF (Degrees of Freedom), Navitrackers, sensors, robotic arm, Robot Stand, Camera Stand, components interaction, Human Machine interaction, interconnection, hardware, software, Umbilical Cord.