Regain your vitality and freedom of movement with robotic knee replacement in Turkey. At the Advanced Orthopedic Treatment Center in Istanbul, are you looking for an affordable and successful solution to knee joint problems? We offer you the opportunity to consult with the best-specialized surgeons in robotic knee replacement surgery. We will provide you with optimal care and the necessary assistance for your quick and successful recovery at a competitive cost. Contact us today to learn more about the available surgical options and pricing.
The importance of robotic knee replacement surgery
Robotic knee replacement involves using computers and robots as assisting tools to increase the precision of knee or hip replacement surgery. After careful planning of the surgical procedure, the data is uploaded to the robot, which is entirely under the doctor’s control. The robot cannot perform any actions outside the required plan, ensuring that the operation proceeds as planned without errors.
- The robot uses precise guidance to ensure the new joint is placed with optimal accuracy. This reduces the risk of complications and improves knee function after surgery.
- Reduction of tissue damage: The robot allows the surgeon to work through smaller incisions, minimizing damage to surrounding tissues and leading to faster recovery.
- Reduced pain: Robotic-assisted surgery often reduces postoperative pain compared to traditional methods.
- Shorter hospital stay: Because robotic-assisted surgery reduces pain and tissue damage, patients can leave the hospital sooner.
- Better long-term outcomes: Studies indicate that robotic-assisted surgery may lead to better long-term outcomes, including improved knee function and a lower risk of needing revision surgery.
Robotic knee replacement surgery requires special training and expertise, and the surgeon must receive adequate training in this regard before performing the procedure.
Robotic systems are specifically designed for a particular type of joint, and other brands of artificial joints cannot be used with robotic surgery. Our doctors rely on the Stryker-MAKO robot for the installation of artificial knee and hip joints.
The suitable patient for robot-assisted knee replacement
Several factors affect the selection of a suitable patient for robotic knee replacement surgery, including:
- The impact of knee problems on the patient’s life
- General health
- Patient’s age
When knee replacement surgery is performed with a robot, the lifespan of the artificial joint significantly increases, thus eliminating the need for another joint replacement. This is particularly beneficial for younger patients, as they won’t have to undergo joint replacement surgery again.
For patients over 55, the costs of robotics are unnecessary; traditional knee joint replacement surgery is sufficient.
Doctors evaluate each patient individually to determine whether the patient needs knee replacement surgery. Robotic knee replacement surgery is performed in the operating room through a specialized robot that makes an incision in the front of the knee and opens the knee joint.
Difference between robotic knee surgery and traditional surgery
Robotic knee replacement has the following advantages over conventional knee replacement:
- Extremely high precision
- More natural knee movement
- Longer lifespan of the artificial joint
- Faster return to everyday life
- All four ligaments (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL) remain intact
- No muscle cutting
- Non-joint cartilage is not affected
- Smaller incisions
- Less pain due to fewer incisions
- Minimal blood loss
- low risk of blood clots
Stages of robot-assisted knee replacement in Turkey
When deciding to undergo knee replacement surgery using robotic assistance, computed tomography (CT) scanning images of both legs from the hips to the ankle are captured.
Then, this data is uploaded to a computer where three-dimensional models of your legs are created. Your doctor plans the surgery step by step using specialized software on the computer several weeks/days before the operation. The thickness of the bone cuts required and the balance of ligaments are planned, as well as the appropriate size and positioning angle of the artificial joint.
If hip replacement is also planned, in addition to this data, the length of the leg in millimeters is calculated, and the planned length of the leg after the operation is determined.
During surgery, devices called “trackers” are placed in various parts of your leg, which are connected to the computer to provide real-time feedback on the bone position. After making the appropriate surgical incision, your doctor maps out the bones with an electronic device shaped like a pen and feeds it into the computer.
The computer matches this map with the axial sectional images taken before surgery, allowing the robot to know the number of cuts to be made and from which part of the bone.
Meanwhile, ligaments around the knee joint are tested, and cuts are adjusted to achieve optimal ligament tension. At this stage, any necessary adjustments in leg length are also made to maintain proper length.
The robotic knee replacement surgeons assist the robot in cutting the bones at the appropriate angle and direction as planned. The robot only operates within the pre-planned areas (and never allows deviations from these areas). Your doctor oversees all these steps by monitoring the operative site and verifying it in three dimensions on the computer screen.
After the bone cuts are completed, the damaged parts are removed, and the artificial knee joint is placed on the bone surface. Simultaneously, the balance of soft tissues, ligament tension, and leg length are confirmed, and if necessary, millimetric corrections can be made again.
If the doctor approves the measurements, the gaps are filled with bone cement after determining the appropriate dimensions, and the knee joint is covered with a mixture of metal and plastic. A final check-up is performed, and the operation is concluded.
You can return to everyday life within a month or two after the operation, but you should avoid heavy sports and sudden movements during this period. Contact us for any inquiries about robot-assisted knee replacement surgery in Turkey or any issues you encounter regarding this procedure.
What are the benefits of robotic surgery?
The most significant benefit of installing an artificial knee joint using robotics is that it allows for much more precise surgery than what can be seen with the naked eye; the entire surgery is planned before the operation.
The robot applies this plan with extreme precision during the operation. The plan can be changed with precise measurements rather than estimations during the procedure if necessary. Therefore, prosthetic limbs installed with robots have a longer lifespan than traditional methods.
Robotic knee replacement surgery helps achieve these goals with fewer errors; complications from dislocation of the artificial joint—which are observed in up to 4% of patients after traditional hip replacement surgery—have decreased to less than 1% after robotic surgery. It can also reduce the incidence of leg length discrepancies that occur after hip replacement surgery.
During traditional knee replacement surgery, a long metal rod must be placed inside the femur, which can cause bone marrow and added fat to enter the bloodstream and pose problems for heart patients. This risk is eliminated when performed robotically because the bone channel is not opened.
Additionally, if there are devices fixed in the femur that are unsuitable for removal (such as screws fixing an old fracture), planning with robotic surgery is considered ideal.
Walking after robotic-assisted knee surgery
A robotic knee replacement procedure requires a moderate amount of time for complete recovery, as the knee is a weight-bearing joint. Patients should avoid stressing the knee in the early weeks after the operation.
Patients typically start walking with the aid of crutches or may sit in a wheelchair if walking is not feasible. After about four to five weeks post-surgery, most patients can walk short distances without assistance.
With time and the assistance of the physical therapy team, patients can walk longer distances and engage in activities like driving or simple sports. However, they should be mindful of their bodies and avoid bending or kneeling the knee joint.
After approximately a year following robotic knee replacement surgery, the knee joint regains its full strength, and patients can perform all activities of daily living with attention to avoiding strain.
Problems with robotic knee replacement
The most significant issue with robotic knee replacement surgery is its high cost; installing a knee joint with robotics is two to three times higher than traditional knee replacement surgery.
The price of robot-assisted knee replacement surgery in Turkey is estimated at around $12,000 to $15,000 per joint compared to $7,000 for traditional surgery.
However, the cost of robotic knee replacement in Turkey is lower than that of traditional knee replacement in Europe and America.
Regular X-rays are insufficient for precise planning before the operation; robotic surgery requires three-dimensional CT imaging, which increases the amount of radiation the patient is exposed to.
Due to the controls performed at each stage of the surgery, robotic knee replacement surgery takes longer than standard knee replacement surgery by 15-25 minutes. However, this is an acceptable time to improve surgical outcomes.
Complications of robotic knee replacement
The incidence of these complications is very low, and the doctor will explain these complications in detail before the operation. Some complications of knee replacement surgery include:
- Bleeding (possible in every surgical procedure)
- Formation of clots in the lungs or legs
- Heart attack
- Stiffness in the knee
- Stroke
- Nerve damage in the knee
Studies on robotic knee replacement surgery.
Studies have shown that not opening a channel in the femur bone reduces blood loss and pain after surgery. They have also demonstrated that robotic surgery has advantages in terms of rehabilitation and early discharge from the hospital.
The success rate of robotic knee replacement is higher; studies indicate that, in the medium term (5-10 years), the results of robotic surgery and traditional joint replacement surgery (if performed well) will be similar.
However, in the longer term, the artificial knee joint is expected to have a longer lifespan due to the care taken in the angles at which it is placed and the balance of the ligaments obtained through robotic surgery.
There are no long-term studies (beyond ten years) because robots have recently been introduced.
Recent studies have shown that complications after robotic knee replacement surgery are much lower, and other studies have shown that robotic surgery is better than traditional surgery, even if the surgeon is skilled.
Artificial joints on which robotic surgery can be applied
Robotic surgery is still applied to knee and hip joints, and studies continue to use this technology in artificial joints for the shoulders and the spine.
Robotic limb surgery is used in more than 200 centers worldwide and has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. It has been safely applied to more than 100,000 patients worldwide, resulting in more than 300 serious scientific publications on joint surgery.
Turkey has shown great interest in robotic surgery recently, making it one of the leading countries in this field. The Bimaristan Center will guide you to the best hospitals performing this type of operation at the cheapest prices for joints and other tools used to secure the best price for robotic knee replacement surgery.
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