How Mako SmartRoboticsTM Works
Mako SmartRobotics™ is an innovative solution for many suffering from painful arthritis of the knee. Mako uses 3D CT-based planning software so your surgeon can know more about your anatomy to create a personalized joint replacement surgical plan. This 3D model is used to preplan and assist your surgeon in performing your joint replacement procedure.
In the operating room, your surgeon follows your personalized surgical plan while preparing the bone for the implant. The surgeon guides Mako’s robotic arm within the predefined area, and Mako’s AccuStop™ technology helps the surgeon stay within the planned boundaries that were defined when the personalized preoperative plan was created. By guiding your doctor during surgery, Mako’s AccuStop™ technology allows your surgeon to cut less by cutting precisely what’s planned to help protect your healthy bone.
It’s important to understand that the surgery is performed by an orthopaedic surgeon, who guides Mako’s robotic arm during the surgery to position the implant in the knee and hip joints. Mako SmartRobotics™ does not perform surgery, make decisions on its own or move without the surgeon guiding it. Mako SmartRobotics™ also allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.
Total Knee vs. Partial Knee Replacement
Based on the severity of the arthritis in the knee, total or partial knee replacement may berecommended by a surgeon. Both procedures involve the orthopaedic surgeon guiding Mako’s robotic arm to remove diseased bone and cartilage.
Mako SmartRoboticsTM for Partial Knee Replacement
Mako SmartRoboticsTM for Partial Knee Replacement is a treatment option for adults living with early- to midstage osteoarthritis (OA) that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. Depending on where the arthritis affects the knee, patients may have an implant inserted in any of the following areas:
A bicompartmental knee replacement affects two compartments of the knee – the inside (medial) and knee cap.
In a unicondylar knee replacement, only one area (or compartment) of the joint is replaced.
A patellofemoral knee replacement replaces the knee cap (or patella) and the grove at the lower end of the thighbone (or femur).
In comparison, Mako SmartRoboticsTM for Total Knee Replacement is a treatment option for adults living with mid- to late-stage osteoarthritis of the knee. With a Mako Total Knee replacement, the entire knee joint is replaced, and the surgeon inserts a Triathlon Total Knee implant. With over a decade of clinical history, Triathlon knee replacements are different than traditional knee replacements because they are designed to work with the body to promote natural-like circular motion.