2024 EFORT Annual Meeting: A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing computerised tomography-based planning with conventional total hip arthroplasty versus robotic-arm assisted total hip arthroplasty

Sixty patients with symptomatic hip osteoarthritis were randomized to receive either conventional total hip arthroplasty (cTHA; n=30) or robotic-arm-assisted THA (rTHA; n=30). The primary outcome of interest was the reproducibility of the planned preoperative center of hip rotation. Secondary outcomes included the accuracy of acetabular cup orientation, restoration of offset, leg length discrepancy, functional outcomes, and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Outcomes were assessed at baseline, six weeks, and one year postoperatively. Overall, the results of the study revealed that rTHA significantly improved the accuracy in achieving the planned center of rotation, combined offset, acetabular cup positioning, and leg length correction compared to conventional THA. The study concluded that robotic-arm-assisted THA was associated with improved technical precision in implant positioning, which may suggest potential benefits in long-term outcomes.