Accuracy of Accelerometer-Based Navigation System Perseus for the Tibial Cut in Total Knee Arthroplasty: No Superiority Compared to Mechanical Instrumentation in Current Practice

Abstract

Knee alignment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is essential for implant survival. Several studies on accelerometer-based navigation systems have given controversial results, with or without improvement in knee alignment. The aim was to evaluate the accuracy of an accelerometer-based navigation system for tibial resection during total knee arthroplasty. Twenty TKAs performed with an accelerometer-based navigation system were included in this prospective–comparative study. They were matched (on age, body mass index, and preoperative mechanical axis of the lower limb) in a 2:1 ratio with TKA performed with a conventional technique. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of the Perseus System for making the tibial cut on TKA. The primary endpoint was the tibial mechanical angle (TMA) measured on radiographic images at two months postoperatively. Secondary endpoints were the tibial slope and the mechanical axis of the lower limb (HKA angle, Hip-Knee-Ankle). The mean TMA in the accelerometer group was 87.6 ± 2.1° versus 89.1 ± 1.6° in the control group (p < 0.01). The tibial slope in the accelerometer group was 90.0 ± 1.9° versus 89.9 ± 1.3° in the control group (not significant). The mean HKA was 177.7 ± 1.8° in the accelerometer group and 177.5 ± 2.2° in the control group (not significant). This accelerometer-based navigation system during TKA did not improve the accuracy of the tibial cut compared to the conventional technique, but it restored the tibial slope.

Keywords

• knee arthroplasty
• navigation system
• accelerometer-based navigation
• component alignment
• radiological evaluation of total knee arthroplasty