Radiological and Functional Outcomes in Computer Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty Between Consultants and Trainees - A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

Computer Aided Surgery has consistently shown superior alignment of components when compared to non-navigated jig based techniques. The aim of this study is to assess the mid-term clinical outcome of TKA performed by a consultant orthopedic surgeon, compared to trainee surgeons. Ninety-two patients were matched and randomly allocated to have CAS surgery performed by either a consultant or trainee and followed up prospectively for 5-years. Knee society scores, mechanical axis, tourniquet time and blood loss data were collected. Our study demonstrated that trainees were able to achieve equal coronal alignment (P = 0.15), blood loss (P = 0.45) and functional scores (P = 0.15). The Consultant group had a significantly (P < 0.001) shorter tourniquet time. We confirm that CAS can assist less experienced surgeons to reliably achieve good mid-term outcomes in TKA.