Mercy San Juan Medical Center Now Offering MAKOPlasty Hip

Robotic arm technology enables a new level of precision in total hip replacement Carmichael, CA - Mercy San Juan Medical Center is the first and only hospital in the Sacramento region to offer MAKOplasty® Hip, the latest innovation in total hip replacement surgery performed using the RIO® system, a highly advanced, surgeon-controlled robotic arm system that enables the accurate alignment and positioning of implants.

The RIO system has been used to perform more than 325 MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing procedures at Mercy San Juan since March 2011. 

“Getting implants positioned correctly is an important aspect in improving surgical outcomes and the lifespan of the implants used for hip replacement,” said Paul Sasaura, MD, orthopedic surgeon. “The robotic arm technology enables us to more accurately achieve the biomechanical alignments that are planned to fit the patient’s unique anatomy.”

Accurate alignment and positioning of implants using traditional manual total hip replacement techniques can be challenging. Massachusetts General Hospital recently reported in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research that of 1,823 hip replacement patients treated over a sustained period of study, only 50 percent had acetabular cups positioned in the desired zone of proper inclination and version.

With a MAKOplasty Hip procedure, the RIO system provides a patient-specific 3-D image of the patient’s hip based on a pre-operative CT scan. Using the 3-D model, the surgeon can then visualize the optimal size and position of hip implant components. An implant consists of a cup and liner placed in the acetabulum or the socket of the pelvis, and a femoral component with a femoral head and stem. The position of these components is critical for proper biomechanical reconstruction of the hip.

During surgery, RIO provides visualization of the joint and biomechanical data to guide the bone preparation and implant positioning to match the pre-surgical plan. The surgeon first prepares the femoral bone for the implant and then measures the femoral component’s position with the RIO. Next the surgeon uses the robotic arm to accurately ream and shape the acetabulum, and then implant the cup at the correct depth and orientation. The surgeon finally implants the femoral implant and RIO provides summary data to confirm the hip implants are aligned according to plan.

MAKOplasty Hip is designed to assist surgeons in attaining a new level of reproducible precision in surgery, to restore patients’ confidence in their mobility and help them return to active lifestyles.

Like other total hip replacement procedures, MAKOplasty Hip may be a treatment option for people who suffer from either non-inflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease.