Mako Robotic-Arm: Knee and Hip Replacement

Successful joint replacement surgery takes more than a brilliant surgeon, a dedicated team and a patient with a can-do attitude. It takes having the most advanced equipment out there. Our team of surgeons is among the most qualified in the region performing minimally invasive robotically assisted Mako surgeries.

At Ochsner, Mako Partial and Total Knee Replacement and Total Hip Replacement are enabled by a surgeon-controlled robotic arm system. With Mako, Ochsner surgeons can place the artificial joint in the optimal position with greater accuracy. The right positioning ensures better function and joint longevity. These procedures enable patients to have faster healing and less pain.

Ask your physician if surgery with the surgeon-controlled Mako Robotic Arm is right for you. Referring patients, call 504-842-3970 for more information.

Ochsner accepts most major insurances. View insurances accepted at Ochsner.

Mako Partial and Total Knee Replacement

Each patient is unique, and can experience joint pain for different reasons. It's important to talk to us about the reson for your knee pain so you can understand the treatment options available to you. Pain from arthritis and joint degeneration can be constant or come and go, occur with movement or after a period of rest, or be located in one spot or many parts of the body. It is common for patients to try medication and other conservative treatments to treat their knee pain. If you haven’t experienced adequate relief with those treatment options, you may be a candidate for Mako knee replacement, which may provide you with relief from your knee pain.

About Your Knees

Your knees are responsible for allowing you to walk, run and sit. The knee is made up of three main parts or compartments:

Medial or inside
Lateral or outside
Patellofemoral, which is between the femur and patella (knee cap)

Knee Replacement is a treatment option for adults with osteoarthritis (OA) that has not progressed to all three compartments of the knee. Along with the benefits, the Mako Robotic Arm allows for:

Preservation of healthy tissue and bone — only diseased portions are removed
A more natural feeling knee following surgery
More rapid recovery and a shorter hospital stay compared to traditional total knee resurfacing surgery

Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Total Knee replacement is a treatment option for adults living with mid to late-stage osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Mako provides you with a personalized surgical plan based on your unique anatomy. First, a CT scan of the diseased knee joint is taken. This CT scan is uploaded into the Mako System software, where a 3D model of your knee is created. This 3D model is used to pre-plan and assist your surgeon in performing your total knee replacement.

In the operating room, your surgeon follows your personalized surgical plan while preparing the bone for the 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.

The surgeon guides the robotic-arm to remove diseased bone and cartilage within the pre-defined area, and the Mako System helps the surgeon stay within the planned boundaries that were defined when the personalized pre-operative plan was created. In a laboratory study, Mako Technology demonstrated accurate placement of implants to a personalized surgical plan.

It’s important to understand that the surgery is performed by an orthopedic surgeon, who guides the robotic-arm during the surgery to position the implant in the knee joint. The robotic-arm does not perform surgery, make decisions on its own or move without the surgeon guiding the robotic-arm. The Mako System also allows your surgeon to make adjustments to your plan during surgery as needed.

Mako Total Hip Replacement is an advanced solution for adults suffering from painful degenerative joint disease of the hip who require a total hip replacement.

Along with optimized placement accuracy, benefits of having this surgery with the Mako Robotic Arm include:

More consistency in leg length, which makes the joint feel more natural, and potentially decreases the need for a shoe lift.
Decreased risk of impingement and dislocation. This may improve the life expectancy of the hip replacement.
More rapid recovery and a shorter hospital stay compared to traditional total hip replacement surgery.

Patient referrals, transfers and consults are critically important.

We make it easy for you. To obtain copies of patient records, schedule clinic appointments, and to share your preference for receiving post visit follow-up from your patient's appointment, call the Clinic Concierge, our dedicated physician referral line, at 504-842-7436 or 1-855-312-4190.

Before surgery, a CT scan is taken of the patient's knee, and a 3D model created using the RIO system's software. From this model, a pre-surgical plan is developed for the positioning of implants based on that patient's unique anatomy.

To ensure implants are optimally positioned and that the soft tissues of the knee are balanced for a good surgical outcome, surgeons can test and fine tune the plan before surgery by moving the leg through different ranges of motion. The RIO provides measurements and visualization, and the surgeon adjusts the plan as needed.

Once the surgical plan is finalized, it is programmed into the RIO, which creates a safety zone for bone removal. While the surgeon guides the robotic arm and is in control of it at all times, the RIO ensures that bone removal stays with the safety zone of the surgical plan, providing auditory, visual and tactile feedback, stopping the robotic arm if necessary before bone can be removed outside the planned area. Once the bone preparation is complete, the implants are placed in the knee.