Abstract
Introduction and aims
The International Orthopaedic community is eagerly adopting Robotic Assisted Arthroplasty (RAA) technology. However, the evidence for the benefits of this technology are unproven and at best equivocal. This study is a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of all published research in the field of RAA.
Methods
A systematic literature search was conducted to retrieve all peer-reviewed, English language, publications studying robot- assisted hip and knee arthroplasty between 1992 and 2017. Review articles were excluded. Articles were classified by type of study and level of evidence according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine (OCEBM) Levels of Evidence System. The number of citations, authorship, year of publication, journal of publication, and country and institution of origin were also recorded for each publication.
Results
We identified 73 original studies published since 1992 in the field of RAA. The procedures reported were total hip and total knee replacement, and uni-compartmental knee replacement. Publications originated from 17 countries and 117 organisations. Fifty percent of studies identified were published in the last 5 years at an average of 7 publications per year, compared to an average of 2.7 publications per year from 1992 to 2012. Thirty-six percent of original studies were of level 5 evidence or below, with a preponderance of biomechanical and cadaveric studies. The most cited paper was Bargar, Bauer and Borner's original RCT proving efficacy and safety of the Robodoc system for total hip replacement. Most publications originated in the US (36.9%) and more than 15% were published in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
Conclusions
Analysis of publication patterns in robotic orthopaedic surgery allow us a unique insight into the qualities, characteristics, clinical innovations and advances in the evolution of RAA research.
