Differences between CAS and MIS

In recent years, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for knee and hip replacement has increased in popularity. While MIS procedures may have certain advantages such as a smaller incision, the potential for a quicker recovery and perhaps even a shorter hospital stay, MIS procedures may also have certain disadvantages that can be successfully addressed with the use of computer-assisted surgery.

First, there are many factors that determine whether a patient is a candidate for an MIS procedure, and in fact the procedure will not be suitable for a fairly large percentage of patients. On the other hand, CAS can be used with virtually every patient.

Secondly, while the goal of MIS is to minimize damage and trauma to the soft tissues during the surgical procedure, the technology used to perform the MIS procedure does not currently address the need for optimal alignment of the implant-something that is achieved through the use of CAS. Therefore, while MIS may lead to faster recovery times in the short-term, the long-term success of the surgery is strongly related to implant alignment, which is optimized by the use of CAS. 2

2. Berend, Lombardi and Mallory, 2004