Two studies show no differences in implant survival or revision risk between robotic and conventional total hip and knee replacement
FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Robotic surgery does not improve outcomes in total hip or knee replacement when compared with conventional surgery, according to two studies published online Sept. 30 in The BMJ.
Hasan R. Mohammad, from Queen Mary University London, and colleagues examined the early comparative effectiveness of robotic versus conventional total hip replacement (THR) in the United Kingdom. Data were included from 666,283 THRs performed between 2018 and 2024: 656,080 conventional and 10,203 robotic. The researchers found that the five-year implant survival was 98.8 percent in both the conventional and robotic groups, with no significant between-group difference in revision risk. The robotic group had a significantly lower risk for revisions related to implant malposition (hazard ratio, 0.53). Five-year patient survival was 96.3 and 96.2 percent in the conventional and robotic groups, with no significant difference in all-cause mortality risk.
In a second study, Mohammad and colleagues examined the comparative effectiveness of robotic versus conventional total knee replacement (TKR) and unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) in the United Kingdom. Data were included from 697,145 knee replacement surgeries between 2018 and 2024: 675,034 conventional and 22,111 robotic. The researchers found that five-year implant survival was 98.5 and 98.6 percent in the conventional and robotic TKR groups, respectively, with no between-group difference in revision risk. The five-year implant survival was 97.8 and 96.4 percent, respectively, for the conventional and robotic UKR groups, with no between-group difference in revision risk. No differences were seen in either the TKR or UKR groups for cause-specific revision risk and intraoperative complication risks.
“These results highlight the importance of careful evaluation of robotic technology in publicly funded health care systems owing to the substantially higher capital and procedural costs,” Mohammad and colleagues write in the second study.
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