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Fracture through tracking pin sites following a robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty

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Abstract

The use of computer-navigated, robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is expanding as the result of widespread efforts to improve the precision of implant placement and to restore mechanical, anatomic, and kinematic alignment. The procedure requires placement of femoral and tibial pins to mount the robotic tracking system. Fractures through tracking pin sites following robotic-assisted TKA are rare; only 30 cases have been reported to our knowledge. It is probable that this complication will become more frequent as the use of robotic-assisted TKAs continues to grow. We report the case of a 67-year-old female who suffered a fracture of the femur through two pin sites 3 months after a robotic-assisted TKA. We believe that this report is the first case in the radiologic literature. Our case demonstrates some of the difficulties of recognizing this complication and raises questions about appropriate post-operative imaging.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Aliya G. Feroe, Daniel I. Rosenthal & F. Joseph Simeone

  2. Department of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Amit K. Chakraborty, Daniel I. Rosenthal & F. Joseph Simeone

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  1. Aliya G. Feroe
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  2. Amit K. Chakraborty
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  3. Daniel I. Rosenthal
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  4. F. Joseph Simeone
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Correspondence to F. Joseph Simeone.

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This work was performed at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

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Feroe, A.G., Chakraborty, A.K., Rosenthal, D.I. et al. Fracture through tracking pin sites following a robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty. Skeletal Radiol 51, 2217–2221 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-022-04034-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-022-04034-4

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