The Value of Patient-Matched Instrumentation in Total Knee Arthroplasty

The purpose of the current prospective, randomized study was to compare the value of a new mechanically aligned patient-matched instrument system for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) (Visionaire; Smith & Nephew, Inc, Memphis, Tenn) (VIS) to that of standard TKA surgical instrumentation (STD). Twenty-nine primary TKA patients were enrolled and completed surgery (15 VIS and 14 STD). Postoperatively, mechanical alignment was significantly closer to neutral zero in the VIS group (1.7 degrees vs 2.8 degrees; P = .03). Furthermore, the VIS group demonstrated significant reductions in duration of hospital stay, operative time, incision length, and number of used instrument trays (P < .05). Although additional research is underway to confirm these preliminary results, this evidence suggests that patient-matched instrumentation may support repeatable improvements in surgical accuracy and hospital efficiency.