Singapore – Robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty, or knee replacement surgery, is gaining popularity around the world due to its increased accuracy and improved outcomes, but it also comes with the risk of complications such as bone fractures.

This is because up to four tracker pins are drilled into the femoral and shin bones to allow the robot to accurately map the bones in real time and guide the surgeon.

Inserting pins in multiple locations weakens the bone and makes it more likely to fracture.

Alexandra Hospital consultant orthopedic surgeon, adjunct assistant professor Glenn Rioux, said other risks included wound infection and nerve damage.

In order to reduce these risks, a team led by Professor Rioux: tool This is a method called a jig, which is less invasive than traditional methods.

This tool requires: single Make an incision in the knee and open all the pins from there. This reduces the risk of fractures, bleeding, and infection associated with additional amputations.

“Additionally, the surgical-grade stainless steel jig allows precise control of pin depth and angle, ensuring consistent and precise placement,” said Professor Rioux.

Surgeons usually select the incision site by eye, but Professor Liau identified a specific position (now called the Liau inflection point) that can be used consistently on all patients to guide the pin to the correct location.

this method Eliminates the need for estimation and allows surgeons to insert pins with precision. 1mm And once.

“This precision also allows us to shorten the main central incision, operation It’s also less invasive,” he said.

Laboratory tests showed that fractures occurred 80% of the time with the traditional method, but only 30% of the time with the new method.

The procedure was tested in a study of 102 patients using a leading robotic total knee replacement system, and the results were published in the peer-reviewed journal Arthroplasty in 2025.

The tool was patented in October – used on over 200 patients In Singapore from 2023 – Successfully filed with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.

The project was recognized at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons’ 2025 Annual Meeting in October, where it received the Grand Prize. Thai Annual Meeting of the Hip and Knee Society in December.

Robotic total knee replacement requires tools like this operation Professor Rioux said they were becoming more common, noting that they now accounted for 13 per cent of the total. That kind of procedure.

“I have used robotic technology for all my patients. 3 1/2 For years,” he said.

Professor Rioux also developed artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to integrate with the robot’s software.

Among those who underwent the new procedure is Madam Lo Lai Tee, 72 years old. The retired mother of two had severe osteoarthritis, which caused her left knee to bend inward at 26 degrees, a condition known as severe valgus deformity. Knee replacements account for less than 0.5% operation.

Before the surgery, he felt pain with every step and was unstable.

Professor Rioux said the small margin of error in this rare condition precludes the use of standard implants and necessitates a more restricted approach.

Madame Lo underwent surgery in November 2025 and recovered well in one month. later.

“Today, my leg is straight again. It’s not just my knee that’s relieved; I know I don’t have any extra scars to heal or worry about,” she said.

Another patient, Madam Nor Aini Abdullah, 85, is older than the typical knee replacement patient, who is about 68 years old, and is now able to run errands independently after surgery in October.

Professor Rioux said: “By sharing our techniques, inventions and discoveries, we hope that in the future more patients will benefit from safer and better knee replacements.”