Computer-assisted surgery in total knee arthroplasty:recent advances.

Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) for total knee replacement was first approved for use in the U.S. in 2001. Since its introduction, however, there has been a rapid expansion of this technology and several different types of navigation systems have been developed by several different manufacturers. Each new version of the software has incorporated increasingly sophisticated analysis modules to allow not only accurate alignment of the limb and component position, but also to assess ligament balance and knee kinematics. The purpose of this chapter is to review the basic elements of CAS, the author's clinical experience, and improvements currently being developed with this technology.