Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital Develops Robotic Knee Replacement Technique Using Minimal Incision of About 10cm

Minimizing Soft Tissue Damage by Reducing Additional Incisions in Robotic Surgery
No Wound Healing Complications Observed in 82 Patients Treated with the New Technique

A new surgical technique has been developed for robot-assisted knee joint replacement that reduces incisions and soft tissue damage.

Professor Kim Jungil of the Department of Orthopedics at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital is performing knee robot-assisted artificial joint surgery. Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

On June 17, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital announced that a team led by Professor Kim Jungil of the Department of Orthopedics, in collaboration with Professor Peter Sculco of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in the United States, has published their jointly developed minimally invasive and minimal soft tissue injury technique (MISI) in the international journal "Orthopaedic Surgery and Research."

While robot-assisted knee joint replacement offers high surgical accuracy, it has limitations in that additional incisions may be required on the thigh and calf to secure the robotic tracking device, or the overall incision size may be larger than with conventional methods.

The MISI technique developed by the research team enables robotic surgery through a minimal incision of approximately 10 cm. By adjusting the position and angle for fixing the robotic tracking device, the team was able to reduce the need for additional incisions. They also applied functional alignment that reflects each patient’s joint condition, thereby minimizing soft tissue damage.

From April to December 2025, the research team applied the MISI technique to 82 patients. As a result, no wound healing complications or periprosthetic fractures related to the insertion of robotic fixation pins were observed in any of the patients. One month after surgery, follow-up examinations confirmed that the incision sites had healed well.

Professor Kim stated, "Patients are greatly concerned not only about surgical outcomes but also about the recovery process and scarring," and added, "We will continue to develop this technique so that it can further reduce the burden of recovery through minimal incisions and preservation of soft tissue."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.