systemStrykerIntraoperative CT

Stryker Mako (orthopedic robotics)

Modality: Orthopedic Surgical Robotics (paired with pre-operative CT)

Mako SmartRobotics — Stryker's robotic-arm-assisted orthopedic platform for total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, and partial knee arthroplasty. Acquired with MAKO Surgical in 2013; the defining product in the orthopedic-robotics category. Pre-operative CT-based planning paired with intra-operative haptic-feedback robotic execution; not an intraoperative-imaging device per se but tightly coupled to pre-op imaging and image-guided surgical workflow.

Variants

  • Mako Total Knee — robotic-arm-assisted TKA.
  • Mako Total Hip — robotic-arm-assisted THA.
  • Mako Partial Knee — unicompartmental knee robotic.
  • Mako SmartRobotics — unifying platform branding across the three.

Distinctive technology

  • Pre-operative CT-based bone mapping — patient-specific 3D model from pre-op CT scan; defines bony landmarks and implant positioning targets.
  • Haptic-feedback robotic arm — surgeon-controlled robotic arm with haptic boundaries that prevent bone resection outside the planned envelope.
  • Real-time intra-operative bone-surface registration — tracked probe re-registers patient anatomy to the pre-op model at the start of each case.
  • Implant-position planning — patient-specific implant size, alignment, and orientation pre-defined and executed within the haptic envelope.

Clinical use

  • Total knee arthroplasty — Mako Total Knee is the dominant Stryker robotic-TKA platform.
  • Total hip arthroplasty — Mako THA via direct anterior or posterior approach.
  • Partial knee arthroplasty — unicompartmental for medial-only / lateral-only / patellofemoral disease.

Pre-operative imaging

Mako requires pre-operative CT with vendor-specific protocol; not a Mako-vendor CT, but the imaging acquisition matters for case-planning quality. Programs running Mako budget pre-op CT volume into their imaging-fleet planning.

Refurb posture

  • Vendor-led service contracts dominate Mako operating economics; secondary-market activity is limited.
  • Software-license tier (Total Knee, Total Hip, Partial Knee modules) is per-case and per-program.
  • Pre-op CT integration is workflow-coupled, not an imaging-vendor-specific tie.

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