06/02/2025
🌟Surgeon Spotlight with Dr. Jess Lonner! 🌟
1) What is the ROSA?
ROSA is an acronym for Robotic Surgical Assistant, a particular robot that I currently use. It is a collaborative robot, meaning it works with the surgeon to optimize the planning of surgery and helps the surgeon to accurately prepare the bone for the total knee implants and balance the soft tissues of the knee. When they hear the term “robot”, some patients fear that the robot will do the whole case for the surgeon. That would be an “autonomous” robot. This is not that!
2) How long have you been using the ROSA?
I have been using the ROSA robot since 2021. Prior to that I had used two other robots, starting in 2008, when I was the first surgeon in the greater Philadelphia region, and one of the first worldwide, to use a robot for knee replacement surgery.
3) What are the benefits of using the ROSA?
Our studies, and others, have shown that with robotic assistance we are more accurate at preparing the bone surfaces for positioning the knee replacement components. Most importantly, we can use the robotic system to personalize the orientation of the component parts and soft tissue balance for each individual patient. Perhaps because of that, we are seeing that in the patients in whom I use the robot, at 6 weeks to 3 months after surgery, they are a little bit further along in their recovery than the patients in whom I use conventional instruments. After that initial recovery period, my conventional patients catch up.
4) How long have you been operating/with Rothman Orthopaedics?
I have been with Rothman Orthopaedics since 2011. Before that I was in practice at Penn and Pennsylvania Hospital, where I served as Director of Knee Replacement Surgery.
5) How did you pick to specialize in knees?
I went into Orthopaedics with a plan of becoming a hand surgeon. However, early on in Residency I had an opportunity to train with a very talented knee surgeon and that changed my trajectory. I was immediately intrigued by the problems knee surgeons see, the types of treatments for those conditions and the prospects for innovation in the field of knee replacement surgery. Having been on a number of design teams for a variety of knee replacements and robotic systems over the years, I can say that the extent of innovation continues to impress me and there is no end in sight.
