This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
TKR facilitates patient function through 20-year follow-up
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
SAN DIEGO — Several patients who underwent a total knee replacement with a cruciate-retaining prosthesis more than 20 years ago exhibited signs of high functionality, such as unlimited walking ability, according to research presented here.
 John B. Meding |
Despite advances leading to increased implant longevity, some have questioned whether physical function is maintained with longer-lasting total knee replacement (TKR) prostheses and the quality of that function.
“This research refutes any perception that the importance of a well-functioning TKR diminishes over time because of an overall declining functional status,” first author of the study, John B. Meding, MD, stated in an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons press release “Elderly people are using their surgically replaced knees for fairly active lifestyles many years after surgery.”
The investigators presented their findings at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Meding and his colleagues evaluated the functionality of 128 patients (171 knees) who underwent TKR at the investigators’ institution 20 years ago. The patients had an average age of 63.8 years at the time of the procedure.
The average follow-up was 21.1 years. The patients received different models of cruciate-retaining TKR implants, Meding said during his presentation. Most were for the indication of osteoarthritis.
Meding explained that patients had an average knee flexion of 110·, 92% had function that was classified as Charnley class A and, based on their Knee Society scores, three patients were considered housebound at their latest follow-up.
“These findings definitely add to the conversation with patients considering surgery. If a patient actually lives that long, a well-functioning TKR may help allow them to maintain a remarkable functional capacity and activity level, not just for 5 or 10 years, but for 20 years and beyond,” Meding stated in the release.
References:
- Meding JB, et al. Patient activity twenty years or more after TKR. Paper #413. Presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Feb. 15-19, 2011. San Diego.
- www.aaos.org
Disclosure: Meding has received royalties from Biomet.
Follow ORTHOSuperSite.com
on Twitter