Optimising position and stability in total knee arthroplasty

[摘要] Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is, in essence, a resurfacing procedure, and should thus respect ligament tension in order to function properly. Failure mechanisms and indications for revision of TKA have shifted over time. In the 1980s and 1990s, catastrophic polyethylene wear and osteolysis challenged the longevity of the procedure. Improvement of polyethylene quality and sterilisation processes, in combination with better technical solutions for reducing backside wear and micromotion in modular implants, have greatly reduced this problem. Today infection, instability, malalignment, stiffness and dissatisfaction with the outcome of the procedure are the main drivers for early revision.1 In particular, this is a more serious problem for young patients, for whom an early revision is not only a major setback in the short term, but a serious threat to the long-term function of the limb.2 Instability and stiffness are directly related to the position, size and geometry of the components, and with tension in the ligaments throughout the motion arc.

[学科分类] 神经科学

[关键词] stability;total knee arthroplasty;alignment