Press-fit-condylar total knee replacement: experience in 465 Thai patients.

A retrospective study of clinical results after primary total knee replacement using Press-Fit-Condylar (PFC) total knee arthroplasty was performed on 506 knees in 465 patients. There were 409 females and 56 males. Mean age at the time of surgery was 70 years (range; 31 to 86). The average follow-up time was 31 months (range; 6 to 67). The clinical results were graded according to the author's criteria which were based on functional requirements of the knee for the life-style of Thai people. There were 115 excellent (painless stable knee with over 110 degrees of knee motion), 335 good (mild and occasional pain, medio-lateral instability less than 5 degrees and knee motion over 90 degrees), 46 fair (less severe persistent pain than pre-operative status, instability within 10 degrees and knee motion 60 degrees or more), 10 poor (pain not improved post-operatively, instability of over 10 degrees with range of motion under 60 degrees). Complications occurred in eight cases including: 3 infection, 3 patellar subluxation, one intra-operative popliteal artery injury and peri-prosthetic supracondylar fracture. No flexion contracture and loosening of the prostheses occurred in this study group. From this study, it was found that the PFC total knee replacement could provide satisfactory results of both short and intermediate clinical outcomes in terms of pain relief, stability and knee range of motion for Thai patients.

Posterolateral lumbar fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis: experiences of a modified technique without instrumentation.

From 1985 to 1994, 66 patients who had symptomatic degenerative spondylolisthesis of lumbar and lumbosacral levels managed by modified technique for decompressive laminectomy and postero-lateral spinal fusion. There were six males and sixty females with a mean age of 58.5 years (range, 47-73). Fifty- five patients had spondylolisthesis at L4-L5 level (51 were grade I and 4 were grade II), nine patients had spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 level (7 were grade I, 2 were grade II). There were two patients who had spondylolisthesis of both levels. Mean follow-up time was 48 months (range, 12-120 months). There were excellent and good results in 57 cases (86.4%), fair in 6 cases (9.1%). Three cases (5%) had poor results; 2 cases developed non-union, one case had L4 and L5 roots injury during operation. The overall fusion rate was 96 per cent. Solid spinal fusion occurred within 6 months. No further slip occurred in any cases in this study.