ABSTRACT
The use of trabecular metal in the tibial surface may increase prosthetic survival in the population with severe or morbid obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2). A prospective, descriptive study was conducted of patients with a BMI > 35 kg/m2 who underwent total knee replacement with a prosthesis with trabecular metal. Minimal follow-up was two years. The statistical analysis was done with Student's t test; the Knee Society Score and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index were applied preoperatively and postoperatively. The chi2 test was applied to the BMI values relating them with more or less radiolucent images. The total number of patients was 39, but three were excluded for not having the radiographic follow-up. Mean follow-up was 34 months (25-43); 35 were females, mean age was 69.4 years (57-81), mean BMI was 39.43 kg/m2 (35-55). All patients had grades 3 and 4 tricompartmental arthrosis. The KSS (R and F) and WOMAC scales, with a 95% confidence interval, showed a statistically significant improvement in the assessment of preoperative results and at the end of the followup. Only a few studies measure long-term implant survival. Most authors define survival as the absence of the need to revise prosthetic implants. The end point of survival is the removal or exchange of prosthetic components. Trabecular metal (TM) is currently used in orthopedic surgery and its clinical applications are increasing more and more with good results.
