Soft-Tissue Expansion beforeTotal Knee Arthroplasty:A Report of Two Cases.

INTRODUCTION: Wound complications are a feared complication following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Furthermore, it is important to avoid underestimation in the pre-operative planning as it may lead to catastrophic TKA failure. Soft-tissue expansion (STE) has been indicated when insufficient or inadequate soft-tissue coverage is present before TKA as an alternative to optimize soft-tissue management. CASE REPORT: We report two cases in which we performed, previous to TKA, a prophylactic skin expansion around the knee. CONCLUSION: STE technique to expand the available tissue for closure and healing after TKA is a valuable tool in the treatment arsenal, which can be implemented by orthopedic surgeons.