Does Partial Knee Replacement Allow Return to High-Demand Activities?

Purpose  The purpose of this study was to assess postoperative partial knee replacement (PKR) functional improvement using the postoperative Oxford Knee Score for Activity and Participation Questionnaire (OKS-APQ). PKR includes medial, lateral, and patellofemoral knee arthroplasty. Methods A search of a National Health Service hospital database was made to identify eligible candidates for a survey of Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (PROM). Database records were collected for patients who had medial, lateral, and patellofemoral knee arthroplasty. The first author, an orthopaedic surgery resident, retrospectively reviewed the data and selected 318 patient records for inclusion in a questionnaire survey. The inclusion criteria were: patients who had PKR within three years from the time of the study and patients who don't have medical problems that may affect their mobility; for example, balance problems. The survey used the postoperative Oxford Knee Score for Activity and Participation Questionnaire (OKS-APQ), Tegner Activity Score (TAS), and four questions were added to the present study, namely, three free-text questions and one visual analogue score (VAS). The survey was sent by post seeking the patients' responses. Results  Two-hundred five responded to the survey out of 318; a 64% response rate. The ceiling and floor effects were determined from patients' answers. Survey questions included: What is the most demanding activity you routinely do every month on your new knee? The patients' answers were divided into four groups. First, 29% were limited to low functional demand activities, for example, light walking for less than a mile. Second, 43% were involved in domestic work and sports activities, for example, golf, skittles, bowling, squatting, swimming, and gardening. Third, 21% had progressed to higher demand activities, for instance, dancing, racquet sports, cycling, and yoga. Fourth, 7% were performing higher demand activities involving impacts, for example, skiing, heavy gym workout, and marathon running. Conclusion The postoperative questionnaire demonstrated activities ranging from high-impact activities, for example, skiing, and from higher demand activities, for example, dancing to low function activities, for example, light walking.

Patient Reported Kneeling Ability in Fixed and Mobile Bearing Knee Arthroplasty.

Kneeling is an important function of the knee joint required for many daily activities. Bearing type is thought to influence functional outcome following UKA and TKA. Self-reported kneeling ability was recorded in 471 UKA and 206 TKA patients with fixed or mobile bearing implants. Kneeling ability was recorded from the Oxford Knee Score question 7. The self-reported ability to kneel was similar in patients with fixed and mobile bearing UKA implants following surgery. In TKA, greater proportions of patients were able to kneel in the fixed compared to the mobile bearing groups up to two years after surgery indicating that self-reported kneeling ability is enhanced in fixed compared to mobile bearing TKA.

Alteration in skin sensation following knee arthroplasty and its impact on kneeling ability: a comparison of three common surgical incisions.

PURPOSE: Disturbance in skin sensation is a recognised, often unpleasant consequence of knee replacement for many patients and may affect function especially kneeling. The aim of this study was to compare post-operative changes in skin sensation following total (TKA) and unicompartmental knee (UKA) arthroplasties using three different incision types and its effect on kneeling ability. METHODS: Skin sensation was recorded using a purpose-designed grid over the front of the knee in 72 patients (78 knees) following knee arthroplasty. Surface area of sensory change, length of incision, and kneeling ability were recorded and compared between three different types of incision; long antero-medial and midline for TKA, and short medial for UKA. RESULTS: The average length of the long antero-medial incision was 19 ± 5 cm with an average area of sensory alteration of 88 ± 56 cm(2). The average length of the midline incision was 18 ± 3 cm with an average area of sensory alteration of 57 ± 52 cm(2). The short medial incision used for UKA averaged 11 ± 3 cm in length with an average area of sensory alteration of 54 ± 45 cm(2). Long antero-medial produced a significantly greater area of sensory alteration than standard short medial (P = 0.017), but not the midline incision. There was a significant positive correlation of incision length with reduced sensation. Patients unable to kneel demonstrated a significantly larger area of hypersensitivity than patients who could kneel (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Increased length of incision results in a greater surface area of sensory change in the front of the knee. This finding was greatest in the long antero-medial incisions used in TKA. The inability to kneel following knee arthroplasty is associated with increased area of hypersensitivity of the anterior knee. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prospective comparative study, Level II.

Does improved instrumentation result in better component alignment in total knee arthroplasty?

Accurate component alignment and joint line reproduction in total knee replacement (TKR) is crucial for successful clinical outcome. Advances in instrumentation and better understanding of the biomechanics can help to achieve better three dimensional alignments of TKR components and joint line restoration. We compared the accuracy of component alignment and joint line restoration with the use of 2 different TKR instrumentation kits (an older Gobot and a newer Xcelerate). Retrospective study of 150 consecutive patients undergoing primary TKR had their pre and post-operative x-rays reviewed. Seventy-five patients (group A) had their TKR using the older instrumentation kit (Gobot) and 75 (group B) had the newer version (Xcelerate). The positioning of the prosthesis components were assessed using the American Knee society radiographic evaluation method and the joint line position using the Figgie's method. The results from the two groups were statistically compared. There was a significantly greater elevation of the joint line position in TKRs done with the Gobot instrumentation (mean 4.49 mm vs. 2.71 mm in group B, P=0.03), and significant differences in the mean tibial component angle cTCA (group A 88.6°, group B 90.1°, P=0.04) and the mean Q angle (group A 6.28° valgus, group B 8.45° valgus, P=0.04). Use of the newer Xcelerate instrumentation was associated with better restoration of joint line position, however the femoral component flexion and posterior slope of the tibial component ere found to be above the desired level. Hence the overall differences between the two groups were found to be small.

Use of irradiated bone graft for impaction grafting in acetabular revision surgery: a review of fifty consecutive cases.

Impaction bone grafting is a useful technique in the armament of a revision hip surgeon. Traditionally fresh frozen allograft has been used for this technique. However there are concerns about the transmission of viral proteins and prions through this form of allograft. As a result irradiated bone graft has been favoured in some centres. There is no long term series describing the results of impaction bone grafting using irradiated bone. This paper reviews a consecutive series of 50 cases of acetabular revision surgery performed between 1995 and 2001 and followed up over a mean period of 45 months. The preoperative bone defect was graded by the Paprosky classification. There were 2 cases of type 1a, 9 type 2a, 15 type 2b, 7 type 2c, 10 type 3a and 7 type 3b. All cases were followed up clinically and radiologically. Case notes were reviewed for primary prosthesis, operative details and reason for revision. The radiographs were evaluated for signs of bone incorporation, remodelling, loosening and migration of the acetabular component. There were 5 cases of aseptic loosening at the end of the follow up period. One patient had recurrent dislocation and was revised. 20 cases (40%) showed changes suggestive of bone incorporation, while only 3 cases (6%) showed remodelling. Clinically a good or excellent outcome with absence of pain was achieved in 35 patients (70%). The results suggested that acetabular impaction bone grafting using irradiated bone graft is comparable to fresh frozen allograft. The low percentage of remodelling remains a concern and warrants further studies.

Functional outcomes after different types of knee arthroplasty: kneeling ability versus descending stairs.

BACKGROUND: Most patients do not kneel following knee replacement and many are of an age when it is not necessary. However, inability to kneel after knee surgery is a frequent cause of dissatisfaction and it is of paramount importance to patients from the East. There are very few studies of this function after knee replacement and none comparing different types of replacement. MATERIAL/METHODS: This study analyzes the kneeling and stair-descending abilities of patients following unicompartmental replacement (UKR), patellofemoral replacement (PFR), and total knee replacement (TKR). Data were prospectively collected on 253 knees (239 patients) that had undergone various arthroplastic procedures for osteoarthritis of the knee. Al1 patients completed the Oxford Knee Score Questionnaire preoperatively and 1 and 2 years postoperatively; thus grading their kneeling ability into 1 of 5 categories. RESULTS: Only 3% of patients could kneel pre-operatively, while 20% could manage stairs with ease. Post-operatively, 17% of patients could kneel, while 75% could manage stairs with little or no difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients remained unable to kneel after one year in all groups. Those who had undergone UKR appeared to perform better than those with TKR or PFR. None of the forms of arthroplasty used resulted in good kneeling ability, though arthroplasty improved this function. On the other hand, stair-descending ability showed a far better improvement. Further work is needed to clarify why patients are unable to kneel, but many factors are involved.