SHORT-TERM EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROSTHESES IN PRIMARY KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

The actual data about prevalence of knee osteoarthritis, the concurrent increasing of mean age and therefore the high social costs for the care of this pathology, make particularly important to do the correct choice in knee artroprosthesis. In this work we mean compare three different type of knee prostheses implanted in our institute. We have evaluated 120 patients (98 females, 22 males) treated with TKR in I° Orthopaedic Division of Istituto Ortopedico “Gaetano Pini” – Milano. All patients were affected by primary knee osteoarthritis of high degree and 3 groups were made due to the type of prosthesis implanted.

Our evaluation protocol includes: 1. Local objective examination and evaluation of Range of Motion (R.O.M.); 2. Subjective functional questionnaire (Lequesne Index modified for knee osteoarthritis); 3. Stabilometric evaluation for Proprioceptive knee structures (KAT-2000 Breg Inc. USA); 4. Standard X-Ray, both in AP and lateral planes, with patient in standing position.

The X-Ray controls showed no early mobilisations or malfitting of all implants. In consideration of the short follow-up period we have to do a continuous monitoring for at least 5 years to express a definitive evaluation of implant stability; significatively better results regarding the post-op R.O.M. and subjective results with Lequesne Index have been obtained with the use of mobile plate prosthesis.

The first results have pointed out better results in the use of a fully mobile plate prosthesis, compared with the other results using rotating and fixed plate prostheses.

In our opinion this is obtained through the research of a better reproduction of human anatomy and trying to respect the common kinematics of knee, which has to be the future objective in design and technical development of knee arthroplasty.