Abstract
Introduction: The majority of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee suffer from femorotibial pain with a smaller proportion suffering predominantly patellofemoral symptoms. No clear consensus exists as to the need for patellar resurfacing when performing total knee replacement for patients with symptomatic femorotibial osteoarthritis but without prominent patellofemoral symptomatic and radiographic disease.
Aims: To identify the advantages and disadvantages of both resurfacing and non-resurfacing of the patella during cemented total knee replacement performed for osteoarthritis predominantly of the femorotibial joint. To objectively clarify the rationale for the use of either procedure in clinical practice.
Methods: Prospective randomised double blinded clinical trial. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and principally femorotibial symptoms were included. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, gross deformity of the knee and gross radiological or clinical patellofemoral arthritis were excluded. The implant used was a cemented posterior stabilised AMK (DePuy, Leeds UK) prosthesis. Preoperative American Knee Society Score, SF-36 questionnaire and WOMAC scores were calculated for each patient. These instruments were repeated and combined with clinical and radiological follow up at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.
Results: 58 patients were recruited into the study, 53 of whom completed follow up and were in included in the analysis. Baseline characteristics were similar in each group. Operating room time was less in the non-resurfaced group (p< 0.05). At 2 years, 3 patients in the non resurfaced group had undergone a revision procedure. There was no difference between the resurfaced and non-resurfaced groups in terms of global functional outcome as measured by SF36 and WOMAC scores at 1 and 2 years post-operatively. The American Knee Society score showed no difference between the two groups (p=0.86) at 1 year post surgery.
Conclusion: There is no significant difference in clinical outcome at 1 and 2 years following surgery vis-à-vis those who did and did not have patellar resurfacing performed during knee replacement for predominantly femorotibial symptomatic osteoarthritis. There was a higher revision rate in the non-resurfaced group. In TKR using a PS AMK prosthesis routine resurfacing of the patella should be performed.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Roger Lemaire. Correspondence should be addressed to EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
