Abstract
Minimally invasive arthroplasty surgery has the potential advantage of accelerating recovery. The short-term advantages should not compromise the excellent long-term results that can be obtained with total knee replacement surgery via traditional surgical technique.
A study was performed to ascertain that MIS TKR was safe, especially in one’s early experience. The first 50 MIS surgeries performed by the author via a subv-astus surgical approach through a shorter incision were compared to a matched set of total knees performed with a standard rectus femoris splitting approach with a standard skin incision. No changes were made in anesthesia or rehabilitation protocols to determine the difference as result of the change in surgical technique only. The femoral and tibial bone cuts were performed in a conventional fashion from the front with specially designed smaller instruments. The average skin incision was 12cm in the MIS group and 21cm in the non-MIS group.The average tourniquet time wa 9 minutes longer in the MIS group, but the total surgery time was the same due to a shorter time for wound closure. Range of motion was the same. Pain levels were slightly less for the MIS group for the first 3 days. Rehabilitation was faster for the MIS group in terms of distance walking and advancement to a cane. There were no wound complications, infections or component malposition problems in either group.
MIS total knee replacement appears to be no worse than conventional total knee replacement through a muscle splitting wide skin exposure. The potential short-term advantage of faster rehabilitation and slightly less pain makes it an attactive technique for many total knee patients.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Roger Lemaire. Correspondence should be addressed to EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
