Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is known to lead
to a reduction in periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD). In theory,
this may lead to migration, instability and aseptic loosening of
the prosthetic components. Bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption
and may reduce this loss in BMD. We hypothesised that treatment
with bisphosphonates and calcium would lead to improved BMD and
clinical outcomes compared with treatment with calcium supplementation
alone following TKA. A total of 26 patients, (nine male and 17 female,
mean age 67 years) were prospectively randomised into two study
groups: