Why are total knee arthroplasties being revised?

J Arthroplasty. 2013 Sep;28(8 Suppl):120-1. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2013.04.051. Epub 2013 Jul 23.

Abstract

Despite technical improvements, revision rates for total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) remain high. Our goal was to report the reason(s) for revision TKA in a large, current, multicenter series and compare those reasons with previously published reasons. We retrospectively identified 820 consecutive revision TKAs (693 patients, 2000-2012) from our 3 centers and recorded the primary reason for the revision. The top seven reasons for the revision were aseptic loosening (23.1%), infection (18.4%), polyethylene wear (18.1%), instability (17.7%), pain/stiffness (9.3%), osteolysis (4.5%), and malposition/malalignment (2.9%). Comparison with previously published reasons showed fewer TKA revisions for polyethylene wear, osteolysis, instability, and malalignment. These changes may represent improvements in surgical technique and implants.

Keywords: current; diagnosis; knee arthroplasty; outcome;; revision total knee arthroplasty.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / trends*
  • Bone Malalignment / complications
  • Bone Malalignment / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Joint Instability / complications
  • Joint Instability / epidemiology
  • Knee Joint / surgery*
  • Knee Prosthesis*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteolysis / complications
  • Osteolysis / epidemiology
  • Prosthesis Failure / adverse effects
  • Prosthesis Failure / etiology*
  • Prosthesis Failure / trends*
  • Prosthesis-Related Infections / complications
  • Prosthesis-Related Infections / epidemiology
  • Reoperation / trends
  • Retrospective Studies