Abstract
Aims: To assess the medium term results of uncemented meniscal bearing total knee replacement.
Methods: Fifty one knees in 40 patients with posterior cruciate ligament retaining meniscal bearing total knee replacement were reviewed 5 to 12 years after the arthroplasty. Forty nine knees had uncemented metal backed rotating patella. They were followed up annually with subjective questionnaires and radiological assessment.
Results: Forty eight out of the 51 knees were available at the time of final review. Three knees were lost due to the death of patients. They were reviewed after an average follow-up of 8 years 7 months. There was no loss to follow-up. There were three revisions due to excessive wear of the meniscal bearing. Defective polyethylene bearing was the reason for failure in one knee. The mal-rotation resulting from the posterior cruciate ligament deficiency could have been reason for the increased wear of the meniscal bearing and early failure in the other two knees. The ten-year survival rate was 93.08% (95% CI - 81.74-98.22). The objective assessment of the knee replacement was done with The Knee Society scoring system. The average knee score was 87.64 and the average functional score was 74.4.
Conclusion: The long-term survival of PCL sparing meniscal bearing knee replacement seems to be affected by increased polyethylene wear.
The abstracts were prepared by Mr Roger Smith. Correspondence should be addressed to him care of the British Orthopaedic Association, Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN.
