Background

Clinical and anatomical complications from total knee replacement (TKR) procedures are debilitating, and include weakness, damage, and the loss of native anatomy. As the annual number of primary TKR surgeries in the United States has continued to rise, to a projected 3.48 million in 2030, there has been a concomitant rise in revision surgery. Damage to or loss of native knee anatomy as a result of TKR revision can leave the patient with irreversible knee dysfunction, which is a contra-indication for most TKR systems on the market. This leaves the multi-revision patient with limited medical options. Complete fusion of the joint, known as arthrodesis, is indicated in some cases. Arthrodesis is also commonly indicated for traumatic injury, bone loss, quadriceps extensor mechanism damage, and osteosarcoma. While this treatment may resolve pain and allow a patient to walk, the inability to flex the knee results in considerable functional complications. Patients with arthrodesis are unable to drive, sit in close-quarter spaces, or engage in a significant number of activities of daily living.