Outcome following knee arthroplasty beyond 15 years

Abstract

There is a paucity of information detailing functional outcome following total knee arthroplasty for this length of follow-up. We collected data from 187 knees in 150 surviving patients, beyond 15 years from implantation. Survival of the implant was confirmed and a patient administered questionnaire including WOMAC, SF-36 and patient satisfaction was used, data was scrutinised for differences between primary and revision knee surgery. Seventy knees were revised at a mean of 10.8 years. The mean WOMAC Pain score was 72 indicating predominantly mild pain. The mean WOMAC Function scores were lower at 55 indicating moderate limitation of most activities. No significant differences were found between revised and un-revised patients. Long-term pain and satisfaction scores in this population were good illustrating the benefits of TKA in the long term even in patients who have undergone revision surgery.