Total Knee Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis Secondary to Fracture of the Tibial Plateau. A Prospective Matched Cohort Study

Abstract

A prospective matched cohort study was performed to compare outcomes of total knee arthroplasties (TKA) between 29 patients with posttraumatic osteoarthritis (POA) after a fracture of tibial plateau and 58 patients underwent routine TKA. Mean follow-up was 6.7 years. There were no significant differences in KSS, WOMAC, SF12 scores or range of motion. In the control group there were no complications. In the posttraumatic group, complications occurred in 4 patients (13.7%) (P=0.010) including partial patellar tendon detachment, superficial infection, skin necrosis, and knee stiffness. Only this last patient required revision for manipulation under anesthesia. Also, there was a revision for tibial aseptic loosening in each group. TKA is an effective treatment for POA after tibial plateau fracture. We recommend the prior removal of hardware, as well as tibial tubercle osteotomy when necessary.

Keywords: posttraumatic osteoarthritis; tibial plateau fracture; total knee arthroplasty.