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Review
. 2018 Apr 18;9(4):60-64.
doi: 10.5312/wjo.v9.i4.60.

Why total knees fail-A modern perspective review

Zachary C Lum  1 , Alvin K Shieh  2 , Lawrence D Dorr  3
Affiliations
Review

Why total knees fail-A modern perspective review

Zachary C Lum et al. World J Orthop. .

Abstract

Historically, the most common mechanism of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) failures included aseptic loosening, instability and malalignment. As polyethylene production improved, modes of failure from polyethylene wear and subsequent osteolysis became less prevalent. Newer longitudinal studies report that infection has become the primary acute cause of failure with loosening and instability remaining as the overall greatest reasons for revision. Clinical database and worldwide national registries confirm these reports. With an increasing amount of TKA operations performed in the United States, and with focus on value-based healthcare, it is imperative to understand why total knees fail.

Keywords: Aseptic loosening total knee; Periprosthetic joint infection; Revision total knee arthroplasty; Total knee arthroplasty failure mechanism; Total knee arthroplasty failure mode; Total knee arthroplasty instability.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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