Total knee arthroplasty after a prior knee arthroscopy has higher complication rates: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: This article aimed to study in a systematic manner outcomes and complication rates after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients who have undergone a prior knee arthroscopy for osteoarthritis. Our hypothesis was that a prior knee arthroscopy may be detrimental to the outcomes of knee arthroplasty in the future.

METHODS

Electronic searches were performed for all studies published before June 2020. We included studies in which at least one group had a non-ligament knee arthroscopy surgery prior to primary knee arthroplasty. MINORS (Methodological index for non-randomized studies) criteria was used to assess the methodological quality of all the studies.

RESULTS

Seven retrospective studies were included in the systematic review. The total number of TKA without prior arthroscopies was 138,630, and the total TKA after a prior arthroscopy was 4372. Of the five studies that reported functional outcomes, three studies reported no difference, whereas two studies reported worse outcomes in patients with a prior knee arthroscopy. Higher rates of prosthetic joint infection and overall complications were seen in patients with a prior knee arthroscopy.

CONCLUSION

Total knee arthroplasty, when preceded by knee arthroscopy for osteoarthritis may lead to an increase in complication rates like prosthetic joint infections, revision, and re-operations. However, no significant differences were observed in patient-reported functional outcomes and range of joint motion. An association with postoperative complications after subsequent TKA should be a deterrent in advocating this procedure in an arthritic knee.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.