Mid-term clinical results of alumina medial pivot total knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: The medial pivot total knee prosthesis has been designed to reproduce physiological knee kinematics. It has been reported that alumina ceramic femoral components reduce polyethylene wear. Thus, medial pivot total knee prostheses with alumina ceramic femoral components were introduced. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results of patients who underwent newly introduced alumina medial pivot total knee arthroplasties (TKA).

METHODS

We evaluated the clinical results of 107 alumina medial pivot TKAs in 80 consecutive patients with a mean follow-up period of 5 years.

RESULTS

Alumina medial pivot TKAs provided significant improvements in the patients' Knee Society knee scores, function scores and post-operative ranges of motion compared with their pre-operative statuses (each, P < 0.05). There was no statistical correlation between the change in maximum knee flexion and the increase in posterior condylar offset. Revision surgery was required in one knee due to a post-operative fracture of the tibial plateau after a fall that occurred 2 years postoperatively. No knees had aseptic loosening, osteolysis, or ceramic fractures. The survival rate was 98.6% at 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates satisfactory mid-term clinical results for patients receiving the alumina medial pivot prosthesis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, Level IV.