Noncemented tibial components: does a stem help?

A prospective, nonrandomized study was conducted in an attempt to determine if the addition of a stem to the tibial component in noncemented total knee replacement reduces the incidence of sinkage. A stemmed tibial component was used in 125 cases and an identical artificial knee without a stem was used in 307 cases. Follow-up was two to six years. Sinkage occurred in 0.8% of the cases with stemmed tibial components and in 3.5% of the nonstemmed tibial components, among which two (0.8%) required revision. The clinical results for both groups were similar. A small group of 34 patients who had a stemmed tibial component on one side and a nonstemmed component on the other also were examined. Fifty percent of these patients preferred the stemmed component knee. The results of these studies suggest that the addition of a stem to the tibial component in noncemented total knee replacement is of value in preventing tibial sinkage.