Failed cementless total knee arthroplasty presenting as osteolysis of the fibular head

Large osteolytic lesions can occur adjacent to cementless total knee arthroplasty components. This occurrence frequently is related to suboptimal design features leading to the generation of metal or polyethylene wear debris. Occasionally, such lesions can mimic a bone tumor. A case of a lytic lesion of the fibular head adjacent to a failed cementless knee arthroplasty is described along with a description of the damaged retrieved component that led to the failure.