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Total knee arthroplasty: Limb length discrepancy and functional outcome.
Shrinand V Vaidya1, Mihir R Patel, Atul N Panghate
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sundardas Medical College, Mumbai, India.
Indian Journal of Orthopaedics
|August 11, 2010
Summary
Limb length discrepancy negatively impacts function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), particularly in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis undergoing unilateral TKA. Bilateral TKA showed no significant correlation between limb length discrepancy and functional outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Limb length discrepancy (LLD) is well-studied in hip arthroplasty, but its impact post-total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is less understood.
- Few studies have investigated the functional consequences of LLD following TKA, especially in patients with pre-existing knee osteoarthritis and varus deformity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if LLD after TKA affects functional outcomes in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis and varus deformity.
- To compare the functional outcomes between unilateral and bilateral TKA in relation to LLD.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 54 patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis and varus deformity who underwent TKA between 1996 and 2008.
- Patients were divided into unilateral (n=30) and bilateral (n=30) TKA groups.
- LLD was measured and statistically correlated with the functional component of the Knee Society Score.
Main Results:
- In the unilateral TKA group, mean LLD was 1.53 cm, with a significant negative correlation between LLD and functional score (r=-0.52, P=0.006).
- In the bilateral TKA group, mean LLD was 0.5 cm, with no significant correlation between LLD and functional score (r=-0.141, P=0.458).
- Functional scores were 73 in the unilateral group and 80.67 in the bilateral group.
Conclusions:
- LLD significantly affects functional outcomes after TKA, particularly in patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis and varus deformity undergoing unilateral surgery.
- Bilateral TKA appears to mitigate the negative functional impact of LLD compared to unilateral TKA in this patient population.