Computer navigation results in less severe flexion contracture following total knee arthroplasty

We compared postoperative flexion contracture in navigated total knee arthroplasty (TKA) versus conventional TKA. Two groups (Group 1: conventional, Group 2: navigated) of 235 consecutive patients matched for age and gender were retrospectively compared. Range of motion, mechanical axes, Knee Society Scores, Oxford Knee Scores and Short Form-36® (SF-36) scores were collected prospectively and compared preoperatively and at 2years following TKA. At 2years, patients who underwent navigated TKA averaged significantly lesser flexion contracture of 1 degree compared to 6 degrees in patients who underwent conventional TKA. There were a significantly larger proportion of outliers in the conventional group. Computer navigation results in less severe flexion contracture and less frequent flexion contracture of more than 5 degrees as compared to conventional techniques.