Effects of fat pad excision on length of the patellar tendon after total knee replacement

We report our results of the effect that total fat pad excision has on patellar tendon length following total knee replacement.

We retrospectively reviewed radiographs of the knees of 133 patients who had Depuy LCS uncemented TKR between January 2009 to December 2009. We excluded patients who had patella resurfacing, lateral release, knee replacement for other than osteoarthritis and who had other implants used. We measured the length of the patellar tendon using the Insall-Salvati ratio.(.) Changes in the length of the tendon were calculated both as an absolute evaluation and as a percentage of the original length.

We effect of fat pad excision on patellar tendon length at 1 year and 5 years following surgery. At one year we observed no change in patellar tendon length in 81.1%, patella infera in 17.3% and patella alta in 1.6% of these 133 patients. We manage to follow up 50 of these patients at 5 years following surgery. In comparison to pre-operative length, at one year 86% showed no change, 14% had patella infera and none had patella alta. At 5 years we observed no change in 98% and patella infera in 2% of patients. Forty nine percent of our patients with patella infera developed anterior knee pain, mean flexion in those patients was 95.625° and mean oxford score was 52.31.

In our patients following single implant design used patella infera developed in up to 18% at one year following surgery. Two percent of fifty patients who had five years follow up showed further shortening of patellar tendon after one year. We conclude that complete fat pad excision during total knee replacement does affect patellar tendon length. Level of evidence IV.