Knee awareness and functionality after simultaneous bilateral vs unilateral total knee arthroplasty

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Osteoarthritis significantly impacts joint function and quality of life.
• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common surgical intervention for end-stage knee osteoarthritis.
• Patient-reported outcomes are crucial for evaluating TKA efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare knee awareness and functional outcomes between simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SBTKA) and unilateral total knee arthroplasty (UTKA).
• To assess the impact of surgical approach on patient satisfaction and joint perception post-TKA.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective database search identified 210 UTKA and 65 SBTKA patients (2010-2012).
• Patients were matched for age, gender, surgery year, osteoarthritis severity, and knee alignment.
• Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) questionnaires were administered postoperatively.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found in Oxford Knee Score (OKS) between SBTKA and UTKA groups (mean difference 1.5, P=0.228).
• Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) also showed no significant difference between the two surgical approaches (mean difference 2.3, P=0.593).
• Mean OKS: SBTKA 37.6, UTKA 36.1. Mean FJS: SBTKA 59.9, UTKA 57.5.

Conclusions:

• SBTKA and UTKA demonstrate similar patient-reported joint functionality and knee awareness.
• The findings support the consideration of SBTKA for carefully selected patients with debilitating bilateral knee osteoarthritis.
• Both surgical techniques provide comparable outcomes in terms of patient perception of their knee joint.