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Knee Arthroscopy After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Not a Benign Procedure
Luke R Lovro1, Hyunwoo P Kang1, Ioanna K Bolia2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
The Journal of Arthroplasty
|August 8, 2020
Summary
Knee arthroscopy (KA) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) significantly increases the risk of revision surgery for infection and all causes. Further research is needed to understand this association.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic surgery
- Biostatistics
- Medical databases
Background:
- Outcomes of knee arthroscopy (KA) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are not well-established.
- Previous studies on KA after TKA are limited to small case series with short follow-up periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the outcomes of patients undergoing KA after TKA.
- To utilize a large longitudinal database for a comprehensive analysis.
Main Methods:
- The PearlDiver Medicare database was queried for patients who had KA after TKA.
- A control group (TKA without KA) was matched 3:1 based on age, gender, year, and comorbidities.
- Endpoints included revision for infection and all-cause revision.
Main Results:
- 192 patients in the TKA + KA group were compared to 571 in the TKA - KA group.
- Revision for infection occurred in 6.3% of TKA + KA patients vs. 2.2% in TKA - KA patients (OR 2.87, P=.009).
- All-cause revision was 18.8% in TKA + KA vs. 5.1% in TKA - KA (OR 4.34, P<.001).
Conclusions:
- Knee arthroscopy after total knee arthroplasty is linked to higher rates of infection-related and all-cause revision.
- The relationship between KA and subsequent infection warrants additional investigation.
