Improved Knee Function with Customized vs. Off-the-Shelf TKA Implants-Results of a Single-Surgeon, Single-Center,...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomedical engineering
• Rehabilitation medicine

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on the benefits of Customized, Individually Made (CIM) total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) compared to Off-the-Shelf (OTS) implants.
• This study addresses the need for comparative data on functional outcomes and patient-reported measures between CIM and OTS TKA systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare functional outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between CIM and OTS TKAs.
• To evaluate differences in daily living activities and pain perception using standardized functional tests and PROMs.
• To assess the efficacy of CIM versus OTS TKA in a single-surgeon setting.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 48 patients (16 CIM, 32 OTS) underwent blinded functional assessments.
• Timed functional tests (TUG, WALK, TUDS, BBS) and VAS for pain were administered.
• The Aggregated Locomotor Function (ALF) score was calculated from functional test times.

Main Results:

• The CIM group demonstrated significantly faster performance across all functional tests and superior ALF scores.
• Patients receiving CIM TKAs reported significantly less pain during specific load-bearing activities.
• PROMs indicated a higher proportion of excellent/good ratings for objective and function (KSS) in the CIM group.

Conclusions:

• CIM prostheses facilitate significantly faster completion of time-limited activities of daily living (ADLs).
• A greater percentage of patients with CIM TKAs reported pain-free status during certain activities.
• While some PROM aspects favored CIM, overall superiority across most collected PROM scores was not statistically demonstrated.