Short-Term (6 Months or Less) Pain in Cemented versus Cementless Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and...

Cementless total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has increased in popularity to potentially improve survivorship. Radiostereometric studies demonstrate increased component migration during the first 3 to 6 months in cementless constructs, generating concern for increased postoperative pain during early osseointegration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate short-term (≤ 6 months) pain and function in cemented versus cementless TKA. We hypothesized that cementless TKA patients report increased pain during the short-term (≤ 6 months) postoperative period.

The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Libraries were searched for studies evaluating short-term (≤ 6 months) outcomes of cemented versus cementless primary TKA. Studies involving hybrid fixation were excluded. A meta-analysis was performed using standardized mean difference for primary outcomes (early postoperative pain) and weighted mean difference (WMD) for secondary outcomes (early postoperative function).

There were eleven studies included. There was no significant difference in acute postoperative pain between cemented and cementless TKA within 6 months of index TKA (standardized mean difference 0.08 in favor of cemented TKA; P = .10). Early postoperative forgotten joint scores (WMD 0.81; P = .81) and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome scores for joint replacement (WMD 0.80 in favor of cemented TKA; P = .14) were also similar between groups.

There is no difference in short-term (≤ 6 months) pain or early function between patients receiving cemented and cementless TKA. This suggests that surgeons may utilize cementless TKA without fear of increased pain due to micromotion within 6 months of index arthroplasty. However, additional studies with uniform assessment methods are needed to further inform differences in short-term pain and early functional outcomes between cemented and cementless TKA.