Clinical comparison of the Miller Galante I and AMK total knee systems

One hundred patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee were prospectively randomized to assess the clinical outcome between two contemporary knee designs, namely the Anatomic Modular Knee (AMK, DePuy, Warsaw, IN) and the Miller Galante I (MG I, Zimmer, Warsaw, IN). In addition, patients were stratified by surgeon. While the clinical outcome measured by the Hospital for Special Surgery knee scores was similar for both groups, there was a difference in the number of complications requiring further surgery. Extensor mechanism complications requiring further surgery occurred in four patients (3 MG I and 1 AMK); three patients in the MG I group required a distal realignment procedure for patellar dislocation, while none of the AMK patients had this complication. There was, however, one patellar fracture in the AMK group that required an open reduction. The authors postulate that the major difference contributing to patellofemoral complications relates to the patellofemoral design and patellar tracking, with the more anatomic AMK femoral component having better patellar tracking and stability clinically.