[Radiological aspects of knee prostheses (author's transl)]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Radiology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Radiological assessment is crucial for evaluating knee prosthesis success.
• Specific criteria guide the interpretation of knee prosthesis imaging.
• Understanding potential complications like fractures and calcifications is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the key radiological criteria for evaluating knee prostheses.
• To compare periarticular calcifications in knee versus hip prostheses.
• To highlight potential complications associated with knee prostheses.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of radiological findings in 47 knee prostheses.
• Evaluation of component implantation, axial alignment, bone density, radiolucent zones, and femoropatellar arthrosis.
• Comparison of soft tissue calcifications with existing data from hip prostheses.

Main Results:

• Key evaluation features include component fit, axial correction, bone density, radiolucent zone width, and arthrosis severity.
• Knee prostheses exhibited fewer periarticular soft tissue calcifications compared to hip prostheses.
• Fractures of prosthetic components (palacos) were identified as a notable complication.

Conclusions:

• Specific radiological criteria are essential for accurate knee prosthesis evaluation.
• Knee prostheses may have a lower incidence of periarticular calcifications than hip prostheses.
• Component fracture is a significant concern in knee prostheses, potentially leading to intra-articular loose bodies.