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Volume 4 Issue 2 (March - April, 2016)

Original Articles

FOLLOW UP OF 15 YEARS OF THE PATIENTS WITH TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT- A CASE CONTROL STUDY
Suresh Rudani

Introduction: Following total knee replacement (TKR) some patients continue to have pain or develop a new pain which may be accompanied by other symptoms such as instability, stiffness or swelling. There is often significant delay in establishing the cause of persistent pain after TKR. There appears to be no studies comparing the progress of young patients following TKR for osteoarthritis of the knee compared to a control group of matched older patients. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome from total knee replacement (TKR) in young versus old patients in terms of pain and function. Material & Methods: All patients undergoing TKR in our institution since 2005, have been followed up at regular intervals. From the database patients undergoing TKR who were under the age of 55 years at the primary procedure, regardless of diagnosis were selected. The patients had not reached at least 15 years follow-up were excluded.. Once these had been selected, a second control group was selected from the same data- base of patients, selecting patients who were over the age of 55yrs at the time of primary procedure, again regard- less of diagnosis. The groups were matched for ASA, body mass index and underlying diagnosis. Results & Conclusions: The greatest difference is seen in the function scores with the young group scoring 75.9 at 15 years and the older group scoring 50.5 (p < 0.05). It would appear that the younger patients achieve and maintain a higher function after TKA. A decline is seen between 10 and fifteen years that is reflected in the older group also. Both groups are seen to decline at 15 years post arthroplasty but the reasons for this are not clear.
Keywords: TKA, Functional Outcome, Follow up period.

 
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