Intramedullary fixation for arthrodesis of the knee after infected total knee arthroplasty. 1989

A H Wilde, and K L Stearns
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44106.

Knee arthrodesis with curved intramedullary rods was performed in 12 patients after infected total knee arthroplasty. The underlying pathologic condition was osteoarthritis in nine patients and rheumatoid arthritis in three patients. Nine patients with a postoperative follow-up time of greater than two years (average, 34 months; median, 29 months; longest, 55 months) were evaluated for functional results. Six patients obtained a satisfactory knee fusion in an average of 6.6 months (range, three to 11 months; median, five months). Those patients without massive bone loss preoperatively attained a fusion rate of 66.6%. Two thirds of the patients with massive bone loss attained fusion. Indications for surgery in addition to infection included massive bone loss, mixed infection with multiple organisms, infrapatellar tendon rupture, ligamentous instability, and severe valgus deformity with tibial fracture nonunion. Failure occurred in three cases. One was associated with rod breakage; another was due to massive bone resorption; and the third was in a diabetic female with infrapatellar tendon rupture. All patients with successful arthrodesis reported an absence of pain and the ability to ambulate with, at most, a walker. The use of curved intramedullary rods is a convenient technique for obtaining successful arthrodesis after infected total knee arthroplasty.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007720 Knee Prosthesis Replacement for a knee joint. Knee Prostheses,Prostheses, Knee,Prosthesis, Knee
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009984 Orthopedic Fixation Devices Devices which are used in the treatment of orthopedic injuries and diseases. Device, Orthopedic Fixation,Devices, Orthopedic Fixation,Fixation Device, Orthopedic,Fixation Devices, Orthopedic,Orthopedic Fixation Device
D010003 Osteoarthritis A progressive, degenerative joint disease, the most common form of arthritis, especially in older persons. The disease is thought to result not from the aging process but from biochemical changes and biomechanical stresses affecting articular cartilage. In the foreign literature it is often called osteoarthrosis deformans. Arthritis, Degenerative,Osteoarthrosis,Osteoarthrosis Deformans,Arthroses,Arthrosis,Arthritides, Degenerative,Degenerative Arthritides,Degenerative Arthritis,Osteoarthritides,Osteoarthroses
D005260 Female Females
D005500 Follow-Up Studies Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease. Followup Studies,Follow Up Studies,Follow-Up Study,Followup Study,Studies, Follow-Up,Studies, Followup,Study, Follow-Up,Study, Followup
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D001172 Arthritis, Rheumatoid A chronic systemic disease, primarily of the joints, marked by inflammatory changes in the synovial membranes and articular structures, widespread fibrinoid degeneration of the collagen fibers in mesenchymal tissues, and by atrophy and rarefaction of bony structures. Etiology is unknown, but autoimmune mechanisms have been implicated. Rheumatoid Arthritis

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