Does patellar denervation reduce post-operative anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty?

Purpose The effectiveness of patellar denervation in reducing anterior knee pain and improving patient satisfaction and quality of life after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is still controversial. A meta-analysis was conducted to try to settle the controversy. Methods The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Of 374 papers identified, seven randomised controlled trials involving 898 patients (983 knees) were eligible for data extraction and meta-analysis. Results Analysis showed that patellar denervation can significantly improve clinical outcomes for the first 12 months of follow-up after TKA, including anterior knee pain incidence ( P = 0.008), visual analogue scale score ( P