Total knee replacement without patellar resurfacing: about 60 cases

During total knee replacement, one of the main problems of surgeon is to choose between preservation of the patella or resurfacing with prosthetic replacement of patellar cartilage. This issue continues to be a subject of controversy within the orthopaedic community. There is no clear consensus on the optimal approach to the patella during total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We conducted a retrospective study of 60 patients undergoing total knee replacement without resurfacing of the patella. These procedures were performed in the Department of Orthopedics and Trauma-Surgery (B) at the University Hospital Hassan II, Fez, since January 2009 to December 2015. The average age of patients was 58 years, ranging between 20 years and 80 years. Female prevalence was clear (41 women, 72% and 16 men, 28%). Clinically, the majority of patients had mechanical pain and all patients underwent clinical and radiological examination. The IKS score was used to assess knee condition before and after surgery. The surgical procedure was based on total knee arthroplasty without patellar resurfacing. Post-operative complications included 7 cases of anterior knee pain, 2 cases of infection of superficial skin treated with appropriate antibiotic therapy and 3 cases of stiffness. No cases of hematoma, phlebitis or sepsis were reported. Clinical results after a follow-up period of 18 months were satisfactory. Given these results, the preservation of the patella allowed for very satisfactory middle term results regarding pain relief and restoration of function. In addition, potential complications of patella prosthesis were avoided. One limitation of these replacements without resurfacing is the occurrence, or sometimes the persistence, of anterior knee pain; hence the need for secondary resurfacing. Current data from the literature show that there is no consensus on the approach to the patella during total knee replacement. Finally, patella resurfacing is an approach that the surgeon should choose on the basis of current data. This said, the debate can continue focusing on a single issue: which approach should be used to the patella.