TKA may effectively treat post-traumatic OA after tibial plateau fracture

In a prospective matched cohort study, researchers compared 29 patients with post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) from a previous fracture of the tibial plateau with a control group of 58 patients with nontraumatic OA who underwent routine primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Results showed improved postoperative Knee Society Scores, range of motion and quality of life scores for patients with post-traumatic OA. Among the patients with post-traumatic OA, researchers found 24.1% of patients had excellent results, 62.3% had good results, 6.8% experienced fair results and 6.8% experienced poor results. For patients in the control group, 29.4% experienced excellent results, 67.2% had good results and 3.4% experienced fair results.

Researchers noted a significant difference in mean femorotibial anatomic angle at last follow-up between groups, with a trend toward a lower valgus in the post-traumatic OA patients. Overall, 13.7% of patients with post-traumatic OA had complications, including partial patellar tendon detachment, superficial wound infection, skin necrosis and wound dehiscence, and manipulation under anesthesia to improve range of motion.

According to study results, patients with post-traumatic OA had a cumulative survival at 7-years of 90%, which was 95.2% for the control patients. – by Casey Tingle