|
|
|
« Back
Doctors Revise Knee Joint Replacement while Replacing the Other
|
Posted on: 11/30/2003
|
Patients with severe arthritis in both knees often start out with a single knee joint replacement. Only replacing one knee may not be a good idea. The other knee's loss of motion and strength can affect the side with the new joint. Rehab is harder and longer. The results are often less than optimal.
Doctors at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia have a suggestion. They think doing both arthritic knees at the same time is a good idea. And if you've had one knee done that needs to be redone (revised), go ahead and get a new joint on the arthritic side that's never been done before. Yes, that means you'll be having both knees operated on at the same time. The first knee will get a revision, while the second knee will get a new joint.
They tried this at their own center and found the patients were very pleased with the results. In fact 99 percent of the patients said they would "do it over again." The doctors were especially surprised to find that the patients thought the revised side was the better knee. They were delighted with how much better they were. The improvement in their revision made all the difference.
The authors of this study advise one operation to fix the implant in need of revision and replace the other knee at the same time. The best time to do this is when the patient has severe arthritis and damage on both sides. The loss of motion, decreased strength, and deformities on one side will affect the knee on the other side.
|
References:
Hari P. Bezwada, MD, et al. Simultaneous Revision and Contralateral Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty. In The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. October 2003. Vol.85-A. No. 10. Pp. 1993-1998.
|
|
|
« Back
|
|
|
|
*Disclaimer:*The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. |
 | All content provided by eORTHOPOD® is a registered trademark of Mosaic Medical Group, L.L.C.. Content is the sole property of Mosaic Medical Group, LLC and used herein by permission. |
|
