No significant difference in clinical outcomes found in simultaneous bilateral TKA (Healio)
Patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty experienced no significant differences in clinical outcomes, according to study results.
Researchers retrospectively reviewed 420 consecutive patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) between January 2011 and April 2012. Postoperative blood loss, operation time, implanted femoral and tibial component size, and perioperative surgical complications were compared between the bilateral sides. The researchers recorded range of motion in all patients at 1 month preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively, and clinical outcome scores were measured using Knee Society Knee Score (KSKS), Knee Society Function Score (KSFS) and WOMAC scores preoperatively and at 1 year after surgery.
Compared with the first TKA, results showed a greater incidence of outliers during postoperative coronal limb alignment for the second TKA, with mean coronal alignment values of 1.1° for the first TKA vs. 1.9° in the second TKA. The researchers found no identical outcomes between the second and first TKA, including operation time, blood loss and clinical outcome scale scores.
The second TKA was longer than the contralateral side, and the first TKA had significantly less mean total blood loss via the drain, according to the researchers. However, there was no difference in range of motion before or after surgery at 1 year follow-up.
A significant difference was observed in postoperative KSKS score, according to the researchers. One year after surgery, mean postoperative KSFS and total WOMAC scores improved equally to 70 in the first TKA and 24 in the second TKA, and KSKS improved to 86.5 in the first TKA and 83.8 in the second TKA.
Results showed the second TKA had more perioperative surgical complications compared with the first.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.