Case studies in the knee

On this page we present cases of interest in knee replacement surgery. They are challenging problems and require the treating physician to evaluate the risks of infection, bone loss, dislocation and nerve injury. Often they will need allograft supplementation and specialised implants but the ideal revision is one in which primary implants are feasible due to adequate bone stock.

Figure 1. This patient had a prosthesis that was put in 10 years before. This was revised with a specialised implant. While 90% survival at 10 years was a common statistis in the past these knee replacements are lasting a lot longer today.

Figure 2. The infected knee replacement is a difficult problem to deal with. The gold standard of treatment is a 2- stage procedure which is successful in 80% of cases. Single stage options and retention of implants with washouts are also feasible on a case to case basis determined by patient health and virulence of the organism.