Total knee replacement for correction of severe post-traumatic deformity

Abstract

Objective: to determine the patellar size in patients undergoing knee replacement at the Eugenio Espejo Specialty Hospital.

Material and methods: descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study. 130 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. Variables such as age, sex, laterality, diagnosis of knee pathology, place of origin, surgeon, history of patellar pathology, patellar replacement in previous knee prosthesis or fractures were considered; systemic pathologies that may influence patellar thickness. The patellar thickness was recorded in millimeters (mm), for which specific and customary measuring instruments provided by the different prosthesis providers were used. The thickest part of the patella between the anterior and posterior or articular face of the patella was taken as a reference. The results were reported in percentages and averages.

Results: 23% of the patients correspond to the male sex with an average age of 68 years and 77% to the female sex (average age of 69 years). 20% of the cases presented as an association to gonarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis. The average patellar thickness was 20 millimeters, a value that is in the lower limits of the patellar size range of other studies.

Conclusions: The determination of the patellar size is an aspect to take into consideration in knee replacement surgery. The mean value of the patella in this work is at the lower limits of the patellar size range from other studies. We recommend selective replacement of the patella.