Arthroplasty of the Knee in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

Abstract

The literature related to arthroplasty of the knee is reviewed and the surgical technique and postoperative management for knee arthroplasty using the McKeever and MacIntosh prostheses are described. The results after follow-ups ranging from one to nine years in eighty-two patients with rheumatoid arthritis and seventeen patients with osteoarthritis are presented using a method of evaluation based on demerits assigned for pain, limitation of motion, deformity, instability, quadriceps weakness, and need for support. Using the described method of evaluation, fifty-six of the ninety-nine rheumatoid knees and seventeen of the nineteen osteoarthritic knees which could be evaluated, had good or excellent results. From these findings it is concluded that knee arthroplasty of the type described when performed in properly selected patients is an effective method to relieve pain and restore function.