Comparison of Clinical and Patient Reported Outcomes in One-Sided Cruciate-Retaining Versus Other-Sided Posterior Stabilizing Protheses in Bilateral Simultaneous Total Knee Arthroplasty

Cruciate retaining and posterior stabilizing knee systems are frequently used in total knee replacements. Most researchers compare the results of Cruciate Retaining (CR) and Posterior Stabilizing (PS) knees with those of a control group. The results of using both knee systems in a single patient in simultaneous Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) have been studied less.

A total of 50 patients with primary bilateral osteoarthritis with varus which is not fixed and valgus deformity of not more than 10 degrees, age between 55 and 85 years, BMI < 35 kg/m², ASA I or II, and non-inflammatory arthritis were taken up for simultaneous bilateral TKR with one-side CR and other-sided PS surgeries. Patients were followed up periodically at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year with Knee Society Score (KSS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores. Differences in scores were tested with the help of an independent sample Student’s t test. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

During the first 6 weeks after surgery, mean KSS was lower in PS knees, though statistically not significant, this difference reduced considerably over a while. By the end of the 1-year post-surgical intervention, KSS was similar among both knees. WOMAC score was similar between CR and PS preoperatively as well as during the entire post-operative follow-up period.

Functional outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, and objective knee indicators in one-sided cruciate-retaining and other-sided posterior stabilizing total replacement in bilateral simultaneous two-team surgery were similar between both knees.