TKA Development in Japan: The Kodama, Yamamoto Mark-I/Mark-II/KC-1/PCLR

Since 1970, condylar knee prostheses have been used to reacquire the motion and stability of the knee joint. The Kodama-Yamamoto knee prosthesis, developed by Okayama University, is the world’s first surface replacement type and anatomical design that does not use bone cement. Concurrently, the Freeman-Swanson knee prosthesis developed in the United States adopted the first functional design, a semi-constrained type that excised both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and adjusted the extension flexion gap. However, this design used bone cement [1]. Based on these anatomical and functional knee prostheses, numerous studies have been conducted to develop the design and concept of today’s knee prostheses.