The subvastus approach for total knee arthroplasty resulted in better short-term outcomes than did the parapatellar approach.

Question: In patients having total knee arthroplasty, how do the medial patellar and subvastus approaches compare with regard to functional outcomes and postoperative recovery? Design: Randomized (unclear allocation concealment), blinded (patients and outcome assessors), controlled trial with 3-month follow-up. Setting: A district hospital in England. Patients: 89 patients (mean age, 70 years; 53% men) who had a primary total knee arthroplasty for treatment of osteoarthritis. Follow-up was complete. Intervention: Patients were allocated to total knee …