Knee Failure Mechanisms After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Total knee arthroplasty is a highly successful procedure, with the percentage of patients requiring revision relatively small. However, when considering the large number of these procedures performed annually, this small percentage of failures constitutes a significant number of patients. Failure of total knee arthroplasty is devastating to the patient, frustrating for the surgeon, and comes at a significant cost to the healthcare system. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms of failure in knee arthroplasty. The leading causes include polyethylene wear, loosening, instability, and infection. It is important to recognize each mode of failure not only to appropriately diagnose and treat patients, but also to improve the future success of total knee arthroplasty.

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