ANATOMIC TOTAL KNEE (TOWNLEY) ARTHROPLASTY IN THE RHEUMATOID AND OSTEOARTHRITIC KNEE - A CLINICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL STUDY WITH FOLLOW-UP FROM 3.5 TO 10 YEARS

A series of 252 consecutive cemented Anatomic Total Knee (Townley) art hroplasties in 214 patients has been reviewed. 106 patients had rheuma toid arthritis (RA: 136 knees) and 108 patients had osteoarthritis (OA : 116 knees). Thirty-nine patients (47 knees) had died during the foll ow-up period and revision was performed in 18 patients (19 knees). Twe nty patients (20 knees) were lost from the follow-up, leaving 166 knee s in 137 patients for evaluation at 6.3 years after surgery (range 3.5 -10). The average score on The Hospital For Special Surgery-scale (HSS ) was 82:80 in the rheumatoid knees and 84 in the osteoarthritic knees . None of the knees were painfree preoperatively while at the follow-u p there were 116 (69.8%) painfree knees. In the radiological evaluatio n (according to the scoring method of The Knee Society) eight tibial c omponents (five in RA and three in OA patients) were found to be loose . The overall revision rate was 7.5% and the postoperative infection r ate 0.8%. The patients with rheumatoid arthritis had more severe late complications, such as haematogenic infections and aseptic loosening o f tibial components, than did the patients with osteoarthritis. We cou ld find no significant difference between these diagnostic groups.