ROLE OF GROWTH-HORMONE STATUS IN THE OUTCOME OF TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

The objective was to assess whether the aging related, variable declin e in growth hormone influences total knee replacement outcome, In this prospective cohort study, consecutive patients who underwent unilater al total knee replacement and who met criteria were enrolled from the practice of 1 orthopaedic surgeon at a university hospital, Participan ts were evaluated 1 month before and 3 months after total knee replace ment, Evaluators were not involved in patient care, The primary outcom e measure was the Medical Outcome Study 36-item Short Form Health Surv ey Physical Functioning Scale score 3 months after total knee replacem ent, In a multiple regression analysis performed to assess the influen ce of growth hormone status, controlling for social support, body mass index, gender, previous reconstruction, mental health, motivation, an d baseline physical functioning, only mental health contributed signif icantly to outcome, Mental health accounted for 18% of outcome varianc e, Growth hormone levels did not predict functional status after total knee replacement, Psychological status contributes significantly to t otal knee replacement physical functional outcome.