TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY IN THE ELDERLY - PATIENTS SELF-APPRAISAL 6 AND 12 MONTHS POSTOPERATIVELY

The objective of this work was to study patients' self-appraisal of to tal knee arthroplasty (TKA) 6 and 12 months postoperatively, and to es tablish which factors determine dissatisfaction from surgery, The stud y group consisted of 79 patients subjected to TKA who underwent rehabi litation in a specialized institution from which they were discharged home after becoming independently ambulatory and capable of independen t home care, Data were collected by interviews and physical examinatio ns which were conducted upon admission to the rehabilitation program a nd at the patients' homes 6 and 12 months postoperatively, Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied for data analysis, Re sults of the 1-year follow-up indicated a decrease in the prevalence o f pain in the postoperated knee and improvement in ambulatory capaciti es, The frequency of reliance on a walking aid and the prevalence of p ain in the nonoperated knee were not substantially changed, however, I n 27% of the subjects pain in the nonoperated knee had worsened at 1 y ear, One third of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction from the o peration, Outcomes of the logistic regression analysis pointed to pain in both the ipsi-and contralateral knee and to the limitations in usi ng stairs as the variables which significantly affected the levels of dissatisfaction 1 year postoperatively, Dissatisfaction could have res ulted from inappropriate expectations from either misinterpretations o r limited prior knowledge of the likely results of the operation.