Núñez M, Lozano L, Núñez E et al. Arthritis Rheum 2009;61:1062–9.
Is total knee replacement (TKR) for osteoarthritis equally effective in all patients? This Spanish group prospectively followed TKR patients and confirmed that the procedure conferred substantial benefit across the board; however, the gains were reduced in patients who were female or obese.
Not all patients do equally well with total knee replacement (TKR). To gain insight into the characteristics of “better” versus “worse” candidates, this Spanish group prospectively evaluated all patients receiving TKR by three surgeons at one tertiary care hospital in order to determine outcome at 7 years. Patients receiving TKR for osteoarthritis (OA) between January and November 2000 were asked to participate, and all but four agreed (n=142). Baseline variables assessed included socio-demographic data, body mass index, duration of disease, and quality of life as well as Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index (WOMAC) scores. Seven years later, those patients who could be contacted (n=112) were evaluated by structured interview; the 30 patients lost to follow-up were demographically and clinically similar.