Tibial component fixation with a peri-apatite coating: evaluation by radiostereometric analysis in a canine total knee arthroplasty model

Cementless fixation for the tibial component in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains problematic. Peri-Apatite (PA), a solution-deposited hydroxyapatite, is under investigation as an option for improving the fixation of cementless tibial components. In this study, radiostereometric analysis was used to document implant migration in 48 dogs that underwent TKA with cementless, PA-coated, or cemented tibial components. Migration at 12 weeks was similar in the 2 groups. At 12 months, there was greater migration in the PA-coated group, but the difference between the 2 groups was below the threshold considered clinically significant. In this canine TKA model, cementless fixation with PA performed less well than did cemented fixation, but not to a degree that would make a clinical difference in the short term.