Total knee arthroplasty after complex tibial plateau fractures

Total knee arthroplasty following complex fractures of the tibial plateau is considered a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons and clinical outcomes may vary. A total of 29 total knee replacements were performed after a tibial plateau fracture: 25 patients (16 women, 9 men; average age: 57 years; mean follow-up: 92 months) were available. We had two significative complications: one partial avulsion of the patellar tendon, conservatively treated by bracing, and one case of deep venous thromboembolism, managed with low molecular weight heparin. In two cases (8%) there was a failure of the implant; nine cases were excellent, nine good, four fair and one poor. A percentage of patients with previous complex proximal tibia fractures had an increased rate of postoperative complications due to anatomical deformity, functional deficiency and post-traumatic arthritis and required solutions similar to revision surgery. Total knee arthroplasty is a suitable solution for the treatment of these challenging cases: compared to primary knee replacement, final KSS score is generally lower, but improvement is similar due to poorer pre-operative scores.