A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT OUTCOMES IN OSTEOARTHRITIC KNEES WITH VARUS DEFORMITY.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v6i3.1689Keywords:
Osteoarthritis knee, varus deformity, Total knee arthroplasty, Knee Society Score, functional recoveryAbstract
Background
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee with varus deformity is a common degenerative condition that severely impacts mobility and quality of life. Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is the standard surgical treatment for end-stage OA, though varus correction poses technical challenges.
Objectives
To evaluate the clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes of TKA using a posterior cruciate substituting prosthesis in patients with varus knee deformity.
Methods
This prospective observational study included 30 patients (mean age: 63.2 years; 70% female) with primary OA and varus deformity (Kellgren–Lawrence grades III and IV), who underwent TKA at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Warangal. Clinical and functional status were assessed using the Knee Society Score (KSS), while radiological evaluation confirmed prosthetic alignment. Follow-ups were performed at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year.
Results
The mean preoperative clinical KSS (56.4) improved significantly to 90.2 postoperatively (p < 0.01), and the functional score improved from 48.3 to 81.6 (p < 0.01). Radiographs showed that all patients achieved neutral mechanical alignment without signs of implant loosening. By 6 weeks, over 80% of patients reported substantial pain relief, restored range of motion, and improved stair-climbing ability. No intraoperative or postoperative complications, such as infection or DVT, were reported. Outcomes were favorable across all deformity severity groups (<10°, 10–20°, >20°).
Conclusion
TKA using posterior cruciate substituting prostheses provides significant functional and radiological improvements in osteoarthritic knees with varus deformity. Proper preoperative planning and surgical precision are key to optimal outcomes.
Recommendations
Preoperative assessment should emphasize deformity severity and soft tissue balance. Surgeons should adopt individualized soft tissue release techniques and confirm mechanical axis restoration intraoperatively. Long-term follow-up and larger sample studies are recommended to assess prosthesis survivorship and late complications.
References
Vail TP, Lang JE. Insall and Scott had surgery on the knee. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier; 2006. p. 1455-1521.
Insall J, Ranawat CS, Scott WN, Walker P. Total condylar knee replacement. Preliminary report. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1976;120:149-54. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-197610000-00023
Kim RH, Scott WN. Operative techniques: total knee replacement. Philadelphia: Saunders-Elsevier 2009. p. 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4160-4984-5.50012-7
Bijlsma JW, Berenbaum F, Lafeber FP. Osteoarthritis: an update with relevance for clinical practice. Lancet; 2011 Jun 18;377:2115-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60243-2
John N Insall, Lawrence D Dorr, Richard D Scott, W. Norman Scott. Rationale of The Knee Society Clinical Rating System. Clin Orthop 1989 Nov;248:13-14. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-198911000-00004
Stuart MJ. Anatomy and surgical approaches in Joint replacement arthroplasty. 3rd ed. 2003. p. 945.
Kettlekamp DB, Pryor P, Brady TA. Selective use of the variable axis knee. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1979;3:301-2.
Frankel VH, Burstein AH. Orthopaedic Biomechanics. The Application of Engineering to the Musculoskeletal System. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger; 1970. p. 24-8.
Berger RA, Rubash HE, Seel MJ, Thompson WH, Crossett LS. Determining the rotational alignment of the femoral component in total knee arthroplasty using the epicondylar axis. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1993;286:40-7. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-199301000-00008
Rodriguez JA, Bhende H, Ranawat CS. Ranawat Orthopaedic Center, New York, NY 10021, USA Total condylar knee replacement: A 20-year follow-up study. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2001;(388):10-7. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-200107000-00004
Martin SD, McManus JL, Scott RD, Thornhill TS. Press-fit condylar total knee arthroplasty. 5- to 9-year follow-up evaluation. J Arthroplasty. 1997 Sep;12(6):603-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-5403(97)90132-7
Clayton RAE, Amin A et al., Five-Year follow-up of the PFC Sigma Total Knee Arthroplasty J Bone J OInt Surg Br; 88:SUPP II, 2006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knee.2006.06.003
Asif S, Choon DSK. Mid-Term results of Cemented Press-Fit Condylar Sigma Total Knee Arthroplasty System, Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2005;13(3):280-4 https://doi.org/10.1177/230949900501300311
Alemparte J, Cabezas A, Azocar O, Hernandez R, Acevedo M. Midterm results of an AGC total knee arthroplasty system survival and function analysis: 2 to 8 years follow --up results. J Arthroplasty 2003;18:420-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-5403(03)00017-2
Buehler KO, Venn - Waston E, D" Lima DD, Colwell CW Jr. The press fit condylar total knee system: 8 to 10-year results with a posterior cruciate-retaining design J Arthroplasty 2000;15:698-701. https://doi.org/10.1054/arth.2000.8189
Dixon MC, Brown RR, et al. Modular Fixed Bearing Total Knee Arthroplasty with Retention of Posterior Cruciate Ligament. J Bone Joint Surg. Am 2005;87:598. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.C.00591
Insall JN, Hood RW, Flawn LB, Sullivan DJ. The total condylar knee prosthesis in gonarthrosis: A five to nine-year follow-up of the first one hundred consecutive replacements. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1983;65:619. https://doi.org/10.2106/00004623-198365050-00006
Rand JA, Trousdale RT, Ilstrup DM, Harmsen WS. Factors affecting the durability of primary total knee prostheses. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2003;85:259-265. https://doi.org/10.2106/00004623-200302000-00012
Scott DF, Smith RR. A prospective, randomized comparison of posterior stabilized versus cruciate-substituting total knee arthroplasty: a preliminary report with minimum 2-year results. J Arthroplasty. 2014;29:179 181. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2014.03.050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2014.03.050
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Ch Ramesh Babu, Dr. B Kiran Kumar, Dr. Kiran Kumar Joshi, Dr. Pradeep Kumar, Dr. Manoj Kumar A

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.