The Advantage of a Total Knee Arthroplasty with Rotating Platform is Only Theoretical: Prospective Analysis of 1,152 Arthroplasties

BACKGROUND: The aim of total knee surgery is to provide patients with end-stage osteoarthritis of the knee with both pain relief and a functional range of motion with a securely fixed prosthesis for the long term. Many types of implants are designed to achieve these goals. Only clinical outcome studies are able to substantiate the superiority of one design over another. Our primary research question was to determine whether patients receiving a rotating platform implant had a better functional outcome. METHODS: A total of 1,152 Performance Total Knee Arthroplastiesin 943 patients were studied prospectively. In 561 cases, the cruciate retaining model (CR) was used. In 591 cases the cruciate substituting with posterior-stabilized model (PS) was implanted (324 cases with a fixed bearing (PSFB) and 267 cases with a rotating platform (PSRP)). RESULTS: The Clinical KSS score was similar for the three types at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years post-operatively. The Functional score also remained similar for all types until 10 years; at 15 years functional results of the CR group decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Neither clinically nor radiographically did the use of a rotating platform prove to be more advantageous than fixed bearing tibial components. Thus, the advantage of a Total Knee Arthroplasty with Rotating Platform remains theoretical.