Mechanical Failure of Revision Knee Prosthesis at both Femoral and Tibial Modular Metaphyseal Stem Junctions

INTRODUCTION: This is a report of a mechanical failure of an S-ROM revision total knee prosthesis. The prosthesis was used as a revision implant following deep peri-prosthetic infection in a morbidly obese male. The prosthesis failed on both the femoral and tibial sides at the modular metaphyseal stem junctions and required a further revision using the same type of implant after infection was excluded. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57 year old male had previously undergone a left total knee arthroplasty in 1999 for osteoarthritis. He acquired a late deep peri-prosthetic infection with a multi-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. The organism was sensitive to vancomycin and rifampicin. A two stage revision was undertaken after clinical signs of infection had resolved and blood parameters had normalized. Intra-operative gram stain was negative for micro-organisms and frozen section of deep tissue was less than five polymorphs per high power field. A cemented S-ROM prosthesis was implanted using a coronal tibial osteotomy and a lateral release for exposure. After three years of the second stage of revision, the patient again presented to the orthopaedic department after reportedly falling on a wet floor six weeks ago. CONCLUSION: Radiographically, there was a broken tibial wire, osteolysis and pedestal formation around both the femoral and distal tibial stem extensions. The prosthesis was bent at the proximal tibial sleeve and stem junction. The prosthesis was considered loose with mechanical failure. At implant removal, it was noted that the femoral and tibial components at the modular metaphyseal sleeve-stem junction were fractured. Surgeons should be cautious in the use of these implants in morbidly obese patients where the stresses generated maybe above the yield stress of the material and the frictional forces that may overcome the modular taper junction’s locking mechanism.