In vivo Kinematics of the Knee after a Posterior Cruciate-Substituting Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Comparison between Caucasian and South Korean Patients

PURPOSE: This study compared in vivo kinematic differences between Caucasian and South Korean patients after a posterior-substituting total knee arthroplasty (PS-TKA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vivo motions of 9 Caucasian and 13 South Korean knees with a PS-TKA during weight bearing single leg lunge were determined using a dual fluoroscopic imaging technique. Normalized tibiofemoral condylar motions and articular contact locations were analyzed. RESULTS: Femoral condylar motions of the two groups showed a similar trend in anteroposterior translation, but the South Korean patients were more anteriorly positioned than the Caucasian patients at low flexion and maximal flexion angles in both medial and lateral compartments (p<0.05). Mediolateral femoral condyle translations were similar between the two groups. For tibiofemoral articular contact kinematics, the South Korean patients had significantly more anterior contact locations at the medial compartment at low flexion angles, and more lateral contact locations at the lateral compartment at 0° and 90° flexion compared to the Caucasian patients (p<0.05). The South Korean patients had significantly larger distances between the medial and lateral contact locations at 60° and 90° flexion compared to the Caucasian patients (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that while the Caucasian and South Korean knees had similar femoral condylar motions, after PS-TKA the South Korean patients showed different articular contact point kinematics compared to the Caucasian patients.