Effects of sealing the intramedullary femoral canal in total knee arthroplasty: A randomized study

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the clinical effects of sealing the femoral canal by intramedullary alignment instrumentation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: One hundred twenty consecutive patients with knee osteoarthritis, who underwent unilateral TKA, were enrolled in the study and equally randomized into 2 groups: the sealing group and the control group. In the sealing group, the femoral canal was sealed with autogenous bone and cement using intramedullary alignment instrumentation, while the femoral hole was left open for patients in the control group. Blood loss, hemoglobin (Hb) reduction, and other parameters were recorded, as well as the duration of hospital stay and complications. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score was used to assess knee function at the final follow-up appointment. RESULTS: The calculated blood loss, hidden blood loss, transfusion requirements, drainage volume, and Hb reduction measurements were significantly different (P < .05) between the 2 groups. There were no significant differences in the surgery time, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, HSS score or complications between the 2 groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Sealing the intramedullary canal with autologous bone and a cement plug is an effective method for reducing blood loss and decreasing blood transfusion requirements during TKA procedures that have increasing complication rates.