EXTENSOR MECHANISM TRANSPLANTATION AFTER KNEE PROSTHESIS: 70-MONTH FOLLOW-UP

OBJECTIVE: This article reports the range of motion, failure rate, and complications of patients with extensor mechanism injury after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) treated with extensor mechanism allograft with mid-term follow-up. METHODS: Patients undergoing post-ATJ extensor mechanism transplantation from 2009 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated. Demographics, the reason for transplantation, elapsed time from arthroplasty to transplantation, related surgical factors, immobilization time, range of motion, transplant failure, and complications were collected. The minimum follow-up was 24 months. RESULTS: Twenty patients were evaluated. The mean follow-up was 70.8 +/- 33.6 months. The most common cause of extensor mechanism rupture was traumatic in 10 (50%) cases. Six patients underwent associated surgeries, one case of medial ligament complex reconstruction, and 5 cases of TKA revision. Eleven patients (55%) had transplant-related complications. The most common complication was an infection. Five cases presented transplant failure. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent extensor mechanism allograft transplantation after total knee arthroplasty had a 25% failure rate with a mean follow-up of 6 years. Although there was no loss of flexion with the procedure and prolonged immobilization, the complication rate was not low. Level of evidence IV; case series .