Failure of a polyethylene total knee component presenting as a thigh mass. Report of a rare complication of total knee arthroplasty.
Early failure caused by wear of the polyethylene bearing surface of a metal-backed tibial platform or a metal-backed patellar component in a total knee prosthesis has been a recognized complication; patients with these problems initially have pain and instability. A patient who had a cystic mass in the distal thigh was evaluated, and osteolysis of the distal femur was detected. Polyethylene debris and reactive synovium were confirmed surgically and histologically, indicating a cause-effect relationship of polyethylene wear debris and failure of the total knee arthroplasty. Regular and long-term patient follow-up evaluation after total joint arthroplasty is essential for the detection of early evidence of occult polyethylene wear.
Chavda
D V
DV
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198-1080.
Garvin
K L
KL
D000368:Aged; D003343:Corrosion; D003560:Cysts / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007720:Knee Prosthesis; D008297:Male; D010014:Osteolysis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011095:Polyethylenes / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011859:Radiography; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D013848:Thigh
D011095:Polyethylenes