title: Minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty: the results justify its use.
abstract: A mini-midvastus capsular incision was used in a feasibility study of 100 patients having primary total knee arthroplasty. Patients with marked limitation of motion were excluded from the study. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 years after surgery. The exposure yielded excellent results clinically and radiographically with restoration of stability and motion. The length of the skin incision varied from 8 to 15 cm with a mean of 10.5 cm. Using the limited exposure did not result in implant malpositioning. The surgical approach was not applicable in patients with a BMI > 40 or in those patients with a severe fixed valgus deformity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic study, Level IV-1 (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Special Surgery and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA. laskinr@aol.com
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Laskin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000453:epidemiology; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome