title: Poor WOMAC scores in contralateral knee negatively impact TKA outcomes: data from the osteoarthritis initiative.
abstract: While total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been shown to have excellent outcomes, a significant proportion of patients experience relatively poor post-operative function. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the level of osteoarthritic symptoms in the contralateral knee at the time of TKA is associated with poorer post-operative outcomes in the operated knee. Using longitudinal cohort data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), we included 171 patients who received a unilateral TKA. We compared pre-operative Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores in the contralateral knee to post-operative WOMAC scores in the index knee. Pre-operative contralateral knee WOMAC scores were associated with post-operative index knee WOMAC Total scores, indicating that the health of the pre-operative contralateral knee is a significant factor in TKA outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Irvine Medical Center.
authors.forename: Timothy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Radiology, University of California Irvine Medical Center.
authors.forename: Aydin C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Soheili
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Irvine Medical Center.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwarzkopf
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: WOMAC score; contralateral knee; patient reported outcome measures; total knee arthroplasty; total knee arthroplasty outcomes