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Anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty: does it correlate with patellar blood flow?
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21302046     Owner:  NLM     Status:  Publisher    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
PURPOSE: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) disturbs patellar blood flow, an unintended accompaniment to TKA that may be a cause of postoperative anterior knee pain. We examine whether disrupted patellar blood flow correlates with anterior knee pain following TKA. METHODS: In 50 patients (21 men, 29 women) undergoing TKA, we compared patellar blood flow at flexions 0° to 30°, 60°, 90°, and 110° before and after medial parapatellar arthrotomy to pre- and postoperative anterior knee pain scores by means of a laser Doppler flowmeter (LDF) probe. Anterior knee pain was assessed using the pain intensity numeric rating scale (NRS) of 0-10 (0-no, 10-worst pain). Based on the NRS pain values, patients were divided into two main groups: group A (n = 34) with no pain or discomfort (NRS range 0-4) and group B (n = 16) with anterior knee pain (NRS range 5-10). RESULTS: Patients of group B demonstrated a significant decrease in blood flow before arthrotomy at flexions from 0° to 90°, and 110° and from 0° to 60°, 90°, and 110° after arthrotomy. For group A, a significant decrease in blood flow was detected at flexions from 0° to 90°, and 110° before and after arthrotomy. For both groups, medial arthrotomy did not have a statistically significant influence on patellar blood flow (margin of significance P < 0.05). Prior to TKA, 16 of the 50 patients of group B (32%) complained of anterior knee pain (mean NRS 7.1 ± 1.7). At 2-year follow-up, pain significantly decreased (NRS 3.1 ± 2.1) and only 4 of the 16 patients (25%) complained of moderate anterior pain (average NRS 5.7 ± 0.5), while 8 of 16 (50%) patients reported discomfort (mean NRS 3.5 ± 1.8) around the patella. Patients in group A also demonstrated a significant decrease in pain intensity (from NRS 1.5 ± 1.4 preoperatively to NRS 0.4 ± 1.5 at 2-year follow-up). Statistical analysis demonstrated no statistically significant correlation between pre-arthrotomy/post-arthrotomy patellar blood flow and the presence of preoperative and postoperative anterior knee pain. Only the degree of flexion had an influence on patellar blood flow. CONCLUSION: Medial arthrotomy had no direct significant effect on patellar blood flow, and the diminished blood flow did not correlate with postoperative anterior knee pain. However, a significant correlation was revealed between patellar blood flow and the degree of flexion: in almost a quarter of patients, blood flow dropped to zero at flexions of 100° and above. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.
Authors:
Sandro Kohl; Dimitrios S Evangelopoulos; Maximilian Hartel; Hendrik Kohlhof; Christoph Roeder; Stefan Eggli
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Publication Detail:
Type:  JOURNAL ARTICLE     Date:  2011-2-8
Journal Detail:
Title:  Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA     Volume:  -     ISSN:  1433-7347     ISO Abbreviation:  -     Publication Date:  2011 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-2-8     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9314730     Medline TA:  Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc     Country:  -    
Other Details:
Languages:  ENG     Pagination:  -     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inselspital, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse, 3010, Bern, Switzerland, Sandro.Kohl@gmail.com.
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