Historically, knee arthroplasties have been designed using average patient anatomy. Recent advances in imaging and manufacturing have facilitated the development of customized prostheses designed to fit the unique shape of individual patients. The purpose of this study is to determine if improving implant design through customized total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improves kinematic function.
Using state-of-the-art mobile fluoroscopy, tibiofemoral kinematics were analyzed for 24 subjects with a customized individually made (CIM), cruciate-retaining TKA, and 14 subjects having an asymmetric condylar cruciate-retaining TKA. Subjects performed a weight-bearing deep knee bend and a rise from a seated position. Each patient was evaluated for weight-bearing range of motion, femorotibial translation, femorotibial axial rotation, and condylar liftoff occurrence.
Subjects having a CIM TKA experienced greater weight-bearing knee flexion compared with the traditional posterior cruciate-retaining (PCR) TKA design. During flexion, the CIM TKA subjects consistently exhibited more posterior femoral rollback than the traditional PCR TKA subjects. The CIM TKA was found to have statistically greater axial rotation compared with the traditional PCR TKA (P = .05). Of note, only the CIM TKA patients experienced femoral internal rotation at full extension, as exhibited in a normal knee. Compared with the traditional PCR TKA, the CIM TKAs demonstrated minimal occurrences of paradoxical sliding and reverse rotation during flexion and extension. The CIM TKA subjects showed minimal liftoff and hence better stability in earlyflexion to midflexion compared with the traditional PCR subjects.
The CIM TKA demonstrated kinematics more similar to a normal knee. Therefore, using customized implant technology through CIM TKA designs affords benefits including more normal motion compared with a traditional PCR TKA.