Five-year results of total knee arthroplasty with the Vario Knee System: A prospective analysis

There have been no published reports detailing the clinical performance of the Vario Knee System (VKS) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) since its introduction in 2001. The current study was therefore undertaken to provide 5-year clinical and radiographic follow-up data for this implant. Over a 24-month period, 146 VKS TKAs were performed in 131 patients (mean age, 69 years). Prospective data and radiographs were obtained at 3 months, 1 year, and 5 years after surgery. Surgeons employed an anteromedial approach in which the cruciate was retained. The fixation method was hybrid (cemented tibia, uncemented femur) in 70% of patients, uncemented in 23%, and cemented in 7%. At 5 years, 106 patients (118 knees) were alive. Six patients (six knees) were lost to follow-up. Three knees (three patients) were revised. Five-year survival was 97.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 92.8–99.5) with an endpoint of revision for any reason and 99.0% (95% CI: 97.5–100) with an endpoint of revision for aseptic failure. Using the worst-case scenario, in which all six of these patients were considered as failures, survival was 91.4% (95% CI: 83.4–96.0). The mean preoperative knee and function scores improved from 37.5 and 62.1, respectively, to 90.6 and 97.4, respectively, 5 years after surgery. Radiographic loosening of either component was not observed in any of the 100 radiographs obtained. In conclusion, good clinical outcomes were observed after 5 years with the VKS TKA. Additional follow-up studies will be needed to ascertain whether this performance is maintained in the long term.