Knee Arthroplasty: With or Without Patellar Component?

Arthroplasty is used when there is irreversible damage to the articular cartilage of the knee. It involves implanting a bicompartimental (femoral and tibial components) or a tricompartimental (femoral, tibial and patellar components) prosthesis. It is a very invasive and costly operation, so our objective was to evaluate the necessity of the patellar component. Material and methods: We included 39 patients in the study: in 27 cases we used tricompartimental prosthesis, while the other 12 received only the bicompartimental components. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using the International Knee Documentation Comitee score. Results: We’ve found that there is little to no difference between the two groups regarding mobility and complication, however patients with bicompartimental arthroplasty complained of less pain. Conclusion: We’ve found that bicompartimental arthroplasty – being a less invasive procedure – is superior not only in terms of pain management, but is also associated with less bleeding and shorter intraoperative time. The revision is easier and the technique presents also financially advantages, for both the patient and the medical facility.