How long does a knee replacement last? A systematic review and meta-analysis of case series and national registry reports with more than 15 years of follow-up

This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42018105188.FindingsFrom 4363 references found by our initial search, we identified 33 case series in 30 eligible articles, which reported all-cause survival for 6490 TKRs (26 case series) and 742 UKRs (seven case series). No case series reporting on patellofemoral replacements met our inclusion criteria, and no case series reported 25 year survival for TKR. The estimated 25 year survival for UKR (based on one case series) was 72·0% (95% CI 58·0–95·0). Registries contributed 299 291 TKRs (47 series) and 7714 UKRs (five series). The pooled registry 25 year survival of TKRs (14 registries) was 82·3% (95% CI 81·3–83·2) and of UKRs (four registries) was 69·8% (67·6–72·1).InterpretationOur pooled registry data, which we believe to be more accurate than the case series data, shows that approximately 82% of TKRs last 25 years and 70% of UKRs last 25 years. These findings will be of use to patients and health-care providers; further information is required to predict exactly how long specific knee replacements will last.FundingThe National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Isle of Man and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Source: The Lancet - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research