Implant Technology: Knee Design for Improved Function and Wear

Abstract

Total knee replacement has become an accepted treatment for diseased and damaged joints with over 150,000 surgeries performed annually in the United States alone. The popularity of knee replacement stems from the excellent clinical results, which in some reported series exceeded ninety percent at twenty years follow-up [1]. The high level of clinical success in elderly populations has spurred surgeons to extend the indications to younger patients; today, about a third of total knee replacements are implanted in individuals under sixty-five years of age.