[The importance of individual knee arthroplasty].

Background: Conventional knee arthroplasty offers excellent long-term durability. However, when it comes to patient satisfaction, it occasionally falls short of expectations. This is where customized knee arthroplasty comes into play: by utilizing patient-specific implant designs tailored to an individual's unique anatomy, it aims to address some of the limitations associated with standard implants.

Advantage: In addition to an optimized fit, modern customized arthroplasty also enables implant positioning based on the patient's constitutional alignment, thereby taking the concept of personalization one step further. A particularly noteworthy design feature in this context is the "decoupling" of the patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints, which helps mitigate the potential drawbacks of individualized alignment philosophies. Unlike other technologies such as robotics or navigation, customized arthroplasty relies on preoperative, image-based analysis and planning, followed by surgical execution using patient-specific instruments (PSI). This approach enables a unique combination of standardization and individualization.

Prospects: Despite its theoretical advantages, customized arthroplasty must still demonstrate its clinical benefits in practice-and, in light of rising healthcare costs, justify its economic viability.