EFFECTS OF MOBILE- AND FIXED-BEARING TIBIAL INSERTS ON CLINICAL RESULTS OF KNEE ARTHROPLASTY: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Objective: Total knee replacement (TKR) procedures are widely used in cases of advanced knee osteoarthritis, and satisfactory results are achieved. Although the fixed-bearing (FB) design has been reported as the gold standard by many authors, the mobile-bearing (MB) design has been argued to have more harmonious articulation and to cause less contact stress on the joint surface. This study aims to compare mobile-bearing and fixed-bearing total knee replacement designs and presenting the clinical outcomes. Material and Methods: The study includes 212 patients who’ve undergone MB and FB implants with identical design, had at least three years of follow-ups, and had their range of motion, pain scores, implant survival, and functional scores recorded. Result: When comparing the MB and FB designs, the MB group has 106 cases with an average age of 63.1±8.0, and the FB group has 116 cases with an average age of 63.9±7.0 years; no significant difference was observed between the groups. Also, no significant difference was observed regarding Knee Society scores (KSS), range of motion (ROM), or visual analogue scales (VAS) between the first year and last follow-up. The mean follow-up times of the two groups are 62.4 months (range=38-92) for the MB group and 66.8 months (range=40-88) for the FB group. Each group also had similar complication rates. Conclusion: The clinical and functional results for both the MBand FB-design total knee prostheses are excellent. Despite the many theoretical advantages of MB total knee replacement, this study shows little significant difference in the early functional outcomes between MB and FB prostheses. The study concludes neither MB- or FB-design TKR to have clinically superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]