Anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty: does it correlate with patellar blood flow?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty: does it correlate with patellar blood flow?

AU - Kohl, Sandro

AU - Evangelopoulos, Dimitrios S

AU - Hartel, Maximilian

AU - Kohlhof, Hendrik

AU - Roeder, Christoph

AU - Eggli, Stefan

PY - 2011/9/1

Y1 - 2011/9/1

N2 - PURPOSE: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) disturbs patellar blood flow, an unintended accompaniment to TKA that may be a cause of postoperative anterior knee pain. We examine whether disrupted patellar blood flow correlates with anterior knee pain following TKA.METHODS: In 50 patients (21 men, 29 women) undergoing TKA, we compared patellar blood flow at flexions 0° to 30°, 60°, 90°, and 110° before and after medial parapatellar arthrotomy to pre- and postoperative anterior knee pain scores by means of a laser Doppler flowmeter (LDF) probe. Anterior knee pain was assessed using the pain intensity numeric rating scale (NRS) of 0-10 (0-no, 10-worst pain). Based on the NRS pain values, patients were divided into two main groups: group A (n = 34) with no pain or discomfort (NRS range 0-4) and group B (n = 16) with anterior knee pain (NRS range 5-10).RESULTS: Patients of group B demonstrated a significant decrease in blood flow before arthrotomy at flexions from 0° to 90°, and 110° and from 0° to 60°, 90°, and 110° after arthrotomy. For group A, a significant decrease in blood flow was detected at flexions from 0° to 90°, and 110° before and after arthrotomy. For both groups, medial arthrotomy did not have a statistically significant influence on patellar blood flow (margin of significance P < 0.05). Prior to TKA, 16 of the 50 patients of group B (32%) complained of anterior knee pain (mean NRS 7.1 ± 1.7). At 2-year follow-up, pain significantly decreased (NRS 3.1 ± 2.1) and only 4 of the 16 patients (25%) complained of moderate anterior pain (average NRS 5.7 ± 0.5), while 8 of 16 (50%) patients reported discomfort (mean NRS 3.5 ± 1.8) around the patella. Patients in group A also demonstrated a significant decrease in pain intensity (from NRS 1.5 ± 1.4 preoperatively to NRS 0.4 ± 1.5 at 2-year follow-up). Statistical analysis demonstrated no statistically significant correlation between pre-arthrotomy/post-arthrotomy patellar blood flow and the presence of preoperative and postoperative anterior knee pain. Only the degree of flexion had an influence on patellar blood flow.CONCLUSION: Medial arthrotomy had no direct significant effect on patellar blood flow, and the diminished blood flow did not correlate with postoperative anterior knee pain. However, a significant correlation was revealed between patellar blood flow and the degree of flexion: in almost a quarter of patients, blood flow dropped to zero at flexions of 100° and above.

AB - PURPOSE: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) disturbs patellar blood flow, an unintended accompaniment to TKA that may be a cause of postoperative anterior knee pain. We examine whether disrupted patellar blood flow correlates with anterior knee pain following TKA.METHODS: In 50 patients (21 men, 29 women) undergoing TKA, we compared patellar blood flow at flexions 0° to 30°, 60°, 90°, and 110° before and after medial parapatellar arthrotomy to pre- and postoperative anterior knee pain scores by means of a laser Doppler flowmeter (LDF) probe. Anterior knee pain was assessed using the pain intensity numeric rating scale (NRS) of 0-10 (0-no, 10-worst pain). Based on the NRS pain values, patients were divided into two main groups: group A (n = 34) with no pain or discomfort (NRS range 0-4) and group B (n = 16) with anterior knee pain (NRS range 5-10).RESULTS: Patients of group B demonstrated a significant decrease in blood flow before arthrotomy at flexions from 0° to 90°, and 110° and from 0° to 60°, 90°, and 110° after arthrotomy. For group A, a significant decrease in blood flow was detected at flexions from 0° to 90°, and 110° before and after arthrotomy. For both groups, medial arthrotomy did not have a statistically significant influence on patellar blood flow (margin of significance P < 0.05). Prior to TKA, 16 of the 50 patients of group B (32%) complained of anterior knee pain (mean NRS 7.1 ± 1.7). At 2-year follow-up, pain significantly decreased (NRS 3.1 ± 2.1) and only 4 of the 16 patients (25%) complained of moderate anterior pain (average NRS 5.7 ± 0.5), while 8 of 16 (50%) patients reported discomfort (mean NRS 3.5 ± 1.8) around the patella. Patients in group A also demonstrated a significant decrease in pain intensity (from NRS 1.5 ± 1.4 preoperatively to NRS 0.4 ± 1.5 at 2-year follow-up). Statistical analysis demonstrated no statistically significant correlation between pre-arthrotomy/post-arthrotomy patellar blood flow and the presence of preoperative and postoperative anterior knee pain. Only the degree of flexion had an influence on patellar blood flow.CONCLUSION: Medial arthrotomy had no direct significant effect on patellar blood flow, and the diminished blood flow did not correlate with postoperative anterior knee pain. However, a significant correlation was revealed between patellar blood flow and the degree of flexion: in almost a quarter of patients, blood flow dropped to zero at flexions of 100° and above.

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Female

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Humans

KW - Knee Joint

KW - Laser-Doppler Flowmetry

KW - Male

KW - Osteoarthritis, Knee

KW - Pain Measurement

KW - Pain, Postoperative

KW - Patella

KW - Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

KW - Range of Motion, Articular

KW - Regional Blood Flow

KW - Risk Assessment

KW - Severity of Illness Index

U2 - 10.1007/s00167-011-1418-z

DO - 10.1007/s00167-011-1418-z

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 21302046

VL - 19

SP - 1453

EP - 1459

JO - KNEE SURG SPORT TR A

JF - KNEE SURG SPORT TR A

SN - 0942-2056

IS - 9

ER -