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Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Jörg Lützner, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Germany
- Second opponent: Professor Maiken Stilling, AUH - Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Hanne Solveig Dagfinrud, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Lars Nordsletten, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Senior consultant Arild Aamodt, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital
Summary
Around 4% of the global population, mainly adults over 60, experience symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Prevalence rises with age. Total knee arthroplasty has revolutionized the lives of millions suffering from knee osteoarthritis. However, studies indicate that only 80-85 % of patients who undergo a total knee arthroplasty are satisfied with the results. This suggests that total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may not effectively relieve pain or restore function for many patients. We aimed to assess the link between the severity of radiological osteoarthritis and health improvement after total knee arthroplasty (Study I), analyze in vivo kinematics of three total knee arthroplasty designs (Study II), and compare patient-reported outcomes two years post-surgery (Study III).
In Study I, we analyzed 156 patients and found that those with severe osteoarthritis experienced significantly better health improvement 12 months after total knee arthroplasty compared to those with mild and moderate osteoarthritis.
In Study II, which involved 39 patients, we discovered that cruciate retaining and anterior stabilized designs exhibited similar movement patterns during a step-up but differed significantly from the posterior stabilized design. It is important to note that only the posterior stabilized design imitated the natural movement of the knee.
Study III, which involved 216 patients, showed no significant difference in the patient reported outcome measures at the two-year follow-up among three different implant designs.
Our research has shown that advanced osteoarthritis is linked with greater improvement in health after undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Furthermore, only the posterior stabilized design replicated a movement pattern comparable to that of a healthy knee. Despite differences in implant design, all three types of implants resulted in similar clinical outcomes.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.