Does Patellar Denervation Reduce Post-operative Anterior Knee Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Overview

Journal Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc

Publisher Wiley

Specialties Emergency Medicine
General Surgery
Orthopedics

Date 2015 Mar 12

PMID 25758982

Citations 20

Authors

Xiaowei Xie

FuXing Pei

Zeyu Huang

Zhen Tan

Zhouyuan Yang

Pengde Kang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The effectiveness of patellar denervation in reducing anterior knee pain and improving patient satisfaction and quality of life after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is still controversial. A meta-analysis was conducted to try to settle the controversy.

Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Of 374 papers identified, seven randomised controlled trials involving 898 patients (983 knees) were eligible for data extraction and meta-analysis.

Results: Analysis showed that patellar denervation can significantly improve clinical outcomes for the first 12 months of follow-up after TKA, including anterior knee pain incidence (P = 0.008), visual analogue scale score (P < 0.001), patellar score (P < 0.001), Knee Society Score (P = 0.03), Knee Society Score function score (P = 0.03), and knee range of motion (P = 0.008). However, no statistical significance in outcomes was found between the patellar denervation group and no-denervation group for any of those parameters after 12 months of follow-up.

Conclusion: The best currently available evidence suggests that patellar denervation can significantly reduce anterior knee pain incidence and improve early clinical outcomes after TKA. However, after a prolonged period of follow-up, this advantage seems to disappear. Even so, the use of patellar denervation in primary TKA is recommended because it is safe and produces good early clinical outcomes.

Level Of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level II.

Citing Articles

Denervation of the Patella During Knee Arthroplasty: An Updated Systematic Global Review.

Nkachukwu K, Alejo A, Toman J, Jwayyed J, Iwuagwu J, Alejo A J Clin Med. 2024; 13(22).

PMID: 39598085 PMC: 11594293. DOI: 10.3390/jcm13226942.

The efficacy of patellar denervation on prognosis and kneeling capacity after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a randomized clinical trial.

Sun Y, Liu N, Huang L, Chen X, Wu J, Feng S J Orthop Surg Res. 2024; 19(1):626.

PMID: 39367405 PMC: 11452953. DOI: 10.1186/s13018-024-05015-0.

Patellar resurfacing in contemporary total knee arthroplasty: Frequency of complications in a matched cohort.

Farooq H, Oetojo W, Bajwa S, Brown N J Orthop. 2024; 60:25-28.

PMID: 39345676 PMC: 11437602. DOI: 10.1016/j.jor.2024.09.006.

Does Patellar Denervation with Electrocautery Benefits for Total Knee Arthroplasty without Patellar Resurfacing: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trails.

Zhou X, Jiang Y, Chen D, Chen T, Tian Z Orthop Surg. 2024; 16(8):1832-1848.

PMID: 38951735 PMC: 11293931. DOI: 10.1111/os.14161.

Meta-analysis of factors influencing anterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty.

Feng H, Feng M, Cheng J, Zhang X, Tao H World J Orthop. 2024; 15(2):180-191.

PMID: 38464355 PMC: 10921178. DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i2.180.

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