Early failure of a knee replacement in a neuropathic joint : A case report
Published online: Feb 27 2011
Mohammed N. Yasin, Charalambos P. Charalambous, Simon P. Mills, Padmanabh M. Phaltankar, Richard W. Nutton
From the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Abstract
Total knee arthroplasty in neuropathic (Charcot) joints is technically demanding. Most studies report significant improvement in knee function, despite a high incidence of complications. We present a case of idiopathic, unilateral neuropathic arthropathy of the knee treated with a modular stemmed, constrained total knee arthroplasty. Unscrewing of the stem of the tibial component was detected a year following surgery. The tibial component was revised to a custom made monobloc stemmed implant. Satisfactory knee function was noted at short term follow-up. This case highlights a potential problem of using modular long-stem implants in neuropathic joints and emphasises the need for close follow-up of these difficult cases.