Comparing Patient Outcomes After THA and TKA: Is There a Difference?

Abstract

Both primary total hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasty relieve pain, restore function, and increase mobility. Despite these successes, there is controversy as to whether THA or TKA provides greater or similar improvement. We therefore compared primary THA and TKA patient results in terms of (1) willingness to have surgery again; (2) WOMAC change score; (3) whether expectations were met; and (4) satisfaction. Patients undergoing primary THA were more willing to undergo their surgery again (THA 96%, TKA 89%), demonstrated greater WOMAC change scores, more frequently reported their expectations were met (THA 78%, TKA 70%), and expressed greater overall satisfaction (THA 89%, TKA 81%). In addition, patients undergoing THA expressed higher satisfaction with pain reduction while performing activities (ie, walking, stairs, and sitting/lying) and their ability to perform daily activities (ie, stairs, transportation, getting up, lying in bed, and light domestic duties) when compared with patients undergoing TKA. Our data suggest primary THA offers superior short-term outcomes when compared with primary TKA.

Is Total Hip Arthroplasty after Hip Arthrodesis as Good as Primary Arthroplasty?

“…Kilgus et al [40] reported that young age of patients does not have a negative effect on the survival of the conversion of a fused hip to THA. We agree with Bourne et al [7] that the patient's opinion regarding outcome is one of the most important issues. Patient satisfaction has been included in the assessment of THA in many studies [9,18,20,25,38,43,47,49].…”

“…Patient satisfaction has been included in the assessment of THA in many studies [9,18,20,25,38,43,47,49]. Some authors have compared satisfaction after THA with satisfaction after TKA [7], and others have evaluated satisfaction after total joint replacement, pooling THAs and TKAs [46]. The assessment of these procedures is standardized and may be done in a similar way using generic tools for both procedures [11,46].…”

Age and Comorbidities Affect Quality of Life in Patients With Osteoarthrtitis and Knee Replacement

“…Although Jones proved that patients > 80 presented 4 ± 2 comorbidities and patients < 80 presented 3.5 ± 2 comorbidities, comorbidity did not have a significant influence on the pain, PF and QOL after TKA and THA (20), as was the case in the current study. On the contrary, Katz (26), Becker (28) and Bourne (29) stated that comorbidity and other factors were the predictors for the outcome of arthroplasty surgery. Therefore, there is controversy on comorbidities and its influence on TKA outcome.…”

CORR Insights®: What Is the Frequency of Noise Generation in Modern Knee Arthroplasty and Is It Associated With Residual Symptoms?

“…Unresolved pain, residual symptoms, functional limitations, any of a number of postoperative complications, overlapping pain from spine or hip disease, and varying patient pain thresholds all may contribute to lingering dissatisfaction [2,9]. Of the various culprits, unmet patient expectations have been reported to be the most important [2].…”

“…Of the various culprits, unmet patient expectations have been reported to be the most important [2]. Noise generation from the joint itself can be disturbing, and can lead to unmet expectations, even though it rarely generates any functional problems.…”