Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty for Simple Distal Femoral Fractures in Elderly Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

PURPOSE Primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be an alternative method for treating distal femoral fractures in elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results in patients with knee osteoarthritis who underwent TKA with the Medial Pivot prosthesis for distal femoral fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eight displaced distal femoral fractures in 8 patients were treated with TKA using the Medial Pivot prosthesis and internal fixation. The radiographic and clinical evaluations were performed using simple radiographs and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee scores during a mean follow-up period of 49 months. RESULTS All fractures united and the mean time to radiographic union was 15 weeks. The mean range of motion of the knee joint was 114.3° and the mean HSS knee score was 85.1 at the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Based on the radiographic and clinical results, TKA with internal fixation can be considered as an option for the treatment of simple distal femoral fractures in elderly patients who have advanced osteoarthritis of the knee with appropriate bone stock.