Letter to the editor: Web-based information on minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE To evaluate information available on the internet regarding minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS The 3 most popular search engines (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) were used to search the keyword 'minimally invasive knee replacement'. The top 50 websites from each search engine were evaluated for authorship and contents; duplicate websites were not double-counted. RESULTS Of the 150 websites, 51% were authored by a hospital/university, 26% by private medical groups, 14% were news stories, and 9% were from orthopaedic industry sources. 73% offered the opportunity to make an appointment. 18% described the surgical technique, whereas only 9% explained patient eligibility. 25% described the risks, whereas only 3% made reference to peer-reviewed publications. >82% made specific claims regarding the advantages of minimally invasive surgery. CONCLUSION Most websites providing minimally invasive TKA information were insufficient in terms of explaining surgical technique, patient eligibility, and assoicated risks.