Time Between Knee Arthroscopy and Arthroplasty Tied With Complications Risk

Researchers have identified a relationship between the interval from knee arthroscopy to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and the risk of postoperative complications, according to a study presented by Safa C. Fassihi, MD, from New York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital, at the 2021 AAOS Annual Meeting.

Dr. Fassihi and investigators analyzed insurance data between 2006 and 2017 for 132,889 patients who underwent TKA with or without previous knee arthroscopy. In the group, 8.863 patients (5.1%) underwent knee arthroscopy in the two years before TKA.

The authors then further stratified patients in the arthroscopy group by timing between arthroscopy and TKA: under three months, three to six months, six to nine months, nine to 12 months, and 12 to 24 months.

In univariate and multivariate analyses, the authors observed a trend toward increased risk of complications in patients who underwent TKA within nine months of arthroscopy. Patients with a shorter interval between arthroscopy and TKA also had a higher likelihood of undergoing revision surgery.

The risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) was also higher in those who underwent TKA within nine months of arthroscopy – a risk that increased as the interval between procedures decreased. Dr. Fassihi noted that more research is needed to understand the relationship between previous arthroscopy and post-TKA PJI.