PAINFUL KNEE AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY IS NOT A FREQUENT COMPLICATION AND COULD BE TREATED BY ARTHROSCOPIC DEBRIDEMENT

From October 2005 to March 2014, we performed 46 arthroscopic surgeries for painful knee after knee arthroplasty. We excluded 16 cases for this study such as, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, infection, patellar clunk syndrome, patellofemoral synovial hyperplasia, aseptic loosening, and follow-up period after arthroscopic surgery less than 6 months. Thirty cases matched the criteria. They had knee pain longer than 6 months after initial total knee arthroplasty (TKA), they had marked tenderness at medial and/or lateral tibiofemoral joint space, and also they complained walking pain with or without resting pain. Twenty one cases had initial TKA at our institute. In consideration of total number of TKA (n=489) in the period at our institute, incident rate of painful knee after initial TKA was 4.3%. Of 30 cases, 3 cases were male, and 27 cases were female. Types of implant were 4 in cruciate retaining type, 1 in cruciate substituting type, and 25 in posterior stabilized type. Age at the arthroscopy was 72 years old (51–87 years old), and period form initial TKA to pain perception was 18 months(1 – 144 months), and period from initial TKA to arthroscopic surgery was 29 months (6 – 125 months), and follow-up period after arthroscopy was 36 months (6 – 93 months). All arthroscopic debridement were performed through 3 portals, anteromedial, anterolateral, and proximal superomedial portal. Scar tissue impingements more than 5 mm wide were found in 87% of the cases both medial and lateral femorotibial joint spaces. Infrapatellar fat pad were covered with whitish scar tissue in all cases, and the scar tissue were connecting with the scar tissue which found at medial or lateral femorotibial joint spaces. We removed all scar tissue with motorized shaver or punches. At final follow-up, complete pain free in 63%, marked improvement in 3%, half improvement in 20%, slight improvement in 3%, and no change in 10% of the cases. Previously in the literatures, two reasons of the pain after total knee arthroplasty had been reported, patellar clunk syndrome, and patellar synovial hyperplasia. All cases reported this study had marked tenderness at tibiofemoral joint space. It was difficult to explain the tenderness by previously reported pathological mechanisms. We had to find another pathological mechanism to explain the pain of our cases. Painful knee due to scar tissue formation known as “infrapatellar contracture syndrome” after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery was previously reported. We hypothesized similar scar tissue formation should occur after TKA that caused painful knee. Continuity of the solid scar tissue between infrapatellar fat pad with the scar tissue at tibiofemoral joint space should be the cause of impingement at femorotibial joint even small size of scar tissue. From this study, we have to recognize that painful knee after TKA is not infrequent complication. And, if we could deny infection, and aseptic loosening in painful knee after TKA, arthroscopic debridement was good option to solve the pain. We could expect improvement of the pain more than half in 87% of cases.