Clinical Comparison of Cruciate Retaining and Posterior Stabilized Total Knee Arthroplasty in Same Patients

The supremacy debate between posterior cruciate-retaining (CR) and posterior stabilized (PS) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has now entered into the 4th decade. Multiple research studies have investigated CR and PS TKAs on the basis of kinematic, clinical, radiographic, and survivorship analysis. Despite arguments in favor of CR or PS TKA designs, several short or mid-term studies have shown no difference in functional outcomes between these two designs. Considering the fact that CR and PS TKA fare equally at short-term and mid-term, the decision to select either design should depend on their long-term survivorship. There have been few long-term survivorship analysis that have directly compared CR and PS TKAs with aseptic revision for any reason as the end point.

These long-term studies of CR and PS TKA have been done independently. A comparison of the results in the same patients eliminates the variability that is introduced by differences in gender, age, weight, comorbidity, bone quality, and activity level and allows for a meaningful comparison of the impact of fixation on the outcome of TKA. However, variability in terms of the preoperative severity of arthritis cannot be eliminated because of the design on both sides is rarely identical.

The purpose of this study was to identify differences in implant survivorship between CR and PS TKAs in patients with osteoarthritis who were younger than 65 years of age and CR implant in one knee and PS implant in the other.