Knee Failure Mechanisms After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Total knee arthroplasty is a highly successful procedure, with the percentage of patients requiring revision rela-tively small. However, when considering the large num-ber of these procedures performed annually, this small percentage of failures constitutes a significant number of patients. Failure of total knee arthroplasty is devastating to the patient, frustrating for the surgeon, and comes at a significant cost to the healthcare system. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms of failure in knee arthroplasty. The leading causes include polyethyl-ene wear, loosening, instability, and infection. It is im-portant to recognize each mode of failure not only to appropriately diagnose and treat patients, but also to im-prove the future success of total knee arthroplasty