Stress Fracture of the Lateral Femoral Condyle afterTotal Knee Arthroplasty

Background: This is to assess one of the rare complications after total knee replacement and to assess risk factors of failure.Methods: 11 patients with varus knee and an average age of 67 years underwent TKA between 2005 and 2013. All patients returned with a sudden sharp knee pain, disability to walk and significant decrease in ROM about 4 to 8 weeks after surgery. Radiographic examination revealed a lateral femoral condylar stress fracture.Results: After analyzing the images, we found common characteristics among all patients, which might be attributable to the later fracture including varus deformity> 25, femoral component lateralization, and valgus correction.Conclusion: Surgeons should be aware of the risk factors to consider before, during, and after surgery.

Keywords:

Lateral femoral condylar fracture , Osteoporosis , Severe varus deformity , Stress fracture , Total knee arthroplasty