At a recent meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons in Dallas, Texas, a paper was presented that reviewed a series of revisions of knee replacements done by five surgeons at three different centers. The group of patients who had had a minimally invasive total knee replacement had a much higher rate of failure in less than12 months, 37% versus a more standard approach 5%. From reviewing this data it appears that the use of minimally invasive total knee replacement can account for a substantial increase in revision of total knees particularly at less than 12 months after surgery. This trend merits further evaluation and underscores the importance of properly aligning and placing the knee replacement and not sacrificing long-term results for a shorter skin incision.
