Joint Awareness after Patellofemoral Arthroplasty Evaluated with the Forgotten Joint Score: A Comparison Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the forgotten joint score (FJS) in patients with isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis who underwent patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) versus those who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to analyze the predictors of the FJS after PFA.

Methods: From January 2014 to December 2017, a retrospective cohort study of 56 consecutive patients with isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis underwent PFA and were included in the PFA group. The patients in the PFA group were matched in a 1:1 ratio based on age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and follow-up duration; 56 patients with isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis underwent cruciate-retaining TKA (TKA group). The FJS, range of motion of the knee, and Knee Society Score were assessed at 1 and 3 years postoperatively. In addition, the associations between the potential influencing factors (age, sex, BMI, and preoperative Iwano score of the patellofemoral joint) and the FJS were analyzed using multiple linear regression in the PFA group.

Results: There were no significant differences between the PFA and TKA groups regarding age (P = 0.316), sex (P = 0.832), BMI (P = 0.447), and follow-up duration (P = 0.625). Postoperatively, the range of motion of the knee and Knee Society Score was significantly higher in the PFA group than the TKA group at both follow-up points (P < 0.05). The PFA group had a significantly higher mean FJS than the TKA group at 1 year postoperatively (62.9 ± 12.3 vs 54.1 ± 14.2, P = 0.034) and 3 years postoperatively (63.3 ± 14.1 vs 55.6 ± 16.4, P = 0.042). In the PFA group, multiple linear regression analysis showed that older age was positively correlated with the FJS, while a higher BMI was negatively correlated with the FJS.

Conclusion: The patients with isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis who underwent PFA were more likely to forget the artificial joint and, consequently, may experience a higher degree of satisfaction. In addition, we identified two preoperative patient-related factors (age and BMI) that may predict the FJS after PFA, which might help in chosing the most appropriate operation.

Keywords: Forgotten joint score; Patellofemoral arthroplasty; Patellofemoral osteoarthritis; Total knee arthroplasty.