A Rare Presentation of Patella Button Aseptic Loosening After a Total Knee Replacement Without Evidence of Radiographic Loosening

Hak Lian Teh; Ahmad Fauzey Kassim; Suresh Chopra; Veenesh Selvaratnam

doi:10.7759/cureus.34665

A Rare Presentation of Patella Button Aseptic Loosening After a Total Knee Replacement Without Evidence of Radiographic Loosening

Cureus. 2023 Feb 6;15(2):e34665. doi: 10.7759/cureus.34665. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

Hak Lian Teh¹, Ahmad Fauzey Kassim², Suresh Chopra², Veenesh Selvaratnam³

Affiliations

¹ Exeter Hip Unit and Exeter Knee Reconstruction Unit, Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre, Royal Devon and Exeter National Health Service Foundation Trust, Exeter, GBR.
² Arthroplasty Unit, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar, MYS.
³ National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence in Research and Learning, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, MYS.

Abstract

Patella resurfacing in total knee replacement (TKR) has been shown to reduce the rate of anterior knee pain, but there are complications from patella resurfacing. A 54-year-old male underwent a left primary TKR with patella resurfacing 15 years ago. He developed spontaneous progressive anterior knee pain for six months. At revision surgery, his patella button was found to be loose. Loosening of a three-peg patella button is rare. A high index of suspicion of patella button loosening should be suspected in patients who present with anterior knee pain after patella resurfacing.

Keywords: anterior knee pain; patella button loosening; patella resurfacing; three-peg patella button; total knee replacement.

Publication types

Case Reports