Abstract
This is Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA); one of the most commonly performed orthopedic procedures to relieve pain and restore mobility in patients with advanced degenerative degeneration of the knee joint, most commonly due to osteoarthritis or trauma. Surgical technique has a big role in the success of TKA with the medial parapatellar and low midvastus approaches being the two most commonly used techniques. For years, the medial parapatellar approach to the knee has been considered the gold standard, offering excellent surgical exposure guaranteeing accurate prosthetic positioning. Unfortunately, this is a far more invasive technique associated with more post-operative pain, muscle disruption and a slower recovery time for patients. However, the low midvastus approach is less traumatizing to the surrounding tissues and therefore is considered more muscle sparing. While there appears to be slightly less joint exposure compared to the medial parapatellar technique, this results in reduced postoperative discomfort and faster early recovery. The goal of the present study was to compare these two approaches in terms of their impact on postoperative outcomes including pain levels, recovery time, and improvement in overall functional improvement. Then, evidence from several clinical studies was analyzed in order to give a full picture of the pros and cons of both approaches. The results help the surgeon decide which surgical technique to select for any given patient’s needs, and also to improve overall longterm results.
Keywords: Arthroplasty, Knee joint degeneration, Low Midvastus, Medial Parapatellar, Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA).