Overall , there was a notable enhancement of joint function after the procedure , with a satisfactory mid- and long-term survival of the ceramic components , which is comparable to that of the conventional alloy components reported previously .
However , revision due to aseptic loosening , wear , and component fracture appeared to be rare , demonstrating the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in the TKA procedure .
Conclusions Ceramic TKA implants show similar post-operative clinical results and survival rate compared to their conventional metallic counterparts .
Our results confirmed the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in TKA , with rare implant breakage and aseptic loosening .
Purpose Ceramic bearings have been widely used in total hip arthroplasty ( THA ) , which result ed in satisfactory clinical outcomes due to the excellent tribological characteristics of the implants .
However , ceramic components are not commonly used in total knee arthroplasty ( TKA ) because of brittleness .
This study aim ed to gather and analyze information regarding the clinical outcomes ( including survival without revision , causes of revision , functional outcome , and incidence of loosening ) and reach a definitive conclusion about the use of ceramic femoral components in total knee arthroplasty .
Prospective multi-centre study on a composite ceramic femoral component in total knee arthroplasty: Five-year clinical and radiological outcomes.
BACKGROUND Enhanced wear resistance of ceramics in general and improved mechanical characteristics of composite ceramics in terms of strength and resistance meet the dem and s for application in TKA . The aim of this prospect i ve international multi-centre study was to evaluate the 5-year clinical and radiological outcomes of an unconstrained TKA with a composite ceramic femoral component . METHODS A total of 107 patients ( 109 knees ) underwent TKA with the MULTIGEN-PLUS Ceramic Knee at seven centres in three European countries .  Clinical and radiological assessment s were performed preoperatively and postoperatively at 3 , 12 , 24 and 60 months , using HSS , WOMAC , SF-36 and st and ardised radiographs . RESULTS Mean HSS and WOMAC increased significantly from 55.1±11.5 ( 21 - 83 ) and 48.1±16.6 ( 3 - 90 ) preoperatively to 85.6±9.6 ( 49 - 98 ) and 73.3±20.4 ( 17 - 100 ) at 60 months . Mean SF-36 showed significant improvements in patients ' quality of life ( 49.1±17.6 ( 12 - 96 ) preoperatively versus 67.7±23.1 ( 12 - 100 ) at 60 months ) . Non-progressive radiolucent lines ( < 1 mm ) were observed around the femoral component in four cases . Neither implant migration nor loosening were registered . Kaplan-Meier survivorship was 96.0 % at 60 months ( 92.1 - 100 % , CI 95 % ) . CONCLUSIONS Five-year implant survival rate of the ceramic knee is comparable to other metallic and ceramic unconstrained TKA systems . Although the assessment of long-term implant survivorship is still pending , the ceramic implants represent a promising solution for patients with allergies against metallic components and furthermore for the general osteoarthritis population due to enhanced wear resistance
Overall , there was a notable enhancement of joint function after the procedure , with a satisfactory mid- and long-term survival of the ceramic components , which is comparable to that of the conventional alloy components reported previously .
However , revision due to aseptic loosening , wear , and component fracture appeared to be rare , demonstrating the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in the TKA procedure .
Conclusions Ceramic TKA implants show similar post-operative clinical results and survival rate compared to their conventional metallic counterparts .
Our results confirmed the safety of in vivo use of ceramic bearings in TKA , with rare implant breakage and aseptic loosening .
Purpose Ceramic bearings have been widely used in total hip arthroplasty ( THA ) , which result ed in satisfactory clinical outcomes due to the excellent tribological characteristics of the implants .
However , ceramic components are not commonly used in total knee arthroplasty ( TKA ) because of brittleness .
This study aim ed to gather and analyze information regarding the clinical outcomes ( including survival without revision , causes of revision , functional outcome , and incidence of loosening ) and reach a definitive conclusion about the use of ceramic femoral components in total knee arthroplasty .