REVIEWS   

Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica 2008 August;59(4):241-52

Copyright © 2008 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Review of biomaterials in total knee arthroplasty

Jayabalan P. ¹, Sonny Bal B. ²

¹ Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA 2 Department of Orthopedic Surgery University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

Important advancements have come over the past 15 years in our knowledge of the fabrication of total knee implants, resulting in optimistic projections of the long-term results from total knee arthroplasty. At present, one of the principal reasons for failure of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is wear the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) insert. Attempts to alleviate this problem have focused on highly on improved biomaterials such as highly cross-linked PE, ceramic materials, and alternative metals such as tantalum. The authors review recent developments in the field of biomaterials as applied to total TKA.