Patella Resurfacing in Total Knee Arthroplasty: An Admonition of Common Sense

During total knee arthroplasty, the patella can be resurfaced or left un-resurfaced. Two decades ago, the complications of prosthetic resurfacing such as wear of a metal-backed component, stress fracture and loosening made selective non-resurfacing an attractive option in osteoarthritic patients. Today, the advent of better patellar prosthetic designs and surgical techniques along with favorable comparative re-operation rates make universal patellar resurfacing the logical choice except, perhaps, in the young, heavy, active patient who retains sufficient patellar articular cartilage.

Keywords: patella, resurfacing, total knee