Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1994 Jun;(303):211-6

Failure of a polyethylene total knee component presenting as a thigh mass. Report of a rare complication of total knee arthroplasty.

Chavda DV, Garvin KL.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198-1080.

Early failure caused by wear of the polyethylene bearing surface of a metal-backed tibial platform or a metal-backed patellar component in a total knee prosthesis has been a recognized complication; patients with these problems initially have pain and instability. A patient who had a cystic mass in the distal thigh was evaluated, and osteolysis of the distal femur was detected. Polyethylene debris and reactive synovium were confirmed surgically and histologically, indicating a cause-effect relationship of polyethylene wear debris and failure of the total knee arthroplasty. Regular and long-term patient follow-up evaluation after total joint arthroplasty is essential for the detection of early evidence of occult polyethylene wear.

PMID: 8194236 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]