Jason A. Boyd, MD; Ian M. Gradisar, MD
Orthopedics
November/December 2016 – Volume 39 · Issue 6: e1041-e1044
Posted November 29, 2016
DOI: 10.3928/01477447-20160719-01
Abstract
Several orthopedic registries have described the incidence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients who have undergone knee arthroscopy. Patient risk factors may play a role in the conversion rate from knee arthroscopy to TKA. This study quantifies the incidence of conversion of knee arthroscopy to TKA from a US mixed-payer database and describes some common patient risk factors for conversion. The medical records of more than 50 million patients who were treated between 1998 and 2014 were mined with a commercially available software platform. During the study period, a total of 68,090 patients older than 50 years underwent knee arthroscopy for partial meniscectomy, chondroplasty, or debridement. Reported rates of TKA at 1, 2, and 3 years after arthroscopy were 10.1%, 13.7%, and 15.6%, respectively. Obesity, depressive disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and age 70 years and older were associated with increased relative risk of conversion to TKA at 2 years. When obesity was combined individually with the top 5 other risk factors, no combination produced a higher relative risk than that of obesity alone. Patients who were 50 to 54 years of age had the lowest incidence of conversion to TKA (8.3%, P<.001). Men had a lower incidence of conversion to TKA (11.3%) than women (15.8%, P<.001). This information can help surgeons to counsel patients on the incidence of TKA after knee arthroscopy and identify preoperative risk factors that increase risk. [Orthopedics.2016; 39(6):e1041–e1044.]