Faculty Bibliography

There is controversy about the incidence of and predisposing factors to the development of peripheral nerve palsy after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In this study, 19 patients with a documented neurologic complication were identified after a retrospective review of 1,476 primary TKAs performed between January 1970 and December 1998 at the New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University, for an overall incidence of 1.3%. Contrary to previously published data, valgus deformity, flexion contracture, the use of postoperative epidural anesthesia, the prolonged use of pneumatic tourniquets, and preexisting neuropathy were not associated with the development of peripheral neuropathy after TKA based on our data. A larger percentage of rheumatoid knees experienced a neurologic injury than was expected, however. No other significant risk factors for peripheral neuropathy after TKA were identified based on data from our patients. Immediately after discovery of the nerve palsy, conservative treatment was employed for each of our patients. All patients showed at least a partial recovery at the end of follow-up, with most experiencing a complete recovery from symptoms.

The study reviewed the literature to appraise the quality, quantity, and type of economic evaluation as it pertains to the knee arthroplasty literature. A computerized bibliographic search of MEDLINE from 1966-1996 was conducted, revealing a total of 43,178 articles dealing with cost analysis, of which 1611 were orthopedic. Of the economic orthopedic studies, only 63 dealt with the topic of knee arthroplasty. These studies were retrieved, of which only 40 papers met the inclusion criteria. These 40 studies were evaluated for methodological soundness based on established economic principles. None of the 40 studies met the established criteria to form a comprehensive economic evaluation. These results indicate that the orthopedic literature is lacking in economically sound evaluations, and guidelines are offered to aid orthopedists in appraising and improving the quality of economic studies.