The Ewha Medical Journal
Ewha Womans University School of Medicine
Case Report

Bilateral Total Knee Replacement: A Case Report

Kap Taik Kim, Jin Man Wang, Chung Nam Kang, Ki Hong Choi
Corresponding author: Ki Hong Choi. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Korea.

Copyright ⓒ 1983. Ewha Womans University School of Medicine. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published Online: Jul 24, 2015

Abstract

Management of bed-ridden patients with polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis poses a considerable challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon. Current techniques of total joint replacement provide for the potential restoration of joint function in patients previously considered inoperable due to far-advanced joint destruction. Because many patients with far advanced polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis will predictably require more than one total joint replacement before an improved functional status will occur, the question of multiple joint replacement arises. We have had a bilateral total kneereplacement in the chronic polyarticular rheumatoid patient. Three years after the operation, the patient has slight pain and motion of full extension to 90'flexion. Bilateral total knee replacement improved mobility and reduced pain in this patient.

Keywords: Total knee replacement; Bilateral