Total knee arthroplasty performed after tibial plateau fracture has a known high rate of complications. We hypothesized TKAs
performed after infected tibial plateau fractures would have an even higher complication rate when compared with noninfected
tibial plateau fractures. In a matched case-control study, we retrospectively reviewed 19 patients who underwent primary TKAs
after infected tibial plateau fractures between 1971 and 2005. The mean time from the most recent infection to arthroplasty
was 5.6 years. The minimum clinical followup after TKA was 2 years (mean, 6.4 years; range, 2–15.1 years). Case patients were
matched for age, gender, and arthroplasty year with 19 control subjects who underwent TKAs for tibial plateau fractures with
no history of infections. After surgery, the Knee Society scores for the study group improved from 45 to 63 for pain and from
37 to 63 for function. Ten case patients (53%) sustained complications, including surgery for wound breakdown (three), manipulation
(one), aseptic loosening (two), definitive resection arthroplasty (two), and above-knee amputation (two). Recurrent infections
occurred in five patients (26%) at a mean of 1.1 years. Previously infected knees were 4.1 times more likely to require additional
procedures compared with knees with no previous infection.
Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
One of the authors (ADH) has received research or institutional support from Stryker Orthopaedics, Mahway, NJ; DePuy Orthopaedics,
Inc, Warsaw, IN; and Zimmer, Inc, Warsaw, IN; and has received royalties from Stryker.
Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations
were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.