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@edward-olive via Canva
In 2019, the Total or Partial Knee Arthroplasty Trial (TOPKAT) study, led by researchers at NDORMS, found that after 5 years, partial knee replacement (PKR) showed similar, if not better, outcomes than total replacement (TKR). But the research horizon was extended to ten years to study whether the longer-term quality of life outlook for patients could be assessed.
Now, with 10 years of data, researchers have found that patients who underwent PKR and TKR had similar long-term pain relief, function, and quality of life outcomes.
Chief investigator David Beard, Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences at NDORMS said: ‘This is the first large, randomised trial to report 10-year outcomes for partial versus total knee replacement. With no significant difference seen in patient-reported knee function, satisfaction, re-operations, or revision rates between the two procedures at 10 years, we can now confidently say that both operations are effective and durable.’
The study involved a multidisciplinary team from NDORMS and the Aberdeen Centre for Evaluation at the University of Aberdeen, with support from the Oxford Surgical Intervention Trials Unit (SITU). It followed more than 500 patients across 27 NHS hospitals for 10 years. They were asked questions about knee pain and function, the economic cost of the treatment, and healthcare.