Researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Aberdeen followed more than 1,700 patients for 20 years as part of the KAT (Knee Arthroplasty Trial) study, making it the longest randomised controlled trial ever conducted in knee orthopaedics.
Total knee replacement is one of the most common and effective operations performed in the NHS. Although it is generally highly successful, up to one in five patients continue to experience pain or reduced function after surgery. Many of these poor results are thought to relate to the movement between the kneecap and the underlying knee replacement.
One potential solution is kneecap resurfacing, which involves replacing the damaged underside of the kneecap with a smooth artificial surface during knee replacement surgery. However, whether surgeons should routinely perform this procedure has long been debated, and practice varies widely both within the UK and internationally.
The research was a collaboration between the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences and the Nuffield Department of Population Health, both at the University of Oxford, and the Aberdeen Centre for Evaluation (ACE) at the University of Aberdeen.