Functional outcomes of simultaneous bilateral versus unilateral total knee arthroplasty.

Objectives: There is currently no clear consensus on the benefits of performing simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SBTKA) for patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether SBTKA provides equivalent reduction in pain and functional outcome as comparable with unilateral surger­ies (UTKA). Study Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Period: January 2013 and July 2016. Material & Methods. 637 TKAs in 386 consecutive patients, who underwent total knee arthroplasty for bilateral knee osteoarthritis between Patients were split into 2 groups: those who underwent unilateral TKA (n=135) and those who underwent si­multaneous bilateral TKA (n=251). Knee range of motion, Knee Society Scores (KSS) and knee function scores were obtained pre­operatively and 2 or more years postop­eratively. Results: Mean±SD flexion was 111.6°± 8.6° for patients in the bilater­al group and 110.8°± 9.02° for patients in the unilateral group (p=0.34). Mean±SD KSS was 86.4 ± 9.3 in the bilateral group and 85.34 ± 10.5 in the unilateral group (p=0.236). Mean±SD function score was 83.4± 5.4 in the bilateral group and 80.90 ± 7.2 in the unilat­eral group (p<0.0001). Conclusion: In properly selected patients deemed fit for bilateral knee surgery, SBTKA provides significantly better functional outcomes compared to UTKA.