The first surgical approach for total knee arthroplasty (TKA)

TKA is considered the best surgical treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis involves the progressive loss of articular knee cartilage, and causes pain in the knee and loss of function. Severe arthritis and knee pain are the most common reasons to implant a TKA. This comprises a femoral, a tibial and a patellar component, and a tibial insert. The tibial insert and patellar component are usually made of polyethylene, while cobalt-chromium alloys are generally used for both the femoral and tibial components. The components are usually fixed together using bone cement (polymethylmethacrylate). Recently, the use of oxidized zirconium or ceramic components has been suggested in the development of new TKAs.