Bicruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty: State of the Art for the Younger and Active Population? A Systematic Review and Future Prospective

Abstract

(1) Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a well-established surgical treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis. While no leading factor can be identified, the high frequency of patient dissatisfaction (20%) pertains to several key features such as preoperative expectations and postoperative improvement in knee function. Bicruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty (BCR-TKA) may improve kinematics and lead to improved clinical outcome in the higher-demanding patients. (2) Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed to assess the best available preclinical and clinical literature on BCR-TKA for kinematics and clinical outcome and adverse events such as implant loosening. Articles were screened using predefined in- and exclusion criteria. The guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) were used. (3) Results: The literature search resulted in 352 articles which were screened for title and abstract. After application of the in- and exclusion criteria, 13 preclinical and 30 clinical articles were included. The methodological quality of studies was low, including mainly level IV studies. (4) Conclusions: This is the first report that provides a systematic description of the broad available preclinical and clinical literature on BCR-TKA. It underlines the current interest in improving kinematics and clinical outcome based on a more anatomical TKA design. The current review demonstrates the low methodological quality of clinical trials that have investigated BCR-TKA. Currently, there are insufficient data to support broad (“state of the art”) implantation of BCR-TKA. Preclinical and clinical research suggest, however, that the design has a potential benefit to achieve improved kinematics in the young and active arthroplasty patient and warrants future research for new-generation designs with optimal (tibial) fixation and reproducible (robot or navigated) surgical placement.