Development of a Modern Knee Society Radiographic Evaluation System and Methodology for Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

To accompany the new clinical Knee Society Score, a committee was formed to develop an updated radiographic assessment and evaluation system. The purpose is to accumulate radiographic data in a standardized manner to facilitate more accurate interpretation, documentation and clinical correlation. We systematically reviewed the TKA radiographic evaluation literature as well as the original Knee Society Radiographic Evaluation and Scoring System. A modern system was developed, approved by the Knee Society membership, which ensured proper radiographic documentation of coronal and sagittal implant alignment, fixation interface integrity with respect to radiolucent lines and osteolysis, and a zonal classification system to document precise deficiency locations. It is hoped that data may be accumulated in a standardized manner with eventual formulation of implant risk “criteria” or “scores’.