Prosthesis Survival

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most successful procedures in orthopedic surgery for treating advanced knee osteoarthritis, providing pain relief, functional recovery, and improved quality of life. Advances in implant design and materials have further enhanced joint kinematics and patient satisfaction. An aging population has increased the number of elderly patients with comorbidities, potentially affecting surgical outcomes and implant longevity. Polyethylene has long been used in knee prostheses; early all-polyethylene tibial components were abandoned due to high wear and failure rates, in favor of metal-backed designs, which became the gold standard. Recently, highly cross-linked ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has renewed interest in all-polyethylene tibial components, although their use remains limited. These implants offer potential advantages, including elimination of locking mechanism failures, reduced backside wear, lower costs, and possibly better load distribution. Evidence from registries, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses shows that 15-year survival of all-polyethylene tibial components is comparable or even superior to metal-backed designs, with no significant differences in clinical-functional outcomes. Additionally, all-poly components are significantly less expensive. Given these findings, increasing their use and evaluating outcomes in Italy is warranted. The aim of the present study is to assess implant survival of the Link Symphoknee prosthesis with an all-polyethylene tibial component, along with clinical-functional outcomes and post-discharge readmission rates in patients treated at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute.

The implantation of artificial hip joints is one of the most frequently performed surgeries. Normally, patients are very satisfied with the results. The MobileLink hip prosthesis system is a CE marked medical device. This means the the safety and performance of the prosthesis ist approved. Aim of the study is to collect clinical data about the outcome of the MobileLink hip prosthesis system under routine condition and to determine the satisfaction of the patients.

Registry of Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute: provides for the regular and systematic collection of all data (clinical and some PROMs) obtained from patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty to which questionnaires are proposed investigating the specific functional sphere of the joints undergoing surgery (Knee injuryOsteoarthritisOutcomeScore (KOOS-PS) and Hip injuryOsteoarthritisOutcomeScore (HOOS-PS) but also the sphere of general health (ShortForm health survey-12 (SF-12) and VisualAnalogueScale (VAS)) , in addition, of course, to the satisfaction rate.