A June 2022 paper (1) suggests that in clinical practice, many patients complained that their knees became larger after total knee arthroplasty, yet no studies have described this phenomenon. The study authors then named this as “patient-perceived enlargement of knee.”
In this study the researchers reviewed patients that underwent unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty between May 2018 and April 2019. They investigated the prevalence of “patient-perceived enlargement of knee” and acquired functional scores and satisfaction. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they complained of “patient-perceived enlargement of knee.”
A total of 389 patients were enrolled and 101 patients felt their knee became “larger” after total knee arthroplasty. Patients with patient-perceived enlargement of knee had significantly shorter height and lower weight, yet component size distribution showed no statistical difference. Patients with patient-perceived enlargement of knee had significantly lower functional scores and satisfaction.
1 Zheng H, Shao H, Tang Q, Guo S, Yang D, Zhou Y. Patient-perceived knee enlargement after total knee arthroplasty: prevalence, risk factors, and association with functional outcomes and radiological analysis. International Orthopaedics. 2022 Mar 29:1-8.