Rates of knee arthroplasty in patients with a history of arthroscopic chondroplasty: results from a retrospective cohort study utilising the National Hospital Episode Statistics for England

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to analyse the rate of knee arthroplasty in the population of patients with a history of arthroscopic chondroplasty of the knee, in England, over 10 years, with comparison to general population data for patients without a history of chondroplasty.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

English Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data.

PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS

Patients undergoing arthroscopic chondroplasty in England between 2007/2008 and 2016/2017 were identified. Patients undergoing previous arthroscopic knee surgery or simultaneous cruciate ligament reconstruction or microfracture in the same knee were excluded.

OUTCOMES

Patients subsequently undergoing a knee arthroplasty in the same knee were identified and mortality-adjusted survival analysis was performed (survival without undergoing knee arthroplasty). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors associated with knee arthroplasty. Relative risk of knee arthroplasty (total or partial) in comparison to the general population was determined.

RESULTS

Through 2007 to 2017, 157 730 eligible chondroplasty patients were identified. Within 1 year, 5.91% (7984/135 197; 95% CI 5.78 to 6.03) underwent knee arthroplasty and 14.22% (8145/57 267; 95% CI 13.94 to 14.51) within 5 years. Patients aged over 30 years with a history of chondroplasty were 17.32 times (risk ratio; 95% CI 16.81 to 17.84) more likely to undergo arthroplasty than the general population without a history of chondroplasty.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with cartilage lesions of the knee, treated with arthroscopic chondroplasty, are at greater risk of subsequent knee arthroplasty than the general population and for a proportion of patients, there is insufficient benefit to prevent the need for knee arthroplasty within 1 to 5 years. These important new data will inform patients of the anticipated outcomes following this procedure. The risk in comparison to non-operative treatment remains unknown and there is an urgent need for a randomised clinical trial in this population.

Clinical Management in Early OA

Knee osteoarthritis affects an important percentage of the population throughout their life. Several factors seem to be related to the development of knee osteoarthritis including genetic predisposition, gender, age, meniscal deficiency, lower limb malalignments, joint instability, cartilage defects, and increasing sports participation. The latter has contributed to a higher prevalence of early onset of knee osteoarthritis at younger ages with this active population demanding more consistent and durable outcomes. The diagnosis is complex and the common signs and symptoms are often cloaked at these early stages. Classification systems have been developed and are based on the presence of knee pain and radiographic findings coupled with magnetic resonance or arthroscopic evidence of early joint degeneration. Nonsurgical treatment is often the first-line option and is mainly based on daily life adaptations, weight loss, and exercise, with pharmacological agents having only a symptomatic role. Surgical treatment shows positive results in relieving the joint symptomatology, increasing the knee function and delaying the development to further degenerative stages. Biologic therapies are an emerging field showing early promising results; however, further high-level research is required.