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Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2006; 10(1): 047-063
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-934216
Copyright © 2006 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Imaging of Total Knee Arthroplasty

Kevin R. Math1 , 2 , Syed Furqan Zaidi1 , 2 , Catherine Petchprapa1 , 2 , Steven F. Harwin3 , 4
  • 1Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY
  • 2Department of Radiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
  • 3Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY
  • 4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
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Publication History

Publication Date:
03 March 2006 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Painful total knee arthroplasty (TKA) represents a diagnostic challenge for the clinician and radiologist, as there is a wide variety of potential etiologies, with a broad range of clinical presentations, and the abnormalities on imaging studies are often subtle, absent, or nonspecific. Imaging findings of normal TKA are reviewed, in addition to a variety of complications such as loosening, infection, instability, osteolysis, heterotopic ossification, extensor mechanism disruption, and fracture. Although imaging evaluation of painful TKA is usually limited to conventional radiographs and nuclear imaging, examples of the utility of computed tomography are also illustrated, and suggested imaging strategies and algorithms are discussed.

KEYWORDS

Total knee arthroplasty - complications - total knee replacement - joint replacement

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Kevin R MathM.D. 

Chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Division of Musculoskeletal Radiology

Beth Israel Medical Center, 435 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10010