Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty: Does Surgical Technique Actually Impact the Outcome?

A surgical approach to total knee arthroplasty has been at the forefront of many conversations. Surgeons used the medial parapatellar approach for its familiarity of anatomy, reliability, and ability to convert to a more extensile approach. This article reviews the current literature and information regarding the effect of surgical approach on patients' outcomes. The results of the limited medial parapatellar, subvastus, midvastus, and quadriceps-sparing approaches were analyzed. All techniques can provide adequate exposure with successful outcomes. It is recommended that a surgeon perform the approach with which they are most comfortable, because that will likely yield the best patient outcome.