Successive bilateral total knee replacement.

We studied the results of 304 posterior stabilized condylar knee arthroplasties, performed over a two and a half-year period, to compare unilateral, bilateral one-stage, and bilateral staged arthroplasty. The minimum length of clinical follow-up was two years. Using The Hospital for Special Surgery rating system, we found the clinical results to be identical for all three groups. The medical complications were similar in each group except that there was a higher incidence of thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism, as seen venographically, in the patients with staged procedures. We concluded that one-stage bilateral knee arthroplasty is preferable in a patient who requires replacement for severely arthritic knees.