Results of 2-stage reimplantation for infected total knee arthroplasty.

Optimum treatment of the infected total knee arthroplasty has not been clearly established. To clarify the efficacy of two-stage reimplantation, experience with 66 infected total knee arthroplasties in 64 patients who had been treated with 2-stage reimplantation total knee arthroplasty between September 1980 and October 1993 was reviewed. Of these, 55 knees in 54 patients were available for follow-up examinations at an average of 61.9 months (range, 28-146 months). The initial diagnoses were rheumatoid arthritis (14 knees) and osteoarthritis (41 knees). Reimplantation was successful in 80.0% of knees with low-virulence organisms (coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Streptococcus), 71.4% with polymicrobial organisms, and 66.7% with high-virulence organisms (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Reimplantation was successful in 82% of patients with osteoarthritis and in 54% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (P = .024). The success rate was 92% if infection occurred after primary arthroplasty but only 41% if after multiple previous knee operations (arthroscopy, osteotomy, or revision total knee arthroplasty) (P < .001).