Design of a total knee replacement prosthesis for the Asian population

Abstract

Total knee replacement (TKR) surgery has been touted as a solution to end stage arthritis and is growing at an alarming rate worldwide. Complications are evident and many are the result of inappropriate prosthesis design. In general, Caucasian knees are larger in size compared with Asian knees. Apart from this, due to the difference in culture, religion and practice, a more taxing requirement is imposed on Asian knees in performing daily tasks associated with deep flexion angles. Most commercial TKR systems are designed using morphometrical data of Caucasian knees. It is therefore necessary to ascertain whether these TKR systems are able to fit Asian knees optimally.