All-polyethylene and metal-backed tibias have similar outcomes at 10 years: a randomized level I [corrected] evidence study.

The advantages of a monoblock design and lower cost have generated renewed interest in all-polyethylene tibial components for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized an all-polyethylene design would function equivalently to a metal-backed modular design at lower cost and at long-term followup. We report the 8- to 12-year followup of our earlier reported prospective randomized comparison of a modern congruent all-polyethylene tibial component with a modular metal-backed tibial component of the same design.