Effect of total knee prosthesis design on patellar tracking and need for lateral retinacular release.

Intraoperative lateral retinacular release (LRR) during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is discouraged, except when LRR is necessary to centralize patellofemoral tracking. This study compares the LRR rates in four designs of total knee implants and correlates how changes in prosthesis design affect LRR rates. 2881 primary TKAs performed by one surgeon using a single surgical technique were reviewed.