CHANGES IN BONE MINERAL DENSITY AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the change in bone mineral density (BMD) in the first postoperative year in patients that underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) due to primary osteoarthritis of the knee.

Methods: Preoperative and first postoperative year dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of 76 patients with knee osteoarthritis, who undergone surgery between 2016 and 2018 due to the recommendation for TKA, were statistically evaluated in the study.

Results: Of the 19 patients with a normal BMD in the preoperative period, 73.7% ( = 14) continued to have a normal BMD in the postoperative period. Of the 34 patients with a low BMD (osteopenia) in the preoperative period, 91.2% ( = 31) did not show any change, whereas osteoporosis was observed in two patients (5.9%) in the postoperative period. Of the 23 patients with osteoporosis in the preoperative period, 95.7% ( = 22) did not show any change, whereas osteopenia was observed in one patient (4.3%) in the postoperative period. Both the T and Z scores of the spine (L1-L4) and proximal femur showed a slightly positive trend, however, with an insignificant statistical difference ( ≥ 0.05).

Conclusion: Patients that underwent TKA experienced a statistically insignificant bone gain at the spine and proximal femur twelve months after the surgery.