Does the preoperative radiographic degree of osteoarthritis correlate to results in primary total knee arthroplasty?

The preoperative radiographs of 1,888 patients undergoing 2,759 consecutive total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) performed for osteoarthritis (OA) were retrospectively reviewed to test the hypothesis that patients with less severe OA changes experience less pain relief and lower function scores after TKA. Age at surgery averaged 70.6 years, and follow-up averaged 2.5 years. Preoperatively, pain was independent of an arthritis grade, and this likewise was noted at > or =3 years after surgery. Patients with severe and mild radiographic changes of OA eventually experienced the same degree of function and pain relief after TKA.