Overview: long-term followup: predicting the success of a total knee arthroplasty.

As the number of total knee arthroplasties performed each year in the United States continues to increase, knowledge of long-term prosthetic performance and implant durability is paramount. A selection of the best total knee replacement system for a given patient should be based on long-term followup studies reviewing, among other parameters, survivorship and complications. The importance of such long-term data should not be underestimated.