Factors leading to low incidence of deep vein thrombosis after cementless and cemented total knee arthroplasty.

Factors contributing to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were studied in 51 patients (62 knees) who had a cementless total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and in 51 patients (69 knees) who had a cemented TKA. All patients were treated with a primary TKA using a porous-coated anatomic prosthesis with a porous-coated central tibial stem. Deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed by roentgenographic venography, and pulmonary embolism was diagnosed by perfusion lung scanning. Incidence of DVT was 32%, and there was no pulmonary embolism. The factors that do not seem to have much relevancy to DVT were advanced age, orthopedic disease, one- or two-staged bilateral TKA, venous anatomic variations, number of venous valves, coagulation assay data, hypertension, tourniquet time, choice of cementless or cemented TKA, severity or duration of operation, amount of blood loss, and amount of blood transfused. Conversely, more immediate relevant factors were obesity, postoperative prolonged immobilization, earlier venous disease, and hyperlipidemia.