The total condylar prosthesis.

Forty knees with total condylar prostheses have been followed for ten years or more. There were five failures, one due to infection and four directly related to either improper selection or technical reasons. Thirty-five knees (87.5%) have a satisfactorily functioning arthroplasty after ten years. There were no loose components and no complete radiolucent lines. Technique and correct alignment are most important and, provided that the operation is correctly performed, conventional polymethyl methacrylate cement fixation is completely adequate. The absence of progressive adverse radiologic changes suggests that knee arthroplasties have a considerable life expectancy.