Treatment of the neuropathic knee by arthroplasty.

The neuropathic joint is one of the most difficult management problems in orthopaedic practice. The surgeon is often referred the patient late in the course of the disease, when there has been marked joint destruction so that non-operative measures are not suitable. We report a case of a severely deformed neuropathic knee joint, for which an uncemented total knee replacement was performed. The rationale for use of this procedure instead of arthrodesis, and discussion of the condition follow.