Open Access

Purpose. Metallic resurfacing implants have been developed for the treatment of early, focal, small, condylar and trochlear osteoarthritis (OA) lesions. They represent an option for patients who are either too young to fulfill the criteria for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or too old for biological treatment. Although relevant clinical evidence has been collected for different resurfacing types, the in vivo post-operative knee kinematics remains unknown. The present study aims to measure and analyse the knee joint kinematics in subjects with patient-specific Episealer implants Methods. Retrospective study design. Fluoroscopic analyses during high flexion activities (unloaded flexion-extension and loaded lunge) were conducted at >12 months post-surgery in ten Episealer knees. The post-operative knee joint kinematics was compared to equally assessed kinematic from ten healthy knees, twenty G-Curve TKA knees and 10 J-Curve knees. Pre- and postoperative clinical data of the Episealer knees were collected using a visual analog scale (VAS), the EQ 5d Health Questionnaire and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Results. During unloaded flexion-extension and loaded lunge, the medial condyle in the Episealer knees remained relative stationary, indicating a medial pivot, while the lateral condyle translated consistently towards posterior. Similarly, reduced movement of the medial condyle and posterior translation of the lateral condyle was also observed in the healthy knees, although to a lesser extent. In contrast, the kinematics of both TKA cohorts during unloaded flexion-extension showed a tendency towards anterior displacement in the medial compartment, which led to significant differences in comparison with the Episealer knees. In the lateral compartment, a certain degree of femoral rollback was noted in the G-Curve TKA cohort. Improved scores were observed in the Episealer subjects between the preoperative and 1-year postoperative follow-up. Conclusion. At 12 months postsurgery, a physiological-like knee kinematics was observed in the group of patient-specific reconstructed chondral/osteochondral lesions by means of a resurfacing Episealer implant strategy. Considering that these patients are physically active and do not fulfill the criteria for TKA, the group is hard to be compared to TKA patients which usually are less active and more challenging. Nevertheless, the comparison to either healthy knee kinematics as well as to TKA reconstructed knees with different implant designs showed a more physiological-like kinematics in the resurfacing implants that seems more appropriate for such a patient group. Despite positive results, careful clinical follow-up of treated patients is recommended for the long-term OA progression. Further investigations need to be encouraged not only in larger patient groups but also in a prospective manner to assess the pre- to postoperative kinematic changes.