Kne­e­cap re­pla­ce­ment PFJ pro­sthe­sis Vienna

A PFJ pro­sthe­sis, also known as pa­tell­ofe­mo­ral joint re­pla­ce­ment, is a spe­cial form of knee re­pla­ce­ment in which only the worn area of the pa­tell­ofe­mo­ral joint (the area bet­ween the kne­e­cap and the fe­mur) is re­pla­ced. It is used when the wear or da­mage is li­mi­ted to this area and the re­mai­ning struc­tures of the knee joint are still int­act. This is of­ten the case in pa­ti­ents who suf­fer from se­vere knee pain due to wear and tear in the area of the kneecap. 

The big­gest ad­van­tage of a PFJ pro­sthe­sis is that only the af­fec­ted part of the joint is re­pla­ced, while the rest of the knee re­mains un­touched. This bet­ter pre­ser­ves the na­tu­ral bio­me­cha­nics of the knee, which leads to a more na­tu­ral mo­ve­ment and fas­ter re­co­very. In ad­di­tion, the pro­ce­dure is less in­va­sive, which usually leads to less pain af­ter the ope­ra­tion and a shorter re­ha­bi­li­ta­tion time. 

A PFJ pro­sthe­sis is par­ti­cu­larly sui­ta­ble for pa­ti­ents who suf­fer from iso­la­ted wear of the pa­tell­ofe­mo­ral joint, while the re­mai­ning knee joint parts are still he­althy. These pa­ti­ents of­ten com­plain of pain on the front of the knee, espe­ci­ally du­ring ac­ti­vi­ties such as clim­bing stairs, get­ting up from sit­ting or sport­ing ac­ti­vi­ties. A tho­rough dia­gno­sis is ne­ces­sary to en­sure that no other parts of the knee joint are af­fec­ted and that pa­tell­ofe­mo­ral joint re­pla­ce­ment is the right choice. 

The im­plan­ta­tion of a PFJ pro­sthe­sis is per­for­med via a mi­ni­mally in­va­sive ac­cess to the knee joint. The sur­geon re­mo­ves the da­ma­ged car­ti­lage and bone parts of the pa­tell­ofe­mo­ral joint and re­places them with the pro­sthe­sis, which is spe­ci­ally ad­apted to the af­fec­ted area. This pro­ce­dure re­qui­res great pre­cis­ion to en­sure that the pro­sthe­sis is op­ti­mally po­si­tio­ned and en­su­res smooth func­tio­ning of the knee. 

Re­co­very af­ter im­plan­ta­tion of a PFJ pro­sthe­sis is usually fas­ter than af­ter a to­tal knee re­pla­ce­ment, as the pro­ce­dure is less in­va­sive. Most pa­ti­ents can be­gin light ac­ti­vi­ties wi­thin a few weeks af­ter sur­gery and re­quire about th­ree to six months for a full re­co­very. Tar­ge­ted phy­sio­the­rapy is cru­cial to res­tore knee mo­bi­lity and streng­then the muscles. 

As with any sur­gery, there are risks as­so­cia­ted with im­plan­ta­tion of a PFJ pro­sthe­sis, in­clu­ding in­fec­tions, throm­bo­sis, blood clots, and, in rare ca­ses, pro­blems with pro­sthe­sis po­si­tio­ning. It is also pos­si­ble that other parts of the knee joint may wear out over time, which may re­quire a la­ter to­tal knee re­pla­ce­ment. Tho­rough fol­low-up care and re­gu­lar check-ups are im­portant to de­tect and treat pos­si­ble com­pli­ca­ti­ons early on. 

The life­span of a PFJ pro­sthe­sis can vary, but is usually 10 to 15 ye­ars, de­pen­ding on the pa­ti­en­t’s phy­si­cal ac­ti­vity, the ma­te­rial used, and the exact po­si­tio­ning of the pro­sthe­sis. Re­gu­lar fol­low-up ex­ami­na­ti­ons are cru­cial to mo­ni­tor the pro­sthe­sis and make ad­jus­t­ments if ne­ces­sary to ma­xi­mize its lifespan. 

Yes, a PFJ pro­sthe­sis can be re­pla­ced by a to­tal knee pro­sthe­sis at a la­ter date if ne­ces­sary. This may be ne­ces­sary if the wear ex­tends to other parts of the knee joint. The ad­van­tage of the PFJ pro­sthe­sis is that it can de­lay the ti­ming of a to­tal knee re­pla­ce­ment by in­iti­ally trea­ting only the af­fec­ted area. 

Af­ter the ope­ra­tion, it is im­portant to fol­low the doc­tor’s in­s­truc­tions carefully to sup­port the he­al­ing pro­cess. This in­cludes re­gu­lar par­ti­ci­pa­tion in phy­sio­the­rapy to res­tore mo­bi­lity and strength to the knee, avo­i­ding ex­ces­sive stress and ad­he­ring to the pre­scri­bed re­ha­bi­li­ta­tion me­a­su­res. A he­althy life­style and avo­i­ding risk fac­tors such as obe­sity can also help to pro­long the life of the pro­sthe­sis and en­sure a suc­cessful recovery.