Revision surgery may be considered if a previous total knee surgery has failed. Failure can be due to fracture, infection, mechanical loosening or malpositioning. During revision surgery, some or all of the parts of the original prosthesis are removed and replaced with new ones.
Revision knee replacement surgery is longer and more complex than the original surgery. It requires meticulous preop planning, the use of specialized tools and patience during the procedure to preserve as much bone as possible.
Depending on the type of revision procedure, the orthopedic surgeon might need to remove and replace only one part of the implant or all parts. Often, the surgeon will need to use specialized implants that fit deeper inside the bone and give you extra support. Sometimes, the surgeon also needs to replace parts of the bone with a bone graft or metal pieces.
Many orthopedic surgeons who do knee replacements don’t do revision surgery. Our team at Shelbourne Knee Center has extensive experience with revision knee replacement surgery.