Effect of Patellar Denervation in Total Knee Arthroplasty on Postoperative Anterior Knee Pain

Background: One of the most successful surgical interventions in the past three decades is total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Objectives: To assess the severity of postoperative anterior knee pain following patellar denervation (PD) versus nondenervation in TKA.Patients and Methods: This is a prospective randomized study that was conducted on 52 patients (26 patients with PD and 26 patients without PD) who had surgical intervention for TKA due to osteoarthritis at Orthopedic Surgery Department at Menoufia University Hospital after approval of the Ethics Committee in the period between May 2022 and January 2023.Results: Scores and higher Knee Society Score measurements at preoperative, 9, and 12 months were insignificantly different between both groups, while at 3 and 6 months were significantly increased in denervation than nondenervation (P<0.05).Conclusions: PD may provide early improvements in pain and functional outcomes after TKA, although longer follow-up require further investigation. The findings suggest that PD may provide early improvements in pain and functional outcomes after TKA, although long-term effects require further investigation.