Knee joint replacement / artificial knee joint
Joint Centre Berlin – general information: Surgery

During surgery, the knee joint is first opened. The incision is performed such that the surgeon has a clear view of the surgical field.

This is followed by removal of damaged bone and/or cartilage remnants. The remaining bone is shaped by means of templates ensuring a precise fit with the segments of the artificial knee joint.

Partial replacement or complete knee endoprosthesis

Depending on the extent of osteoarthritis and the degree of damage to the knee joint, a decision is made as to whether partial or complete joint replacement is necessary.

A provisional knee prosthesis is fitted before positioning of the final prosthesis. Prostheses of various sizes are available to the surgeon, depending on the size of the knee joint. The provisional prosthesis serves to determine the optimum position and exact size of the final knee endoprosthesis. This step is important and crucial for the knee’s future mobility and stability.

After that, the appropriate, final prosthesis is implanted and fixed with a bone cement. Highly compatible with the patient’s body, this bone cement takes just a few minutes to harden fully. This allows the installed prosthesis to be subjected to maximum load very soon after the operation.