Fixed bearing TKA

In the 1990s, clinical failures were reported with metal-backed tibial and patellar components, in part because of the reduced thickness of UHMWPE that could be accommodated with such designs (Collier et al. 1990). Consequently, all-UHMWPE patellar components are currently more widely used by orthopedic surgeons than metal-backed designs. Today, the FDA recommends a minimum UHMWPE thickness of 6 mm for mefal-backed tibial components. Despite some early setbacks with first-generation thin inserts, fixed-bearing metal-backed UHMWPE tibial components currently represent the standard of care in TKA. 

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