Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39126268›Full record

ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2025

Weight-bearing pain and implant migration, progressive radiolucencies, radiolucency more than 2 mm and subsidence on radiographs and CT are generally accepted criteria for knee arthroplasty loosening: An international Delphi consensus study.

George S Buijs, Arthur J Kievit, Matthias U Schafroth, Michael T Hirschmann, Leendert Blankevoort, International Consensus Panel

Abstract readConsensus Statement
In one paragraph

Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

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  4. A structured framework for standardized 3D leg alignment analysis: An international Delphi consensus study.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

George S BuijsDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sport Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3550-3380
Arthur J KievitDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sport Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Matthias U SchafrothDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sport Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Michael T HirschmannDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Kantonsspital Baselland (Bruderholz, Liestal, Laufen), Bruderholz, Switzerland.
Leendert BlankevoortDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sport Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
International Consensus Panel

Funding

This study was funded by an internal TKI-PPP grant from the Amsterdam University Medical Centre. Allowance made available by Health-Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeEstablishing the diagnosis of loosening in total or unicondylar knee arthroplasty remains a challenge with different clinical and radiological signs evaluated in study designs with high risk of bias, where few or incomplete criteria are formulated for establishing the diagnosis of implant loosening. This study aimed at evaluating the variability between different clinical and radiological criteria and establish a consensus regarding clinical and radiological criteria for the diagnosis of knee arthroplasty loosening.

methodsHighly specialized knee surgeons focusing on revision arthroplasty were invited to take part in an international panel for a Delphi consensus study. In the first round, the participants were asked to state their most important clinical and radiological criteria for implant loosening. In a second round, the panel's agreement with the collected criteria was rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1-5). High variability was defined by receiving at least one score each indicating complete disagreement and complete agreement. Consensus was established when over 70% of participants rated a criterion as 'fully agree' (5) or 'mostly agree' (4).

resultsHigh variability was observed in 56% of clinical criteria and 38% of radiological criteria. A consensus was reached on one clinical (weight-bearing pain [82%]) and four radiological criteria, that is, implant migration, progressive radiolucencies, subsidence and radiolucencies >2 mm on X-ray or computed tomography (CT) (84%-100%).

conclusionAmongst specialized knee revision surgeons, there is high variability in clinical and radiological criteria that are seen as important contributing factors to diagnosis of knee implant loosening. A consensus was reached on weight-bearing pain as clinical criterion and on implant migration, progressive radiolucencies, subsidence and radiolucencies of more than 2 mm on X-ray or CT as radiological criteria. The variability rates observed, along with the criteria that reached consensus, offer important insights for the standardization of diagnostic protocols. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

Indexed as

Arthroplasty, Replacement, KneeKnee ProsthesisProsthesis FailureDelphi TechniqueHumansRadiographyReoperationTomography, X-Ray ComputedWeight-Bearingaseptic looseningclinical signsconsensusCTknee arthroplastyradiographs

Identifiers

PMID39126268
PMCPMC11848956

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.