Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40739226›Full record

Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025

Preservation of the infrapatellar fat pad during total knee arthroplasty reduces subacute postoperative anterior knee pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Pruk Chaiyakit, Bunpreedee Petcharat, Ittiwat Onklin

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

The trial behind it

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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
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

3 authors.

Pruk ChaiyakitDepartment of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, 681 Samsen Rd Dusit, Bangkok, 10300, Thailand.
Bunpreedee PetcharatDepartment of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, 681 Samsen Rd Dusit, Bangkok, 10300, Thailand.
Ittiwat OnklinDepartment of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, 681 Samsen Rd Dusit, Bangkok, 10300, Thailand. ittiwat@nmu.ac.th.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreservation of the infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with a lower incidence of postoperative anterior knee pain (AKP). However, the comparative efficacy of IPFP preservation remains unclear. The objective of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to compare the incidence of AKP between IPFP preservation and partial excision of the IPFP.

methodsThis prospective RCT included patients with primary varus gonarthrosis < 20° who underwent unilateral computer-assisted TKA between March 2019 and November 2020. Patients were randomly assigned to the partial excision or preservation groups. The intraoperative and postoperative protocols were the same in each group. The incidence and severity of AKP, range of motion (ROM), and modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively and then annually thereafter. The pre- and postoperative Insall-Salvati ratio (ISR) and mechanical alignment (MA) were also evaluated.

resultsA total of 57 patients were included (27 in the partial excision group and 30 in the preservation group). At 1 month postoperatively, the preservation group had a significantly lower incidence of anterior knee pain (AKP) than the partial excision group (33.3% versus 77.8%, p = 0.001). The visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score was also significantly lower in the preservation group at 1 month (1.2 ± 2.0 vs. 2.4 ± 1.6, p < 0.05). However, these differences were not observed at later follow-up time points (3, 6, or 12 months). Modified WOMAC scores, range of motion (ROM), mechanical alignment (MA), and Insall-Salvati ratio (ISR) did not differ significantly between groups at any time point. Although a statistically significant difference in WOMAC score was observed at 6 months, the magnitude of this difference was below the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), indicating limited clinical relevance.

conclusionIPFP preservation during TKA reduced the incidence and severity of subacute postoperative AKP. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I. Trial registration Thai Clinical Trials Registry, TCTR20220215011 Registered 08/02/2022 - Retrospectively registered, https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20220215011 .

Indexed as

Adipose TissueArthroplasty, Replacement, KneeKnee JointOsteoarthritis, KneePatellaPostoperative PainAgedFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementProspective StudiesRange of Motion, ArticularTreatment OutcomeAnterior knee painFat pad excisionFat pad preservationFat pad resectionInfrapatellar fat padResurfaced patella

Identifiers

PMID40739226
PMCPMC12309165

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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.