Hypoallergenic Knee Implant Usage and Clinical Outcomes: Are They Safe and Effective?

Background

One of the most debated topics in modern total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the impact of metal hypersensitivity (MH) as a potential cause of prosthesis failure. Implanting hypoallergenic prostheses to avoid potential problems in suspected cases of MH is one treatment option that can be used in such cases. However, their long-term clinical safety and efficacy are not well proven.

Methods

All literature relevant to modern hypoallergenic implants were reviewed and summarized to provide a comprehensive synopsis. In addition, a detailed literature search was performed on PUBMED, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar to identify all the clinical studies reporting outcomes for hypoallergenic knee implants. Our search was confined to those studies published as full manuscripts in the English language from July 2018 to July 2023.

Results

To minimize the risk of MH, new implant variants have been developed which are either under clinical evaluation or in routine clinical use. These include conventional metal implants with protective coatings (mono- or multilayer) and metal-free implants. However, there is insufficient clinical data to confirm the rationale and effectiveness of using these “hypoallergenic” TKA implants.

Conclusions

Published studies and arthroplasty registry data analyses indicate no significant differences between hypoallergenic and standard TKAs with overall good survival rates. In the future, further high-quality studies are needed to better understand the complexity of this subject.