Prostheses for knee joint fractures

Fractures near the knee joint can (rarely) be treated conservatively or by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Both procedures require secondary prostheses, in most cases subsequently. In addition, there is the possibility to treat the injury immediately after the trauma by a primary indication to an earlier prosthesis. The current gold standard of ORIF is accompanied by poor long-term results and has a high complication rate. The specific local problems of the knee joint represent an outcome situation in which the use of a primary prosthesis seems to be a better alternative to ORIF but is a substantially more invasive technique. Therefore, the use of secondary prostheses should be continued for patients under 60-70 years old whereas for older patients with corresponding comorbidities a primary prosthesis is the procedure of choice.