Indication criteria for total hip or knee arthroplasty in osteoarthritis: a state-of-the-science overview

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 463
• Main Authors: Gademan, Maaike G J, Hofstede, Stefanie N, Vliet Vlieland, Thea P M, Nelissen, Rob G H H, Marang-van de Mheen, Perla J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 09.11.2016
• Subjects: Arthritis; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip - instrumentation; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip - standards; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - instrumentation; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - standards; Decision making; Female; Hip Prosthesis; Humans; Joint replacement surgery; Knee Prosthesis; Male; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal diseases; Orthopedics; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Hip - diagnostic imaging; Osteoarthritis, Hip - surgery; Osteoarthritis, Knee - diagnostic imaging; Osteoarthritis, Knee - surgery; Pain Management - methods; Pain Measurement; Patient Selection; Patients; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Radiography; Reoperation; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/s12891-016-1325-z

This systematic review gives an overview of guidelines and original publications as well as the evidence on which the currently proposed indication criteria are based. Until now such a state-of-the-science overview was lacking. Websites of orthopaedic and arthritis organizations (English/Dutch language) were independently searched by two authors for THA/TKA guidelines for OA. Furthermore, a systematic search strategy in several databases through August 2014 was performed. Quality of the guidelines was assessed with the AGREE II instrument, which consists of 6 domains (maximum summed score of 6 indicating high quality). Also, the level of evidence of all included studies was assessed. We found 6 guidelines and 18 papers, out of 3065 references. The quality of the guidelines summed across 6 domains ranged from 0.46 to 4.78. In total, 12 THA, 10 TKA and 2 THA/TKA indication sets were found. Four studies stated that no evidence-based indication criteria are available. Indication criteria concerning THA/TKA consisted of the following domains: pain (in respectively 11 and 10 sets), function (12 and 7 sets), radiological changes (10 and 9 sets), failed conservative therapy (8 and 4 sets) and other indications (6 and 7 sets). Specific cut-off values or ranges were often not stated and the level of evidence was low. The indication criteria for THA/TKA are based on limited evidence. Empirical research is needed, especially regarding domain specific cut-off values or ranges at which the best postoperative outcomes are achieved for patients, taking into account the limited lifespan of a prosthesis.