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The Female Knee: Anatomic Variations and the Female-specific Total Knee Design

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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

An Erratum to this article was published on 03 December 2008

Abstract

The concept and need for a gender-specific or female-specific total knee prosthesis have generated interest and discussion in the orthopaedic community and the general public. This concept relies on the assumption of a need for such a design and the opinion that there are major anatomic differences between male and female knees. Most of the information regarding this subject has been disseminated through print and Internet advertisements, and through direct-to-patient television and magazine promotions. These sources and a recent article in a peer-reviewed journal, which support the need for a female-specific implant design, have proposed three gender-based anatomic differences: (1) an increased Q angle, (2) less prominence of the anterior medial and anterior lateral femoral condyles, and (3) reduced medial-lateral to anterior-posterior femoral condylar aspect ratio. We examined the peer-reviewed literature to determine whether women have had worse results than men after traditional TKAs. We found women have equal or better results than men. In addition, we reviewed the evidence presented to support these three anatomic differences. We conclude the first two proposed differences do not exist, and the third is so small that it likely has no clinical effect.

Level of Evidence: Level IV, systematic review. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 124 Marvin Avenue, Los Altos, CA, 94022, USA

    Alan C. Merchant MD

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Elizabeth A. Arendt MD

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Scott F. Dye MD

  4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Michael Fredericson MD

  5. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical School, New York, NY, USA

    Ronald P. Grelsamer MD

  6. Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopaedics, Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Wayne B. Leadbetter MD

  7. Mountaineer Orthopedic Specialists, LLC, Morgantown, WV, USA

    William R. Post MD

  8. Wayne State University, Warren, MI, USA

    Robert A. Teitge MD

Authors
  1. Alan C. Merchant MD
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  2. Elizabeth A. Arendt MD
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  3. Scott F. Dye MD
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  4. Michael Fredericson MD
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  5. Ronald P. Grelsamer MD
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  6. Wayne B. Leadbetter MD
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  7. William R. Post MD
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  8. Robert A. Teitge MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan C. Merchant MD.

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Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0650-4

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Merchant, A.C., Arendt, E.A., Dye, S.F. et al. The Female Knee: Anatomic Variations and the Female-specific Total Knee Design. Clin Orthop Relat Res 466, 3059–3065 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0536-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0536-5

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