A Recession of Posterior Cruciate Ligament in Posterior Cruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthrosplasty

The range of motion, the stability of the knee, and the prevalence of radiolucent lines in 68 posterior cruciate–retaining (CR) total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) with a retained, but balanced, posterior cruciate ligament were compared with those in 68 knees with a posterior cruciate–substituting (PS) TKAs in the 60 patients who were managed with simultaneous bilateral TKAs. The average range of motion in both groups (126° vs 129°) at the latest follow-up was not significantly different (P = .359). No significant difference in the sagittal laxity of the knee was seen between 2 groups. The prevalence of radiolucent lines was 7% in the CR TKA with a recession posterior cruciate ligament and 12% in the PS TKA group (P = .108). We feel that posterior stabilization is unnecessary in the PS flex knees.