Debate: Bilateral Simultaneous Total Knee Arthroplasty

Controversy persists regarding the value of doing bilateral simultaneous total knee arthroplasty. Advocates of this procedure focus on economic costs, patient satisfaction, and quicker return to function as compared with bilateral staged total knee arthroplasty. Those in opposition focus on increased complication rates that question the overall safety of this operative procedure. The purpose of this discussion is to review the orthopaedic literature, concentrating on the reported advantages and disadvantages of bilateral simultaneous total knee arthroplasty in hopes of providing the surgeon with information valuable in determining the safety and efficacy of this procedure.