What do suprapatellar and infrapatellar enthesophytes in the X-ray suggest?
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I had a knee replacement on my knee a year ago. I am doing fine but have a little stiffness. I went to the doctor yesterday to have my check done. They did an X-ray, and the results are as follows:
Left knee: Total knee arthroplasty. No evidence of hardware complication. Small knee effusion. Suprapatellar and infrapatellar enthesophytes. What does suprapatellar and infrapatellar enthesophytes infer? Is that normal after knee replacement? I looked it up, and it said it was bone spurs. Should they have been taken out during surgery? Will it give me problems later? Kindly suggest because I have no X-rays to share.
Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I have read your query and understand your concern. In a normal case scenario, I would have asked you to upload your X-rays, but since you have already mentioned that you cannot, I will try to answer as far as I know. Well, yes, these are bone spurs. These bone spurs are seen in osteoarthritis. So, as far as I understand, they were there even before surgery. Now, during surgery, we usually move the knee with trial implants on the table before putting permanent implants. So if we see these spurs are not obstructing movement, we leave them. If they are obstructing movement, we try to remove as much as we can. So, in your case, the primary surgeon did not feel the necessity to remove them. Hence, you can always see them on X-rays. I hope this information will help you. Do follow up if you have any other questions.
Thank you.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thank you for the answers. Kindly suggest if they cause problems later. Is this common in knee replacements? Thank you.
Hello,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
Yes, they can cause problems later if they grow in size but chances are rare. Yes, it is common in knee replacement because removing all spurs will cause more bleeding, and functionally does not provide any benefit. So, it is better not to remove one that is not bothering you. I hope you find this helpful.
Thank you.
Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
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