Page 179 - The value of total hip and knee arthroplasties for patients

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint condition, resulting in pain and stiffness and having a substantial impact on functioning and quality of life of individuals. Hip and knee OA are among the most prevalent forms of OA with, given their interference with mobility, considerable societal consequences in terms of costs related to health care usage and productivity losses.1
Total hip and total knee arthroplasties (THA or TKA) are effective treatments for end stage hip or knee OA, leading to satisfactory improvement of pain and function in 80-90% of the patients within the first 12 months after surgery.2 Overall, knowledge regarding a broader range of clinical outcomes, over a prolonged period, as advocated by international organizations such as the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM)3 is scarce. Such outcomes are related to the process of recovery and sustainability of health, and include e.g. societal participation or fulfilment of specific expectations regarding the resumption of daily activities.3 To gain more insight into such aspects, the frequent and systematic administration of a comprehensive set of outcome measures, over a prolonged period of time, is needed. Such research is however scanty, as it is costly in terms of the required time and resources. By its effor ts to systematically gather and analyse a broad set of clinical data in patients undergoing THA or TKA, this thesis contributes to the body of knowledge on the process of recovery and sustainability of health after surgery.
Aims of this thesis
Given the lack of knowledge on the process of recovery and sustainability of health after THA or TKA, the current thesis aims:
1. To evaluate the feasibility of a comprehensive set of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), including measures of recovery to normal activities and work , after THA or TKA in a network of 7 collaborating hospitals, by means of a nested study within the Dutch Arthroplasty Register (Landelijke Registratie Orthopedische Implantaten, LROI).
2. To determine the role of radiographic abnormalities as a predictor of recovery afterTHA andTKA.
10
Summar y
177