Resurfacing versus not-resurfacing the patella in one-stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized clinical trial

In patients undergoing total knee replacement, it is unclear whether there is any benefit to resurfacing the patella routinely. Concerns about patella fracture, anterior knee pain, and risk of revision surgery have made it difficult to determine if one treatment is definitively superior. The authors of this randomized controlled trial randomized 66 patients undergoing bilateral total knee replacement to have one patella resurfaced and the other not resurfaced. Resurfaced knees had significantly better functional outcomes and lower rates of patellar clunk syndrome. Overall, there was a small but significant benefit in favour of the resurfaced knees.