Comparison of the Early Results of Minimally Invasive vs. Standard Approaches to Total Knee Arthroplasty

59 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were randomized to three groups to examine the efficacy of minimally invasive procedures in comparison to standard TKA method. The patients received a quad sparing minimal invasive procedure, mini mid-vastus procedure, or standard median parapatellar procedure. This study compared early functional and pain outcomes of two minimally invasive procedures to the standard method of care. The results indicated that at 2 weeks, there was a significant reduction in VAS pain scores in the quad sparing procedure; however, there were no other significant differences in functional or pain measures.