Conclusion

It is hoped that this paper has given you some understanding as to the expected benefits, risks and possible alternatives to total knee replacements as well as discuss the new development of cementless total knee replacement. I hope this will have answered some questions for you, but it probably has generated other questions. Please do not hesitate to discuss these with your surgeon.

If you are considering having this surgery, you have a difficult decision ahead of you. It is our feeling you can best make this decision by learning as much as possible about the procedure and the various alternatives. Frequently we are asked what we recommend in an individual case. Usually this is put in the form of "What would you do if this were you, your mother, brother, sister, etc.?" We usually will make a recommendation but we will not make the decision for you. If our mother, father, brother, sister, etc. were faced with the similar problem as yours, we feel we could advise them which decision would be best for them because we know them very well. We know what are their fears, their concerns and their aspirations. Basically, we know a lot about them. If you are a patient of ours, we may know you fairly well, but not well enough to understand all of these factors to allow us to make a decision for you. So please take the time to understand and educate yourself about the problems and various solutions. Only as an informed patient can you made an intelligent decision.