Summary

Female patients relied more on postoperative outcomes to assess satisfaction than male patients after TKA, which was associated with lower early postoperative satisfaction.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to determine whether dependence on clinical outcomes in evaluating satisfaction differs between male and female patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and whether clinical outcomes and satisfaction differ between the two groups after TKA.

Methods

This retrospective study included 324 patients who underwent TKA. The participants were divided by sex as follows: male group (n = 130) and female group (n = 194). The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score, Knee Society Score (KSS), satisfaction score, and their correlation coefficients at 1 and 2 years after TKA were compared between the groups.

Results

The correlation coefficients between the satisfaction score and WOMAC or KSS (function scores) of the female patients were higher than those of the male patients at 1 and 2 years after TKA (1-year WOMAC: male, -0.682; female, -0.724; 1-year KSS function score: male, 0.500; female, 0.795) (2-year WOMAC: male, -0.536; female, -0.778; 2-year KSS function score: male, 0.444; female, 0.702). The satisfaction scores of the male and female patients were 27.1 and 22.7, respectively (P < 0.001) 1 year after TKA and 29.7 and 29.2, respectively (P = 0.575) 2 years after TKA. No significant differences in the WOMAC or KSS scores were observed between the two groups.

Conclusion

Female patients relied more on postoperative outcomes to assess satisfaction than male patients after TKA, which was associated with lower early postoperative satisfaction.