Patellar resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty

Routine patella resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty has been debated for decades. The early total knee designs and surgical techniques lead to a high complication rate following patellar resurfacing. This lead to many surgeons abandoning this practice and either leaving the patella unresurfaced routinely or selectively resurfacing. Modern day randomized control trials and meta-analyses of these trials reveal a higher incidience of anterior knee pain and a resultant higher reoperation rate in nonresurfaced patellae. We argue that with modern day designs and surgical techniques, there is a low complication rate to resurfacing and little downside to resurfacing.