While total knee replacements are generally very successful procedures, a knee replacement can fail over time for a variety of reasons.
If this happens, your doctor may recommend that you have a second operation to remove some or all of the parts of the original prosthesis and replace them with new ones. This procedure is called revision total knee replacement.
Both procedures have the same goals — to relieve pain and improve function and quality of life — but revision surgery is different than the original total knee replacement. Revision knee replacement is a longer, more complex procedure that requires extensive planning and the use of specialized implants and tools in order to achieve a good result.
There are different types of revision surgery. In some cases, only some components of the prosthesis need to be revised. In other cases, the whole prosthesis needs to be removed or replaced and the bone around the knee needs to be rebuilt with augments (metal pieces that substitute for missing bone) or bone graft.