What are the potential complications of revision surgery?

The potential complications of revision surgery are themselves painful and debilitating, and can result in permanent damage or even death:

  • Complications from anesthesia
  • Thrombophlebitis (blood clots in the legs)
  • Infection
  • Myositis ossificans (calcium deposits in soft tissue around the knee joint, causing inflammation of muscles where they meet the bone)
  • Loosening where a metal component or cement meets the bone
  • Incision complications
  • Bone fractures during surgery
  • Dislocation of the new prosthesis
  • A difference in leg length because of the artificial knee
  • More or faster loss of bone tissue
  • And even death