This 2017 systematic review synthesizes 73 studies (9,379 TEAs, published 2003–2015) to compare survival rates, functional outcomes, and complication profiles across 19 TEA implant designs, grouped by linkage type and surgical indication.
When counseling patients before TEA, expect respectable function (roughly 129° flexion, 60% pain-free at 6 years) but quote realistic survival: overall ~79% at 11 years with revision rates near 12% — well below hip and knee benchmarks.
Linked designs offer better early stability and are preferred for fracture indications, but the Souter-Strathclyde experience (70.6% survival at 14 years, now discontinued) illustrates why long-term registry data must inform implant selection.
This 2017 systematic review synthesizes 73 studies (9,379 TEAs, published 2003–2015) to compare survival rates, functional outcomes, and complication profiles across 19 TEA implant designs, grouped by linkage type and surgical indication.
When counseling patients before TEA, expect respectable function (roughly 129° flexion, 60% pain-free at 6 years) but quote realistic survival: overall ~79% at 11 years with revision rates near 12% — well below hip and knee benchmarks.
Linked designs offer better early stability and are preferred for fracture indications, but the Souter-Strathclyde experience (70.6% survival at 14 years, now discontinued) illustrates why long-term registry data must inform implant selection.