Vol. 7, Issue 2 (2021)

Case: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common surgical procedure, with annually increasing numbers worldwide, and the great majority of TKAs utilize polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement on a routine basis. However, there has been little awareness of hypersensitivity reactions to bone cement components which can potentially lead to serious adverse effects. We report the case of a 44-year-old female with severe knee arthritis and medically-warranted need for left TKA who had allergy to bone cement components. The allergy was fortuitously identified preoperatively, and the use of specialized implant components that removed the risk of exposure to the allergens helped to avoid potential complications.

Conclusion: Conscientious preoperative evaluation and planning will help to identify and manage patients with bone cement allergy. We report this case as it is an uncommon but yet medically significant case of complex primary TKA with multiple special requirements, each presenting a different learning point.