1. What does a normal knee joint look like? The lower part of the thigh bone (femur) forms the upper part of the knee joint, the upper part of the lower leg bone (tibia) forms the lower part of the knee joint, and in the middle is a half-moon shaped piece of fibrocartilage called the meniscus, in front of which is the flat round patella that can be felt. 2. What is the artificial knee joint like? The artificial knee prosthesis consists of three main parts: the femoral component ①, the middle spacer ②, and the tibial component ③, which correspond to the surface of the femur, the meniscus, and the tibial plane of the damaged knee respectively, as shown in the figure. The femoral and tibial components are currently cast in metal (cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy, etc.), while the intermediate spacer is made of wear-resistant polyethylene and packaged in sterilized form. In fact, an artificial knee surface replacement is simply the removal of the worn and damaged joint surface and its replacement with an artificial “joint surface”, the joint is still its own, like a set of “braces” for a bad tooth. 3. What can be achieved with an artificial knee surface replacement? Artificial knee surface replacement, also called artificial knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure that removes the damaged knee surface and cartilage and replaces it with an artificial knee joint. The surgery restores the normal anatomy of the knee joint, corrects various deformities, relieves joint pain, and improves joint mobility. In short, the procedure can help patients with knee disorders regain knee function and improve their quality of life. However, a good artificial knee joint cannot surpass a normal joint. Patients should have appropriate expectations. 4. How do I choose an artificial knee? At present, more than 90% of artificial knee joints can be used for more than 20 years. Young patients can choose a good quality artificial knee that can withstand wear and tear for more than 30 years. For the artificial joint implanted in the body, we all hope that it has good enough quality. So when choosing an artificial joint, it is important to choose a good product from a major manufacturer. There are many artificial joints on the market today, but they are divided into three main categories: domestic, joint venture and imported. The price of each category differs somewhat. Imported joints are generally more expensive due to their good quality, strict manufacturing process and many patented designs. Due to the large price difference between domestic and imported artificial knee prosthesis, the cost of domestic prosthesis is between 10-20,000; the cost of imported prosthesis is between 30-50,000, hospital and surgical fee standards vary from hospital to hospital, medical insurance reimbursement policy is different, can only estimate the total cost in and out of the hospital in about 40-80,000 yuan. So when choosing, pay attention to your own economic situation, choose the most suitable for your own joint. 5, surgical anesthesia, surgery time, surgery risk ① Commonly used general anesthesia, the patient is asleep and unconscious. Or epidural anesthesia, the part below the waist is anesthetized. ②Due to individual differences, differences in the difficulty of the condition, and differences in the surgical experience of the surgeon in charge, the surgical procedure takes about 1-3 hours from the time the skin is cut to the completion of the incision suture. ③Artificial knee surface replacement has been performed for decades and the technology is mature, but there is no absolutely safe procedure. Other diseases of the patient, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, infection, blood clots, etc. can increase the risk of surgery, and post-operative infection can cause the entire surgery to fail. The surgeon will have the patient or relatives sign an Informed Consent Form for the surgery.