Wu KA, Pottayil F, Jing C, Choudhury A, Anastasio AT. Surgical site soft tissue thickness as a predictor of complications following arthroplasty. World J Methodol 2025; 15(2): 99959 [DOI: 10.5662/wjm.v15.i2.99959]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kevin A Wu, BSc, Researcher, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27710, United States.kevin.a.wu@duke.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Orthopedics
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Methodol. Jun 20, 2025; 15(2): 99959 Published online Jun 20, 2025. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v15.i2.99959
Surgical site soft tissue thickness as a predictor of complications following arthroplasty
Kevin A Wu, Faheem Pottayil, Crystal Jing, Ankit Choudhury, Albert T Anastasio
Kevin A Wu, Crystal Jing, Albert T Anastasio, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC 27710, United States
Faheem Pottayil, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States
Ankit Choudhury, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
Author contributions: Wu KA conceptualized the study; Pottayil F, Jing C, and Choudhury A collected the data and created the tables; Wu KA, Pottayil F, Jing C, Choudhury A and Anastasio AT drafted, critically reviewed, and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the article for publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kevin A Wu, BSc, Researcher, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27710, United States.kevin.a.wu@duke.edu
Received: August 4, 2024 Revised: September 30, 2024 Accepted: October 22, 2024 Published online: June 20, 2025 Processing time: 115 Days and 8.9 Hours
Abstract
Appreciation of soft-tissue thickness (STT) at surgical sites is an increasingly recognized aspect of arthroplasty procedures as it may potentially impacting postoperative outcomes. Recent research has focused on the predictive value of preoperative STT measurements for complications following various forms of arthroplasty, particularly infections, across procedures such as total knee, hip, shoulder, and ankle replacements. Several studies have indicated that increased STT is associated with a higher risk of complications, including infection and wound healing issues. The assessment of STT before surgery could play a crucial role in identifying patients at a higher risk of complications and may be instrumental in guiding preoperative planning to optimize outcomes in arthroplasty procedures. Standardized measurement techniques and further research are essential to enhance the reliability and clinical utility of STT assessment for arthroplasty surgery.
Core Tip: This review examines the relationship between preoperative soft-tissue thickness (STT) and surgical complications in total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, reverse shoulder arthroplasty, and total ankle arthroplasty. By synthesizing findings from multiple studies, we highlight the significant correlation between increased STT and higher complication rates. Our review underscores the importance of thorough preoperative assessment of STT to enhance surgical planning and patient outcomes in various arthroplasty procedures.
