Does Limb-salvage Surgery Offer Patients Better Quality of Life and Functional Capacity than Amputation?

INTRODUCTION: Patients with aggressive lower extremity musculoskeletal tumors may be candidates for either above-knee amputation or limb-salvage surgery. However, the subjective and objective benefits of limb-salvage surgery compared with amputation are not fully clear. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We therefore compared functional status and quality of life for patients treated with above-knee amputation versus limb-salvage surgery. METHODS: We reviewed 20 of 51 patients aged 15 years and older treated with above-knee amputation or limb-salvage surgery for aggressive musculoskeletal tumors around the knee between 1994 and 2004 as a retrospective cohort study. At last followup we obtained the Physiological Cost Index, the Reintegration to Normal Living Index, SF-36, and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score questionnaires. The minimum followup was 12 months (median, 56 months; range, 12-108 months). RESULTS: Compared with patients having above-knee amputation, patients undergoing limb-salvage surgery had superior Physiological Cost Index scores and Reintegration to Normal Living Index. The Toronto Extremity Salvage scores and SF-36 scores were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that limb-salvage surgery offers better gait efficiency and return to normal living compared with above-knee amputation, but does not improve the patient's perception of quality of life.