Objective To discuss the recent advancement of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the aspects of prosthesis selection, and compare the cl inical effect of every kind of knee prostheses so as to provide more information for cl inical appl ication. Methods The l iterature concerning prosthesis selection was extensively reviewed, and the methods and data were analyzed and summarized. Results The major disputes consisted of posterior cruciate retained versus excised,fixed-bearing versus mobile-bearing, high-flex versus standard implants and patella resurfacing versus nonresurfacing for TKA. Every kind of knee prostheses displayed safety and effectiveness in early and medium term follow-up, no significant differences were found in cl inical results. Conclusion Prosthesis selection in TKA should be overall considerated, and the merits of every kind of prostheses should be judged with long-term follow-up results.