Knee Surgery / Unicondylar Knee Replacement

Partial knee replacement is an option for patients who do not require total knee replacement because some of the joint surfaces are still healthy. In partial knee replacement surgery, the surgeon removes only the diseased portion of the knee before placing the implant, leaving the healthy portion untouched. This means that the surfaces are replaced on only one side of the joint, that is, only one of the rounded projections is replaced beneath it.

What is Unicondylar Knee Replacement

During knee replacement surgery, damaged bone and cartilage is resurfaced with metal and plastic components. In unicompartmental knee replacement (also called “partial” knee replacement) only a portion of the knee is resurfaced. This procedure is an alternative to total knee replacement for patients whose disease is limited to just one area of the knee.

Because a partial knee replacement is done through a smaller incision, patients usually spend less time in the hospital and return to normal activities sooner than total knee replacement patients.

There are a range of treatments for knee osteoarthritis and your doctor will discuss with you the options that will best relieve your individual osteoarthritis symptoms.

Description

In knee osteoarthritis, the cartilage protecting the bones of the knee slowly wears away. This can occur throughout the knee joint or just in a single area of the knee.

Your knee is divided into three major compartments:

• Medial compartment (the inside part of the knee)
• Lateral compartment (the outside part)
• Patellofemoral compartment (the front of the knee between the kneecap and thighbone)

Advanced osteoarthritis that is limited to a single compartment may be treated with a unicompartmental knee replacement. During this procedure, the damaged compartment is replaced with metal and plastic. The healthy cartilage and bone, as well as all of the ligaments are preserved.