Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty

S. Lustig, S. T. Donell, G. Pagenstert, P. Henle, S. Oussedik, J. Beckmann, F. Haddad

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is now a well-established procedure in the armamentarium of an orthopaedic surgeon whose practice deals with managing the degenerating knee. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) predominates in the management of knee osteoarthritis because it lies within the skills and competence of the generalist orthopaedic surgeon, has well-designed instrumentation, and the outcomes are reasonably predictable. The cost-effectiveness of UKA over TKA depends on the revision rates of the former, which tend to be higher than TKA [1]. UKA requires a different philosophical approach [2]. There are no soft tissue corrections permitted. Only the missing bearing surface is being replaced. The key is to restore the joint line accurately in all planes, which means matching the position of the meniscus. All the soft tissue ligaments are preserved, although Cartier allows the absence of an ACL when using a fixed-bearing implant [3, 4]. The underlying principle of UKA is that by restoring the native alignment of the knee, the remaining articular cartilage in the contralateral compartment of the knee becomes normally loaded and so stays healthy.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationESSKA Instructional Course Lecture Book
Subtitle of host publicationGlasgow 2018
EditorsGino M. M. J. Kerkhoffs, Fares Haddad, Michael T. Hirschmann, Jón Karlsson, Romain Seil
PublisherSpringer Berlin / Heidelberg
Pages187-199
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9783662561270
ISBN (Print)9783662561263
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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