Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty with a Fixed Bearing Implant

Philip Winnock de Grave; Thomas Luyckx; Alexander Ryckaert; Jan Noyez; Paul Gunst; Luc Van den Daelen

doi:10.2106/JBJS.ST.18.00083

Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty with a Fixed Bearing Implant

JBJS Essent Surg Tech. 2019 Aug 14;9(3):e26. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.ST.18.00083. eCollection 2019 Jul-Sep.

Authors

Philip Winnock de Grave¹, Thomas Luyckx¹, Alexander Ryckaert¹, Jan Noyez¹, Paul Gunst¹, Luc Van den Daelen¹

Affiliation

¹ Orthopaedic Department, AZ Delta Hospital, Roeselare, Belgium.

Abstract

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an alternative to total knee arthroplasty in isolated medial arthritis. UKA restores native tibial and femoral joint surfaces and corrects pre-disease limb alignment, by which natural knee biomechanics are restored, ensuring effective functional recovery. Proper patient selection and accurate surgical technique contribute to good functional outcome and long-term survival. The key steps of the procedure (as well as multiple tips and tricks) are demonstrated in the video article: (1) preoperative assessment and planning; (2) patient positioning and setup; (3) exposure; (4) instrument options and surgical technique; (5) distal femoral resection; (6) proximal tibial resection; (7) assessment of alignment and gaps; (8) finishing the femur-sizing, position, and posterior resection; (9) finishing the tibia-sizing and position; (10) trialing the implant; (11) implanting final components-cementing technique; (12) closure; and (13) rehabilitation. Following these surgical steps and principles will lead to excellent functional long-term results with a low revision rate and a minimum of complications.