While medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is indicated
for patients with full-thickness cartilage loss, it is occasionally
used to treat those with partial-thickness loss. The aim of this
study was to investigate the five-year outcomes in a consecutive
series of UKAs used in patients with partial thickness cartilage
loss in the medial compartment of the knee. Between 2002 and 2014, 94 consecutive UKAs were undertaken in
90 patients with partial thickness cartilage loss and followed up
independently for a mean of six years (1 to 13). These patients
had partial thickness cartilage loss either on both femur and tibia
(13 knees), or on either the femur or the tibia, with full thickness
loss on the other surface of the joint (18 and 63 knees respectively).
Using propensity score analysis, these patients were matched 1:2 based
on age, gender and pre-operative Oxford Knee Score (OKS) with knees
with full thickness loss on both the femur and tibia. The functional
outcomes, implant survival and incidence of re-operations were assessed
at one, two and five years post-operatively. A subgroup of 36 knees
in 36 patients with partial thickness cartilage loss, who had pre-operative
MRI scans, was assessed to identify whether there were any factors
identified on MRI that predicted the outcome.Aims
Patients and Methods
