Unsatisfactory outcomes following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in patients with partial thickness cartilage loss

What is it about?

In patients with early knee arthritis the outcomes of joint replacement have been reported to be less predictable. This study compared the outcomes of unicompartmental (partial) knee replacement (UKR) in individuals with early arthritis (partial thickness cartilage cartilage loss; PTCL) to those with more advanced arthritis (full thickness cartilage loss; FTCL) in which excellent outcomes following UKR are seen. This study found that those patients with PTCL reported worse functional outcome at 1, 2 and 5 years following surgery and were less likely to improve compared to those with FTCL. Additionally those with PTCL had three time the number of re-operations compared to those with FTCL, with the majority, three-quarters, being for persistent pain. The results of this study suggest that UKR should not be used in knees with PTCL, however the outcomes following other treatment options i.e. total knee replacement has not been established and is currently unclear what the best treatment is for this group.

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