Anterior knee pain and evidence of osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral joint should not be considered contraindications to mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty

What is it about?

Patients with arthritis affecting the inside half (medial compartment) of the knee often report pain at the front of the knee with arthritis behind the kneecap seen on X-rays or at the time of operation. It is unclear in this situation whether performing a partial knee replacement to replace just the inside half of the knee should be used in this scenario? This study, which assessed a consecutive series of 805 knees (677 patients) that were treated with partial knee found that pre-operative pain at the front of the knee as well as arthritis behind the knee cap, judged both on X-ray and at the time of operation did not affect how well the knee performed at ten-years, or how likely the knee was to last at least fifteen-years. This study suggests it is safe to treat patients with arthritis affecting the inside half of the knee who report pain at the front of the knee and have arthritis behind the kneecap, either seen on X-rays or at the time of operation, as these factors do not effect patient outcomes.

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