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If osteoarthritis damage to your knee meets certain qualifications, or if you have early stage arthritis confined to one part of the knee, Dr. Caillouette may recommend unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. In this procedure, the diseased bone is removed and replaced with a small 2-piece prosthesis which is secured to the rest of your knee. If needed, Dr. Caillouette is able to perform unicompartmental knee arthroplasty on both knees at the same time. |
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You may qualify for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty if you meet the following criteria:
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You are not obese or relatively sedentary
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You have an intact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
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You have no significant inflammation
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You have no damage to other compartments, calcification of catilage or dislocation |
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Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty is designed to alleviate pain and delay the need for total knee replacement surgery. You will benefit from inproved joint motion and function because non-damaged parts to your knee joint, such as your ACL, will remain intact. Your knee joint will remain in good condition for a total knee replacement surgery, should you need it in the future. Recovery time for this procedure will be much quicker than that of a total knee replacement surgery.
Although the unicompartmental procedure was controversial when it was first
introduced about 30 years ago, success rates have improved thanks to precise
patient selection, refined surgical techniques,
and improved implant design. Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty has a higher
initial success rate and fewer complications compared with osteotomy. |
