Partial Knee Replacement

A knee has 3 compartments: patellofemoral (behind knee cap), medial (inside half of knee) and lateral (outside half). For isolated degeneration of one compartment and if all the ligament structures are intact, a partial or unicondylar knee replacement can be performed.

The advantages of a partial knee replacement to total replacement are that is a smaller procedure with earlier recovery and a more normal feeling of the knee. Theoretically it is also easier to covert to total knee replacement than doing a revision for total knee.

The procedure is performed under spinal anesthesia and sedation. The prosthesis is fixed either with cement or cementless if the bone is strong enough. Patients start mobilization with crutches on the same or following day. Most patients are off the crutches at 4 weeks. Patients are discharged from hospital on day 3-4 post operatively.

The average life expectancy of a partial knee replacement is 15-20 years.