The knee joint is made up of three compartments. In osteoarthritis, one of the compartments is predominantly involved and is the cause of the discomfort. Total knee replacement involves replacement of all three compartments. In certain people, we may be able to replace only the damaged part of the knee and this is called as partial knee replacement or unicompartmental knee replacement.

Advantages of Partial Knee Replacement

Partial knee replacement involves replacement of only one of the three compartments of the knee. In effect, it is only one-third of a total knee replacement. With the current techniques and implants, partial knee replacement is very successful in appropriately chosen candidates.

The advantages of partial knee replacement over total knee replacement include:

Since partial knee replacement is a true resurfacing of the damaged parts alone with preservation of the ligaments and healthy cartilage, it feels more natural than a total knee replacement.

Candidates for Surgery

Partial knee replacement, though it is less invasive than total knee replacement, should be undertaken only after exhausting all nonsurgical options in a patient with severe arthritis affecting the activities of daily living.

To be considered suitable for partial knee replacement, the arthritis must be confined to one compartment and the rest of the knee should be healthy. This can be predicted using certain xrays. However, the orthopaedic surgeon keeps the options open till the time of surgery. At the time of surgery, if there is evidence of arthritis in more than one compartment, total knee replacement may be required. It is therefore necessary to be prepared for either procedure when going in for a partial knee replacement. With proper patient selection, surgical technique and implant, partial knee replacement has excellent results.