A Follow-up Study of Unicompartmental Arthroplasty of the Knee Joint (with a Minimum Five-year Follow-up Period)

Abstract

Twenty-nine unicompartmental arthroplasties for osteoarthritis of the knee were studied with a 5-to 11-year follow-up period. Superior results were obtained with the preoperative radiological stages 1, 2 and 3. The causes of failure included tibial fracture, tibiofemoral subluxation, loosening of the tibial components and deterioration of the contralateral tibiofemoral joint. Because the bulk of failures can be explained by mechanical causes and improper indication, adequate preoperative assessment and precision of surgical procedure are required.