Partial Knee Replacement, also called a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement, is a surgery that may be considered for the treatment of arthritis of the knee. Here, only the damaged compartment is replaced with metal and plastic. The healthy cartilage and bone in the rest of the knee are left alone. It preserves almost 70% of the knee with its natural ligaments. There are three compartments in the knee:
  • The medial compartment (the inside part),
  • The lateral compartment (the outside part) and
  • The patellofemoral compartment (the front of the knee between the kneecap and thighbone).
When Osteoarthritis affects only one compartment of the knee and if the ligaments are intact, then your surgeon could recommend you this surgery. Patients with inflammatory arthritis, significant knee stiffness, ligament damage, Severe deformity, or people in regular active impact activities, may not be ideal candidates. A history and physical evaluation can help determine if the patient is a candidate for this surgery and in addition, x-rays, an MRI scan (to assess the condition of ligaments) may be needed to decide if this surgery can be offered. The pain relief tends to last about 12 to 15 years and many times even longer. There are now new reports of patients doing well even after 20-25 years after a Partial Knee Replacement. More often this procedure is done on the inside part of the knee, in cases of medial compartment disease. In cases of only Patellofemoral arthritis, a patellofemoral replacement can be offered, and very rarely though only lateral compartment replacement is offered for lateral compartment arthritis.

Advantages:

The advantages of partial knee replacement include:
  • Much Quicker recovery as the patient starts walking almost immediately and is up and about his or her regular activities in practically no time.
  • If both knees are involved, then the other knee also can be performed early or at the same setting, thus accelerating the recovery from both knees even earlier.
  • Less pain after surgery as it is performed by a Minimally invasive technique and there is hardly any tissue trauma, during surgery.
Most patients report that a unicompartmental knee replacement feels more “natural” than a total knee replacement as the bone, cartilage, and ligaments in the healthy parts of the knee are kept. A unicompartmental knee may also bend better.

Conclusion:

Partial Knee Replacement is an effective pain-relieving procedure when done in the right set of patients. Dr. Hitesh Kubadia, one of the most accomplished and among the best knee replacement surgeons in India, offers Partial Knee Replacement surgeries in Mumbai. He specializes in Joint Replacement Surgeries using the Minimally Invasive Muscle sparing approach.

Visit the HKS clinic for a consultation today or you can WhatsApp us on +91-9821257676

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