The case for total knee replacement in unicompartmental knee arthritis.

Overview

In summary, unicompartmental replacement has narrow indications, involves more difficult surgical technique, and has inferior long-term results and revision complexity similar to that of tricompartmental replacement. It should be used by surgeons who are experienced with the technique and are performing a significant number of unicompartmental arthroplasties to justify its increased difficulty. Total knee replacement, on the other hand, is suitable for all gradations of knee disease, has a straightforward surgical technique, and has excellent long-term results. It is the treatment of choice for unicompartmental arthritis in the arthroplasty-indicated patient.