What is unicompartmental knee replacement?
In some patients only one half of the knee is affected by arthritis, usually the inner half. Replacing only the diseased half of the knee is sufficient to treat this condition. The operation is called unicompartmental knee replacement. This surgery is done through a smaller incision, and the recovery is relatively faster. The knee function after surgery is also better. However, the selection of patients for unicompartmental knee replacement has to be very strict. Any arthritis affecting the other side of the knee and knee cap will give rise to pain after surgery. This procedure is not applicable for inflammatory types of arthritis.
