Unicompartmental (aka Partial) Knee Replacement
The knee joint is comprised of three distinct compartments – medial (inner side), lateral (outer side) and patellofemoral (under the kneecap). It is not uncommon for one compartment of the knee to experience wear from osteoarthritis while the remainder of the knee is unaffected. In this scenario, rather than replacing the entire knee with a total knee replacement, it is possible to perform a less invasive and less extensive procedure to replace only the single compartment impacted by the arthritis. This may be a medial unicompartmental replacement, which replaces only the inner half of the knee, or a lateral unicompartmental replacement, which replaces only the outer half. In addition, some patients may only have arthritis in the patellofemoral compartment, and may be a candidate for patellofemoral replacement, which replaces only that portion of the knee. For the appropriate candidate, these surgeries may allow a faster recovery and a more “natural” feeling knee when compared to a total knee replacement.
Bicompartmental Knee Replacement
In certain instances, two of the three compartments of the knee are impacted by arthritis and a patient may be a candidate for a bicompartmental knee replacement. This surgery, which is relatively uncommon, targets only two compartments rather than all three.
Patellofemoral Replacement
Unicondylar Knee Resurfacing