Partial knee replacement - Medial Uni

This is an xray of a partial knee replacement. Specifically, this is a medial unicompartmental knee replacement. This fifty something year old man had pain localized to the medial aspect of his right and left knees. Carefully look at this xray and note that the lateral compartments (outside of each knee) has a well maintained joint space while the medial compartment of the untreated knee has bone on bone. The treated knee has a femoral component cemented into the femur(thigh bone), a tibial component cemented to the tibia (shin bone), and a ultra high molecular weight polyethylene component (xray invisible space) which is locked into the tibial tray. This procedure has provided the patient complete relief of his symptoms of knee arthritis. He went on to have his left knee partially replaced in the exact same manner and now functions normally without knee pain. He has returned to work and feels good. He was hospitalized only overnight in the hospital and was riding an exercycle within 10 days after surgery.

Partial knee replacement - Patellofemoral Replacement

This is an xray of a partial knee replacement. The specific type of partial knee replacement is a " patellofemoral arthroplasty" or replacement of the knee cap and the femoral groove in which the knee cap tracks. The knee on the right has been surgically corrected, including the centering of the knee cap on the femoral groove. I prefer to use Computer Surgical Navigation when performing this operation which results in a more accurate placement of the components in the knee which results in better function of the knee and a longer lasting partial knee replacement (up to 20 years). The knee on the left is severely arthritic and is malpositioned. The malpositioning or lateral tracking of the patella, along with recurrent patellar dislocations, caused this patient's knee caps to wear out prematurely.