MIS unicondylar arthroplasty: The bone-sparing technique

Abstract

Minimally invasive (MIS) unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) each have specific indications and distinctive roles in the senior author’s algorithm for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA). MIS UKA is not a substitute for TKA, which is the procedure of choice for treatment of advanced stages of OA. This philosophy is supported by Thornhill and Scott, who assert that UKA should be considered in the “continuum of surgical options for the treatment of the osteoarthritic patient” [1]. In cases of earlier, nonadvanced OA, the two procedures may act in conjunction with one another, with MIS UKA serving as a supplement to future TKA. Together, these devices may be considered as a “knee prosthetic system” [2].