Septic Metallosis after Unicompartmental Knee Replacement: A Case Report and Literature Review

INTRODUCTION: Metallosis following prosthetic hip and knee replacement is a well-known complication. However, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) metallosis is rare. In this paper, we report a case of septic metallosis after unicompartmental knee replacement and we review the literature for the available treatment options. CASE REPORT: A 83-year-old female patient presented with left periprosthetic knee infection on the top of unicompartmental knee prosthesis three months after septic endocarditis that was treated with anti-biotherapy. Surgical exploration showed severe infected metallosis due to chronic polyethylene wear reaction; hence, management consisted of total synovectomy and debridement of all metallic debris and two stage revision. CONCLUSION: Metallosis is a well-known complication after prosthetic hip and knee replacements. However, in UKA, it remains a rare complication where only few cases were reported in the literature.