Mid-term results of Miller−Galante unicompartmental knee replacement for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to analyse and report the mid-term results of 175 unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) procedures performed for medial compartment knee arthritis from January 2001 to January 2010. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cohort participants were selected after stringent inclusion criteria and the average follow-up was 5.6 years (range 2–10 years). The fixed-bearing UKR procedure was carried out on all patients. RESULTS: The pre-operative mean knee range of movement improved from 100° ± 11.3° to 118.3° ± 12° (p value <0.001). The pre-operative mean Knee Society (KS) knee and functional score improved from 47 ± 5.5 and 55.1 ± 4.6 to 91.8 ± 9.2 and 92 ± 10.1 (p value <0.001), respectively. The revision rate of the cohort was 4 % (seven knees) and implant survival rate was 96 % at the end of 10 years; 87 % of the cohort were satisfied with the procedure and had a normal gait pattern. In this study, there was no statistical difference between groups with a body mass index (BMI) ≤30 kg/m(2) and those with a BMI ≥30 kg/m(2), and between groups aged ≤55 years and those aged ≥55 years, in clinical and functional outcome following UKR. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that fixed-bearing UKR gives excellent results in patients with medial compartment knee arthritis who comply with the inclusion criteria. Age and BMI were not considered to influence the clinical and functional outcomes. Level of evidence-III.