Total knee replacement and unicompartmental knee replacement are viable treatment options for isolated unicompartmental osteoarthritis, according to research published in The BMJ.
Researchers conducted a systematic review of data from randomized controlled trials, national joint registries and cohort studies published from January 1997 to December 31, 2018. of the review included 60 studies, which were separated into three groups: seven publications from randomized controlled trials, 17 national joint registries and databases and 36 cohort studies.
When the two treatments were compared, unicompartmental knee replacement had better results than total knee replacement, with shorter hospital stays, lower mortality rates and early reoperation rates.
However, revision rates at five years were higher for unicompartmental knee replacement than total knee replacement in all three study groups.
"By directly comparing the two treatments, this study demonstrates better results for unicompartmental knee replacement in several outcome domains," researchers concluded. "However, the risk of revision surgery was lower for total knee replacement. This information should be available to patients as part of the shared decision-making process in choosing treatment options."