REGISTRY REVIEW: Partial Knee Arthroplasty in the US
Primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most commonly performed orthopaedic procedures in the US. The same cannot be said for partial knee arthroplasty: According 2020 Annual Report from the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (medial and lateral UKA) accounted for just 4.1% of knee replacements in 2019, compared with 8.2% in 2012, and patellofemoral arthroplasty decreased from a high of 1.7% in 2016 to 0.04% in 2019.
Even for Healthy Patients, Bilateral Simultaneous TKA May Not Be Safe
With surgeons offering total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to increasingly younger patients with osteoarthritis and other degenerative conditions, the idea that both knees could be replaced during the same operation is appealing. Many of these patients still work, and by undergoing surgery only once, they minimize time off from work and, theoretically, minimize the risk of complications from a second anesthesia and hospitalization.