title: [Short-term effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for medial compartmental osteoarthritis of the knee.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2008 and October 2013, 18 patients with medial compartmental osteoarthritis of the knee were treated by UKA, including 11 males and 7 females with an average age of 67.2 years (range, 60-72 years). The disease duration ranged from 3 to 5 years (mean, 3.7 years). All patients had loading pain and walk-associated pain of the medial compartmental knee. The preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 6.8 ± 1.4. The full-length radiograph of lower limb and anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the knee showed medial compartmental osteoarthritis of the knee. According to Ahlback staging, 8 knees were at stage II and 10 knees at stage III. The knee range of motion (ROM) was (112.3 ± 11.3)°, and the angle of genu varus was (13.2 ± 1.3)°. The American Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score was 59.0 ± 6.4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Primary healing of incision was obtained in all patients, and no infection or lower limb deep venous thrombosis occurred. All of the patients were followed up 6-50 months (mean, 28 months). No prosthetic loosening and dislocation or lesions of contralateral compartment and patellofemoral joint developed. At 6 months after operation, the VAS score was significantly reduced to 2.8 ± 1.2 (t = 9.20, P = 0.00); most of patients achieved significant relief of pain. The HSS score was significantly increased to 92.0 ± 3.1 (t = 19.69, P = 0.00); and the results were excellent in 12 cases, good in 5 cases, and poor in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 94.4%. The knee ROM was (115.2 ± 10.2)°, showing no significant difference when compared with preoperative one (t = -0.81, P = 0.23). The alignment of limbs showed that the angle of genu varus was significantly reduced to 6.8 ± 2.1)° (t = 10.99, P = 0.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  UKA has satisfactory short-term effectiveness in the treatment of medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis, however, long-term effectiveness need further studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guangwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zongsheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yunfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jiahua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007720:Knee Prosthesis; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D010146:Pain; D057071:Patellofemoral Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D016138:Walking