Unicompartmental Knee Replacement
Under certain conditions a "partial" knee replacement may be indicated. Here, only "half" of the knee joint is replaced and most of the soft-tissue is preserved. This procedure is often less invasive and recovery can be smoother. Recently, surgeons have been performing "Minimally Invasive" or MIS Uni procedures. The relatively small implants and the need for less exposure allows for a smaller incision and less invasive procedure compared to a Total Knee. However, in order to be a candidate, joint degeneration is usually limited (your doctor must determine if a "uni" is indicated).
In this type of replacement a single "compartment" of the knee joint is replaced. Most of the time it is the medial compartment (the "inside" of your knee joint). The patella is left alone and only half of the femur and tibia are resurfaced. The components, like in a Total Knee, are metal and plastic and are usually cemented in place. There are even fixed and mobile bearing versions just like in a Total Knee.
Typically the femoral component is Cobalt Chrome and the Tibial component consists of a metal and plastic combination or an all plastic version.
The link below has some photos and additional information on Unicompartmental Knee Replacement.
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/kneereplacement/a/kneeuni.htm
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