Infections can occur days to years after your operation. After surgery, an infection may occur in the skin over the wound or deep in the wound. Depending on your needs, your doctor may prescribe blood thinners, including oral medications such as aspirin, apixaban (Eliquis), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), or warfarin (Coumadin), or injections such as enoxaparin (Lovenox). Blood clots can form in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis after surgery. Blood clots in the leg veins are a common complication of knee replacement surgery. Your surgeon will discuss each of the risks with you and will take specific measures to help avoid potential complications.Īlthough rare, the most common risks include: Your surgeon will have discussed this contingency plan with you before your operation to make sure you agree with this strategy.Īs with any surgical procedure, there are risks involved with partial knee replacement. If your surgeon feels that your knee is unsuitable for a partial knee replacement, they may instead perform a total knee replacement. They will then explore the three compartments of your knee to verify that the cartilage damage is, in fact, limited to one compartment and that your ligaments are intact. Your surgeon will make an incision at the front of your knee. Surgical ProcedureĪ partial knee replacement operation typically lasts between 1 and 2 hours. Your surgeon will also see you before surgery and sign your knee with a marker to verify the surgical site. These blocks may be used in conjunction with general or spinal anesthesia. Nerve blocks are a type of regional anesthesia in which numbing medication is injected near a specific nerve or nerves to block pain sensations from a specific area of the body. Spinal, in which you are awake but your body is numb from the waist down.General anesthesia, in which you are put to sleep.You should also have discussed anesthesia options with your surgeon during your preoperative clinic visits. Before Surgeryīefore your procedure, a doctor from the anesthesia department will discuss anesthesia choices with you. Your doctor will discuss the timing with you. You will either go home after your surgery or be admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay. Your doctor may also order an MRI scan to better evaluate the cartilage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.Your doctor will order several X-rays of your knee to see the pattern of arthritis. X-rays. X-rays help to determine the extent of damage and deformity in your knee.If your knee is too stiff, or if the ligaments in your knee feel weak or torn, your doctor will probably not recommend unicompartmental knee replacement (although you still may be a candidate for total knee replacement). Your doctor will also test your knee for range of motion and ligament quality. They will try to determine the location of your pain. Your doctor will closely examine your knee. If you have pain throughout your entire knee or pain in the front of your knee (under your kneecap) you may be better qualified for a total knee replacement. If your pain is located almost entirely on either the inside portion or outside portion of your knee, you may be a candidate for a partial knee replacement. The doctor will be specifically concerned with the location of your pain. Your doctor will ask you several questions about your general health, your knee pain, and your ability to function. The need for additional surgery is slightly higher for partial knee replacement than for total knee replacement.Ī thorough evaluation by an orthopaedic surgeon will determine whether you are a good candidate for a partial knee replacement. For example, a total knee replacement may be necessary in the future if arthritis develops in the parts of the knee that have not been replaced. The disadvantage of partial knee replacement compared with total knee replacement is the potential need for more surgery. A unicompartmental knee may also bend better. Lower risk of infection and blood clotsĪlso, because the bone, cartilage, and ligaments in the healthy parts of the knee are preserved, many patients report that a unicompartmental knee replacement feels more natural than a total knee replacement.The advantages of partial knee replacement over total knee replacement include: Multiple studies show that most patients who are appropriate candidates for unicompartmental knee replacement have good results with this procedure. Advantages and Disadvantages of Partial Knee Replacement (Right) This X-ray shows severe osteoarthritis with bone-on-bone degeneration in the medial compartment (arrow). (Left) Illustration of osteoarthritis that is limited to the medial compartment.
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