BEST PROSTHESIS FOR UNICOMPARTMENTAL KNEE ARTHROSIS: FIXED OR MOBILE?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an option for medial compartment osteoarthritis.
• Fixed-bearing and mobile-bearing implants are common UKA types.
• Patient selection and implant choice impact outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare fixed-bearing versus mobile-bearing UKA implants.
• To evaluate mid-term functionality and quality of life post-surgery.
• To identify patient-specific factors influencing implant choice.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases.
• Inclusion of randomized clinical trials with no language restrictions.
• Follow-up assessment of at least two years for postoperative outcomes.

Main Results:

• Insufficient evidence to declare superiority of fixed-bearing or mobile-bearing UKA.
• No significant differences found in post-operative function, pain, or quality of life at two years.
• Varied assessment tools in literature create uncertainty in comparing UKA types.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence does not favor fixed-bearing or mobile-bearing UKA for unicompartmental knee replacement.
• Further standardized, long-term, multicenter studies are essential.
• Evidence-based clinical practice requires more robust comparative data for UKA implant selection.