Because Asian populations have different lifestyles, such as squatting and sitting on the floor, from those of Western populations, it is possible that the clinical results and survival rate of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) for Asian patients may be different. This study described outcomes of mobile bearing medial UKA for Korean patients.
A total of the 164 knees treated with mobile bearing UKAs in 147 patients (14 males and 133 females) were reviewed. The mean follow-up period was 12.1 years (range 10.1–14).
The clinical outcomes, such as the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee score, the Oxford Knee Score and the Knee Society rating system, showed statistically significant improvement from pre-operative to final follow-up (P < 0.05). A total of 26 UKAs (15.8%) required revision; the most common reason was bearing dislocation. The 95% confidence interval of survival rate at 12 years was 84.1%, with revision for any reason as the end point.
Minimally invasive mobile bearing UKA in Asian patients who required high degrees of knee flexion showed rapid recovery and good clinical outcome. However, they also showed relatively high rates of bearing dislocation and aseptic loosening. Therefore, mobile bearing UKA should only be performed in patients whose lifestyle involves high flexions after carefully considering these risks and benefits.