Disease Progression and Component Failure in Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has developed into a successful and reliable procedure, with survival rates greater than 90% at 10, 15, and 20 years. Aseptic loosening and adjacent compartment arthritis account for the majority of UKA revisions. Unexplained pain following UKA is another common cause of revision but may be biased by the relative ease of converting a UKA to a total knee arthroplasty. Most instances of failure can be managed with conversion to total knee arthroplasty.