Minimally Invasive Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Using Intramedullary Femoral Alignment

Unicompartmental arthroplasty of the knee has increased in popularity as of late given an increased number of reports showing improved outcomes, the development of less invasive surgical techniques, and a better understanding of appropriate patient selection. Optimal patients for this procedure include those with noninflammatory arthritis affecting the medial or lateral tibiofemoral compartment, angular deformity of less than 15°, a flexion contracture of less than 10°, flexion of at least 90°, and clinical symptoms isolated to the affected joint line. This article describes the surgical technique that we currently use for performing unicompartmental arthroplasty of the knee with intramedullary alignment for preparation of the femoral component.