Mr Luke Jones, Consultant Knee Surgeon at Grosvenor Orthopaedic Partners, was delighted to welcome Mr Reshid Berber from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust to his operating theatre last week.
As a Zimmer Biomet (EMEA) Centre of Excellence for daycase unicompartmental knee replacement, the team frequently have visiting surgeons on site to learn and exchange ideas on the best way to perform the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Replacement. Luke is one of the highest volume users of the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Replacement in London, and a key opinion leader on delivering this sophisticated operation as a same day procedure.
Luke said “It was great to see Reshid and to hear about how the team in Nottingham deliver their service. There’s no doubt Reshid will continue ot drive the delivery of this operation in Nottingham and I am sure it will be a tremendous success.”
Why would I consider having this operation?
“Osteoarthritis frequently affects only the medial half of the knee. In such cases, surgeons may be able to perform a partial knee replacement on only the affected side of the knee (known as a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement – UKR) as opposed to a Total Knee Replacement (TKR) in which both sides of the knee are replaced.
A Unicompartmental Knee Replacement can be thought of as a reconstruction of the worn side of the knee. As shown on the X ray here, the tibial surface is resurfaced with a thin flat metal plate, and the femoral surface is replaced by a rounded metal surface. A plastic insert, known as a bearing, is placed between the two metal surfaces to allow them to move against each other.
The supporting ligaments that hold the joint together are not cut, and as much of your normal knee is preserved as possible.
In cases where Unicompartmental Knee Replacement is not an option, an alternative procedure known as a Total Knee Replacement can be carried out. In a Total Knee Replacement three compartments of the knee are replaced, rather than just one. In most cases, the clinical team can establish whether a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement is the right option before your surgery, but the final decision on whether to perform a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement or Total Knee Replacement is made at the time of the surgery, when the surgeon is able to inspect the joint surfaces and the ligaments inside the knee.”
What are the benefits of Unicompartmental Knee Replacement?
“In those patients who are suitable for the procedure, Unicompartmental Knee Replacement has several potential benefits over Total Knee Replacement. These include:
- Smaller incision and less soft tissue damage
- Less blood loss during surgery and therefore less need for blood transfusion
- Quicker recovery
- Fewer medical complications
- Better post-operative range of movement in the knee
- A more “normal” feeling knee
- Generally higher levels of satisfaction
How successful is the operation?
“Research shows that 85% of patients who have a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement surgery consider the operation to be very successful with a significant improvement in their quality of life. Of the remainder, 10% reported an improvement but not as much as they had hoped, and 5% consider themselves to have had a poor outcome. At 20 years post-surgery, more than 80% of Unicompartmental Knee Replacement patients reported that their knees were still functioning well.
Research shows that when performed by experienced surgeons, Unicompartmental Knee Replacement lasts as long as, or longer than, Total Knee Replacement. It is unlikely that you would need to have your Unicompartmental Knee Replacement converted to Total Knee Replacement in the future, although this is relatively straightforward to do if necessary.”
How can I learn more?
To learn more about Mr Luke Jones you can visit his profile here. Alternatively, get in touch to make an appointment to see him or Mr Chethan Jayadev to discuss your specific case and to see whether you might be suitable. for this procedure.