Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty versus high tibial osteotomy for medial unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) both have their individual indications. There is only one limited group of patients with medial osteoarthritis of the knee for which both forms of treatment might be considered to apply in equal measure. Various studies have shown that both therapy options can yield good results. However, both treatment options bear individual advantages which can be used in the clinical routine. For instance young patients with a high level of physical activity with moderate medial osteoarthritis should undergo HTO surgery in order to stay active for as long as possible. UKA has proved to be a safe procedure, especially for older patients, sometimes even with superior results compared to HTO. Both methods offer advantages for the patient compared to total knee arthroplasty (TKA), provided the indications are correct and must therefore be an integral part of the list of treatment options for medial osteoarthritis of the knee. Radiographic patellofemoral osteoarthritis without clinical symptoms is not a contraindication for UKA.