Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty failure with tibial component migration: Case report

Abstract

The unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has demonstrated good medium to long-term results. However, conversion of UKA to total Knee arthroplasty (TKA) results in poorer outcomes than primary TKA. We report a case of a 59 years-old woman with a UKA failure, with tibial component migration to the popliteal fossa. A knee posterior approach was performed to extract this component and a parapatellar approach for conversion to TKA with a tibial component with sleeve and stem. At 6 months follow-up the patient has no pain, no inflammatory signs, functional range of motion (5-100º) and the radiographic study show no complication. This case highlights the importance of a celerity revision, since time can lead to loss of bone stock and component migration, making the surgery more demanding.