BACKGROUND

Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis increases because life expectancy continues to rise with an active patient population. Hence, the concept of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has regained popularity as a treatment option for unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency is widely considered as a contraindication for UKA, however, there are conflicting reports. If otherwise indicated, some surgeons consider UKA for ACL-deficient patients using a modified surgical technique, with a reduction of posterior tibial slope.

RESEARCH QUESTION

The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes in UKA patients with ACL deficiency in comparison to a conventional UKA group (intact ACL) by the measurement of knee kinematics and kinetics.

METHODS

Ten patients with conventional UKA and an intact ACL and eight patients with an ACL-deficient UKA and a reduced posterior tibial slope relative to the native knee were recruited. Three-dimensional joint kinematics of the knee were measured, using skin markers and an infrared optical motion capture system. Ground reaction forces (GRF) were measured with force plates in all three directions. Level walking, ramp descent and stair descent were analyzed, comparing implanted and contralateral native knees and the two UKA groups.

RESULTS

No significant differences in kinetics and kinematics were observed between conventional UKA and ACL-deficient UKA groups for any of the activities. However, some asymmetries in GRF between the implanted and contralateral side were present for the ACL-deficient group, during level walking (unloading rate) and stair descent (stance time).

SIGNIFICANCE

Promising outcomes of the ACL-deficient UKA group suggest that ACL deficiency may not always be a contraindication. Therefore, ACL-deficient UKA could be an alternative treatment option to total knee arthroplasty for an appropriate surgeon selected patient population.