No difference in Oxford Knee Score between medial and lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty after two years of follow‐up: a clinical trial

Abstract Purpose In patients with monocompartmental knee osteoarthritis, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) can be performed. This study compared the medial versus lateral UKA in patients with monocompartimental knee arthroplasty. It was hypothesised that both implants achieve a similar outcome in OKS. Methods The UKAs were fixed‐bearing medial PPK (Zimmer‐Biomet, Warsaw, Indiana, USA) and fixed‐bearing lateral Zuk (Lima Corporate, Udine, Italy). An intraarticular drain was placed and removed on the first postoperative day. Enoxaparin sodium 4000 units subcutaneously daily for 45 days was used as thromboembolic prophylaxis. The Italian version of the OKS was used for the clinical assessment. The following complications were also recorded: anterior knee pain, infection and revision surgeries. Results Data from 203 patients were collected. The mean age of the patients was 68.9 ± 6.7 years and the mean BMI was 28.1 ± 4.1 kg/m2. The mean OKS on admission was 22.1 ± 4.5 points. On admission, women, patients older than 70 years, and those with a BMI lower than 28 kg/m2 who underwent lateral UKA evidenced lower OKS. At the last follow‐up, 26.7 and 26.9 months for the lateral and medial UKA, respectively, no between groups difference in OKS was evidenced. No patients experienced complications. Conclusion Medial and lateral UKA achieve similar outcomes in OKS at a minimum of two years of follow‐up.