Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Establishing a full-thickness cartilage in the lateral compartment and functionally intact ACL is vital before proceeding with unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR). The aim of this study is to assess whether MRI is a useful adjunct in predicting suitability for UKR, as compared to standard and stress radiographs.
METHODS
We identified 50 patients with a knee found suitable for UKR based on their standard and stress radiographs (full-thickness cartilage on lateral side). These patients underwent an additional cartilage-specific MRI scan to identify the status of ACL and the lateral compartment. The final decision regarding the suitability for UKR was based on the intra-operative observation.
RESULTS
The mean age of patients was 65.1 years (49-79). Review of MRIs showed that in 44 (88%), the MRI scan agreed with the X-ray findings. These patients all underwent UKR after suitability was confirmed intra-operatively. In 6 (12%) patients, the cartilage-specific MRI scan was able to demonstrate significant lateral compartment arthritis in five patients and ACL damage in another. These findings were confirmed by direct observation at the time of surgery and a total knee replacement was performed.
Conclusion
Stress radiographs are not completely accurate in ruling out involvement of contralateral compartment before UKR. If used alone, it may not detect a proportion of knees with full-thickness cartilage loss in the lateral compartment Despite doubts suggested in previous literature, our study suggests that cartilage-specific MRI can be a useful adjunct in the determining the status of the lateral compartment and ACL prior to UKR. It may be particularly useful for the younger population with osteoarthritis who would consent for UKR, but not TKR. This pilot study could guide further randomised trials to assess this particular impact of MRI.
