What is a prosthetic joint ?

The surgeon replaces a part of the joint surface of the femur and the tibia with a unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) implant.

The UKA is comprised of two components

Femoral implant:

•  A replacement condyle that is embedded into the worn-out femur to replace the cartilage

Tibial implant:

A tibial baseplate that is fixed to the tibia. It is either:

•  A metal part fixed to the bone and a polyethylene part on which the metal implant will slide
   
   
   
  
   
•  Made entirely of polyethylene and fixed to the tibia with cement.

              Pre-operative X-ray                                 Post-operative X-ray

On the post-operative X-ray, the tibial implant is invisible because the surgeon opted for a tibial baseplate made entirely of polyethylene. The polyethylene is radiolucent.