Total Knee Replacement – TKR

All cartilage is removed from the knee joint and replaced with metal and plastic prosthetics.

Also called Unicompartmental Arthroplasty (UKA), it is a minimally invasive surgery wherein only the damaged compartment is replaced with metal and plastic.

Also called a Patellofemoral Replacement, this involves replacing just the affected under-surface of the kneecap and its groove (the trochlea).

Both knees are replaced at the same time. This procedure lowers the infection rate associated with a single surgical event.

These are Total Knee Replacements that need to be revised after 15-20 years (post-primary surgery). It is performed via highly-advanced prosthesis and Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS).

The patient is given general anesthesia. At times, it is replaced with either spinal or epidural anesthesia and a nerve block.

The surgeon makes an incision of 8-12 inches to expose the knee joint. The damaged bone is removed along with the cartilage on the end of the femur and tibia from the bone surface. The surrounding muscles, ligaments, and the knee cap are preserved.

The surfaces that hold the metal and plastic components are shaped.

The artificial material is implanted over both bones. The metal cap is implanted on the femur surface and the plastic part is implanted on the tibia surface using cement or screws. These together form the joint for support and function as a new knee joint.

The cut is closed with stitches and covered with dressing.