Minimally Invasive Partial Knee Replacement Surgery

Patellofemoral Knee Replacement

If you have arthritis that is localized to the patellofemoral compartment (behind your knee cap), you might have pain limited to the front of your knee. Typically patients with patellofemoral arthritis experience increased pain going up and down stairs, arising from a seated position, or getting out of a car, and have very little pain walking on level ground.

When non-surgical interventions no longer relieve your pain, you may be a candidate for a patellofemoral replacement. Through a minimally invasive approach, the back surface of the arthritic kneecap is replaced with a very smooth plastic button and the front of the femur is replaced with a highly polished chrome cap.
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Unicompartmental Knee Replacement

If you have arthritis that is restricted to the medial (inner) or lateral (outer) compartments of your knee, unicompartmental resurfacing may be perfect for you when non-surgical treatments have failed to treat your knee pain. Using a minimally invasive approach, the arthritic surface of the upper part of the tibia is resurfaced with a rigid plastic and the lower part of the femur is resurfaced with a highly polished chrome cap. This procedure can substantially reduce the arthritis pain with which you may have been suffering.

Robotically assisted techniques are being used at the Philadelphia Center for Minimally Invasive Knee Surgery. Dr. Lonner is one of the first surgeons in the world to use robotic technology for unicompartmental knee resurfacing.
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Bicompartmental Knee Replacement

Combining patellofemoral and unicompartmental resurfacing may be an option for patients suffering with arthritis in two compartments of the knee, including the patellofemoral compartment and either the medial or lateral compartments, when non-surgical treatments have failed to treat their knee pain. Typically this is reserved for a small group of young patients for whom a total knee replacement may be undesirable, although select elderly patients may also be candidates. Robotically assisted techniques are used for the procedure to enhance the accuracy.
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