Patellofemoral Knee Replacement

Patellofemoral Knee Replacement surgery may be recommended by Dr. Fischer if you have osteoarthritis contained to the patellofemoral compartment and you have not obtained adequate relief with conservative treatment options.

Traditionally, a patient with only one compartment of knee arthritis would undergo a Total Knee Replacement surgery. Patellofemoral Knee Replacement is a minimally invasive surgical option that preserves the knee parts not damaged by arthritis as well as the stabilizing anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, ACL and PCL. This less invasive bone and ligament preserving surgery is especially useful for younger, more active patients as the implant placed more closely mimics actual knee mechanics than does a total knee surgery.

The smaller implants used with a partial knee replacement surgery are customized to the patient’s anatomy based upon CT scans of the patient’s knee. A surgical Robotic Arm assists the surgeon with preoperative planning and intraoperative component placement, positioning, and alignment. Patellofemoral Knee Arthroplasty surgery will not alter the ability of the patient to eventually move to a Total Knee Replacement in the future should that become necessary.

Partial Knee Replacement surgery is performed in an operating room under sterile conditions with the patient under general anaesthesia or spinal anaesthesia with sedation. It is usually performed on an outpatient basis as day surgery.

• The surgeon makes a small incision, about 3-4 inches long over the knee.
• With the assistance of the robotic arm, the patellofemoral compartment is prepared for the artificial components by removing the damaged part of the patella and trochlea, the groove at the end of the femur.
• The new artificial components are fixed in place with the use of bone cement.
• The femoral component is made of polished metal and the patellar component looks like a plastic button which will glide smoothly in a groove located on the femoral component.
• With the new components in place, the knee is taken through a range of movements.

Risk factors that can negatively affect adequate healing after knee arthroscopy include:

• Poor nutrition
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Age (over 60)
• Alcoholism
• Chronic Illness
• Steroid Use