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Case Reports
. 2023 Dec 18;14(12):889-896.
doi: 10.5312/wjo.v14.i12.889.

Unicompartimental knee arthroplasty metallosis treated with uni-on-uni revision: A case report

Giuseppe Toro  1 , Adriano Braile  2 , Gianluca Conza  2 , Annalisa De Cicco  2 , Assala Abu Mukh  3 , Giacomo Placella  3 , Vincenzo Salini  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Unicompartimental knee arthroplasty metallosis treated with uni-on-uni revision: A case report

Giuseppe Toro et al. World J Orthop. .

Abstract

Background: Metallosis is the result of metallic wear debris in the soft tissues and is associated to both local and systemic inflammatory response. Metallosis has been reported after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but rarely after a unicompartimental knee arthroplasty (UKA). In the context of UKA metallosis, surgeons often opt for revision using a TKA. However, in this paper, the authors successfully treated UKA revising the metal back only.

Case summary: Prior to treat our patient we conducted a literature research through which we identified eleven cases of metallosis after UKA, ten (90.9%) were treated revising using though a TKA. Only one case was managed through a uni-on-uni revision, reporting high knee function. Our patient complained worsening pain and function after a snap occurred at 16 mo after UKA implantation. At 18 mo following surgical debridment and uni-on-uni revision surgery, our patient exhibited a relevant improvement in Oxford Knee Score and a reduction of metal ion levels in the blood.

Conclusion: Our study highlights that in case of metallosis after UKA, the treatment may be based on surgical debridement and just revising the mobilized components.

Keywords: Case report; Metallosis; Review; Revision; Uni-on-uni revision; Unicompartimental knee arthroplasty; case report.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patient’s preoperative evaluation. A: Clinics; B: Radiographs; C: Liner dislocation is indicated with white arrow.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of article inclusion process.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intraoperative photographs documenting peri-prosthetic soft tissue metallosis. A: Note the luxated bearing; B: Note the metal back debris.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Postoperative history. A and B: Postoperative X-rays; C-E: Clinical evaluation documenting range of motion at final follow-up; F and G: Radiographies documenting implant alignment at final follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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