Early comparative outcomes of unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty in severely obese patients

Medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) may have advantages over total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the setting of obesity. There has been no direct comparison between the two cohorts. This study compares outcomes and complications of severely obese patients undergoing medial UKA versus TKA. Six hundred and fifty medial UKA and 1300 TKA were performed in patients with BMI >35kg/m2 (mean 41kg/m2) between 2007 and 2012. Pre- and postoperative ROM, Knee Society scores, perioperative factors, complications and reoperations were compared. UKA patients had higher preoperative ROM, and Knee Society pain (KSP), functional (KSF), and clinical (KSC) scores (p