This 2019 JAAOS narrative review by Jennings et al. synthesizes current evidence on medial UKA — covering patient selection, expanded indications, implant choice between fixed- and mobile-bearing designs, survivorship data from cohort studies and national registries, failure mechanisms, conversion outcomes, and cost-effectiveness compared with TKA.
When evaluating a patient for medial UKA, don't reflexively exclude them for obesity, anterior knee pain, mild PFJ disease, or age under 60 — recent evidence shows these traditional Kozinn-Scott contraindications don't reliably predict worse outcomes; instead, focus the workup on correctable varus deformity (valgus stress view), lateral compartment integrity, and ligamentous sufficiency, and refer to or perform UKA only at sufficient volume to stay on the right side of the experience curve.
This 2019 JAAOS narrative review by Jennings et al. synthesizes current evidence on medial UKA — covering patient selection, expanded indications, implant choice between fixed- and mobile-bearing designs, survivorship data from cohort studies and national registries, failure mechanisms, conversion outcomes, and cost-effectiveness compared with TKA.
When evaluating a patient for medial UKA, don't reflexively exclude them for obesity, anterior knee pain, mild PFJ disease, or age under 60 — recent evidence shows these traditional Kozinn-Scott contraindications don't reliably predict worse outcomes; instead, focus the workup on correctable varus deformity (valgus stress view), lateral compartment integrity, and ligamentous sufficiency, and refer to or perform UKA only at sufficient volume to stay on the right side of the experience curve.