With the right indications, partial knee arthroplasty (PKA) is an alternative to both total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and high tibial osteotomy. The Oxford Partial Knee includes options for both medial and lateral compartment replacement as well as cemented and cementless options.

Unique Design

The Oxford Partial Knee has a unique mobile-bearing design which was patented by John Goodfellow and John O’Connor in 1974, and first used in 1976. The Oxford PKR is the only partial knee that's been clinically proven in survivorship at minimum 10, 15 and 20 years.1-7

Also, the Oxford PKR is a bi-cruciate retaining knee, meaning the healthy ACL and PCL are kept intact. This provides stability and maintains natural kinematics for the patient after surgery. We believe the retention of the ACL is an important contributor to reported higher patient satisfaction following Oxford PKR surgery vs. TKR8.

Advantages of PKA vs. TKA:

Higher patient satisfaction may be the result of the many benefits that PKA offers patients, such as:

  • A more natural fit than TKA, with only the affected medial compartment being replaced9
  • Improved range of motion10-12*
  • Preserving more healthy bone12*
  • Better functionality12 and more natural motion12 than TKA
  • Faster recovery and shorter hospital stay than TKA10
  • Fewer and less severe complications including less morbidity compared with TKA13,14

Studies also show that if partial knee replacement is performed early in the disease process, it can prevent the spread of arthritis, providing a long term solution15.

Dr. Harry Schmaltz M.D. Surgeon Testimonial

Oxford® Partial Knee, 40 Years of Excellence

* Some studies included Oxford Partial Knees as well as other ‘non-Biomet’ partial knees

  1. Murray, D. et al. The Oxford Medial Unicompartmental Arthroplasty. A Ten-Year Survival Study. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 80:983–989. 1998.
  2. Keys, G. et al. Analysis of First Forty Oxford Medial Unicompartmental Knee Replacements from a Small District Hospital in UK. Knee. 11:375–377. 2004.
  3. Rajasekhar, C. et al. Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty. 2- to 12-year Results in a Community Hospital. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Br. 86:983–985. 2004.
  4. Price AJ, Svard U.: A second decade lifetable survival analysis of the Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011 Jan;469(1): 174-9.
  5. Emerson RH Jr, Higgins LL. Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty with the Oxford prosthesis in patients with medial compartment arthritis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2008 Jan;90(1):118-22.
  6. Svard, U. and Price, A. Oxford Medial 1. Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty. A Survival Analysis of an Independent Series. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Br. 83:191–194. 2001.
  7. Price, A. et al. Long-term Clinical Results of the Medial Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty. Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research. 435:171–180. 2005
  8. Study by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, US. Portions of study funded by Biomet. Determined based on adjusted odds ratio calculation.
  9. Goodfellow, J.W. and O’Connor, J.J. The Mechanics of the Knee and Prosthesis Design. JBJS Br. 60-B(3): 358–69, 1978.
  10. Lombardi, A. et al. Is Recovery Faster for Mobile-bearing Unicompartmental than Total Knee Arthroplasty? Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research. 467:1450-57. 2009.
  11. Amin A, et al. Unicompartmental or Total Knee Replacement? A Direct Comparative Study of Survivorship and Clinical Outcome at Five Years. JBJS Br. 2006; 88-B; Suppl 1, 100. Published Online.
  12. Deshmukh, RV, Scott, RD. Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: long term results. Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research. 2001; 392:272278.
  13. Brown, NM, et al. Total Knee Arthroplasty Has Higher Postoperative Morbidity Than Uni-compartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Multicenter Analysis. The Journal of Arthroplasty. (2012)
  14. Robertsson, O, et al. Use of unicompartmental instead of tricompartmental prostheses for unicompartmental arthrosis in the knee is a cost effective alternative. Acta Orthop Scand. (1999); 70(2): 170-175.
  15. Weale AE, Murray DW, Crawford R, et al. Does arthritis progress in the retained compartments after Oxford medial unicompartmental arthroplasty?: a clinical and radiological study with a minimum of 10-year follow up. J Bone Joint Surg[Br] 1999; 80-B: 783-9