Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38997246›Full record

SynthesisChinese medical journal2025

Is unicompartmental knee arthroplasty a better choice than total knee arthroplasty for unicompartmental osteoarthritis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Kuanyu Xia, Lang Min, Wenqing Xie, Guang Yang, Dong Keon Yon, Seung Won Lee, Ai Koyanagi, Louis Jacob, Lee Smith, Jae Il Shin and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Chinese medical journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Kuanyu XiaNational Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China.
Lang MinDepartment of Hematology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
Wenqing XieNational Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China.
Guang YangNational Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China.
Dong Keon YonCenter for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Seung Won LeeDepartment of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Ai KoyanagiResearch and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 08830 Barcelona, Spain.
Louis JacobResearch and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Dr. Antoni Pujadas, 08830 Barcelona, Spain.
Lee SmithCentre for Health, Performance, and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
Jae Il ShinDepartment of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Masoud RahmatiDepartment of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.
Wenfeng XiaoNational Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China.
Yusheng LiNational Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe choice of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) vs . total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the surgical treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) remains controversial. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the clinical results of UKA and TKA for treating unicompartmental KOA.

methodsPubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for articles published up to January 2, 2023. The literature was rigorously screened to include only RCTs comparing UKA and TKA for unicompartmental KOA. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to calculate the mean difference (MD), relative risk (RR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) according to the Cochrane standards.

resultsThirteen publications involving 683 UKAs and 683 TKAs were analyzed. Except for one study with a follow-up period of 15 years, all outcome measures reported were within 5 years of follow-up. Meta-analysis showed better knee recovery (MD: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.01-1.45; P  <0.001), greater knee function (MD: 1.78; 95% CI: 0.34-3.22; P  = 0.020), less pain (MD: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.43-1.06; P  <0.001), and better health status (MD: 3.75; 95% CI: 0.81-6.69; P  = 0.010) after UKA than TKA. However, considering the minimal clinically important difference values for these variables, the findings were not clinically relevant. Moreover, UKA patients had fewer complications (RR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.45-0.78; P  <0.001) and shorter hospital stays (MD: -0.89; 95% CI: -1.57 to -0.22; P  = 0.009) than did TKA patients. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of postoperative range of movement, revision, failure, operation time, and patient satisfaction.

conclusionsIn terms of clinical efficacy, there was no obvious advantage of UKA over TKA in the surgical treatment of knee OA when considering the minimal clinically important difference. The main advantage of UKA over TKA is that it leads to fewer complications and a shorter length of hospital stay. It is ideal to perform prospective studies with longer follow-up periods to fully evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of the two procedures in the future.

Indexed as

Arthroplasty, Replacement, KneeOsteoarthritis, KneeHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeMeta-analysisSystematic reviewTotal knee arthroplastyUnicompartmental knee arthroplastyUnicompartmental knee osteoarthritis

Identifiers

PMID38997246
PMCPMC12233926

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.