Simultaneous bilateral open wedge high tibial osteotomy versus simultaneous bilateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in the treatment of bilateral medial knee osteoarthritis: a retrospective study of an average three-year follow-up

Objective There is growing evidence that simultaneous bilateral open wedge high tibial osteotomy(SBOWHTO) and simultaneous bilateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty(SBUKA) is an effective surgical treatment for bilateral medial knee osteoarthritis (MKOA). However, which intervention is more beneficial for bilateral MKOA patients remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of these two strategies through early clinical outcomes, complication rates, and prosthetic survival. Methods The clinical data of 60 patients with bilateral MKOA admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2018 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into SBOWHTO group (n = 28) and SBUKA group (n = 32) according to different treatment methods. Clinical relevant indexes, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, Knee Society Knee (KSS) score, range of motion(ROM), postoperative complications and prosthetic survival rate were compared between the two groups. Results Patients in the SBOWHTO group were followed up for 27 to 50 months, with an average of (37.18 +/- 6.84) months. Patients in the SBUKA group were followed up for 24 to 59 months, with an average of (39.38 +/- 9.74) months. There were no significant differences in postoperative KSS, HSS and ROM between SBOWHTO group and SBUKA group (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in complication rate between the two groups (p = 0.721). There was no significant difference in prosthetic survival rate (p = 0.622) and prosthetic survival curve (chi 2 = 0.546, p = 0.46) between the two groups. Conclusions This study compared early clinical outcomes, complication rates, and prosthesis retention rates after SBOWHTO and SBUKA, and found that the early clinical benefits of SBOWHTO and SBUKA were comparable in patients with bilateral MKOA.