Dear patients,

The significant development of implantology in recent years, as well as the massive use of social networks, has led to the need for a more accurate awareness of you, the patient, on the issues of endoprosthetics.

The considerable experience we have already gained in this field has prompted us to turn our attention to this aspect of orthopaedic surgery.

The reason that leads to the need for one of the two procedures is the disease osteoarthritis / OA / of the knee joint. In today’s world, people are active and play sports on a daily basis, so the likelihood of more trauma with greater stress on the knee and subsequent development of osteoarthritis is greater.

One of the most important principles in orthopedic surgery is to preserve the natural structures of the knee joint whenever possible. This sounds contradictory when we are replacing all joint surfaces, not just the significantly damaged ones. Partial knee endoprosthetics has long been subject to scientific debate. It was thought that good joint balance was not as important as with total knee replacement. This approach in combination with poor implant design led to unsatisfactory results at the beginning.

By now, things are radically different. The philosophy of the procedure, the approach to patient selection, the design of the implants have all changed significantly. All this has led to excellent results published in various foreign studies.

The results of the orthopaedics and traumatology clinics in Burgas and Pleven meet world standards and are based on the team’s many years of experience in prosthetics of large and small joints.

Indications for partial knee replacement:
1. Cartilage damage in an isolated area of the knee (grade 3-4) with relatively preserved cartilage in other parts of the joint. The damage is most often a consequence of osteoarthritis, bone necrosis or trauma.
2. Middle-aged people with average or high physical activity 50 – 65 years
3. Preserved joint stability.
4. People with normal body weight (body mass index up to 20-25).
5. Absence of marked inflammatory reaction in the joint.

Indications for total knee replacement:
1. Cartilage damage of the joint in two or more areas (3-4 degree).
2. Age over 65 – 70 years with lower requirements to daily activity.
3. Possible instability in the joint.
4. Body mass index up to 35.
5. No or strong inflammatory reaction in the joint.

Benefits of partial knee replacement:
1. Significantly more sparing and short intervention.
2. Significantly less blood loss.
3. Less pronounced postoperative edema and lower risk of thromboembolic complications.
4. Lower risk of infectious complications.
5. No impairment of deep sensation, patients often feel the joint as their own.
6. Faster return to daily physical activity.

The teams of the orthopaedics and traumatology clinics at the Heart and Brain hospitals in Pleven and Burgas have high expertise and extensive experience in the application of partial or total knee arthroplasty.

Contact:
Burgas: 056 703003
Pleven: 064 678400