Periprosthetic fracture of the proximal tibia after lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

We report a case of periprosthetic fracture of the proximal tibia after lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty following a trivial fall. At the time of surgery, the components were found to be loose; and there was a large uncontained tibial defect with bone loss and communition at the fracture site. The patient was treated by revision total knee arthroplasty and proximal structural tibial allograft, with a satisfactory result at 5-year follow up. Our case illustrates that a bone-conserving unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, if complicated by a periprosthetic fracture, can also present with a difficult surgical problem. Attention to preoperative planning and to availability of structural allograft for such difficult cases is recommended.