There is no disease of thinning of knee cap, may be pain in the knee due to patello femoral strain . but for your age usually there will be either knee ligaments strain or patella disease, your word requirement of surgery may be arthroscopic joint evaluation, that's fine you can get evaluated

madam, there are many reasons to have knee pain at your age. kindly be more specific with the problem thinning? of knee cap. pain is not a problem to treat at your age. surgery of any type is not an option at your age.. kindly visit an orthopedist for a detailed examination and radiological investigation to ascertain the underlying problem... treatment had to be customized according to the underlying condition and treatment is age specific

Hi,hope you are not in a lot of pain. What do you mean by saying that your knee cap is thin ? Do you mean that the cartilage is worn out ? It is very unusual at your age. You might have chondromalacia patella. You will not need a replacement in all probability. Please consult am Orthopaedic surgeon