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Distal Femur Rotation Relates to Joint Obliquity in ACL-deficient Chinese

  • Symposium: Special Considerations for TKA in Asian Patients
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

Abstract

Background

The lower limb osteometry of Chinese differs from that of whites. The joint line of the knee in the coronal plane in Chinese is more medially inclined and the posterior condylar angle of the distal femur in the axial plane is larger. However, it is unclear whether there is any direct association between the coronal plane and axial plane osteometry.

Questions/purposes

We asked whether the joint line obliquity of the knee is related to the posterior condylar angle of the distal femur in young Chinese subjects.

Methods

Ninety-nine young Chinese patients with anterior cruciate ligament injuries were recruited. The lower limb alignment and joint line obliquity were measured using standing long radiographs of the whole lower limb. The rotational alignment of the distal femur was assessed in the axial cuts of the MRI.

Results

The distal femur rotational alignment was associated with the obliquity of the knee in Chinese. The posterior condylar angle was 5° ± 2°. The knee was 5° ± 3° medially inclined.

Conclusions

The joint line of the knee in a group of young Chinese patients was more medially inclined than that of whites. The posterior condylar angle of the distal femur was larger. The presence of an association between distal femur rotational alignment and joint line obliquity in this group of young Chinese patients suggests a possible developmental cause explaining the difference in osteometry between races.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Room 508A, Professorial Block, O & T, No. 102, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    W. P. Yau MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS, K. Y. Chiu MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS & C. H. Yan MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS

  2. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    August W. M. Fok MBChB, FRCSE, FHKCOS & F. Y. Ng MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS

Authors
  1. W. P. Yau MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS
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  2. K. Y. Chiu MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS
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  3. August W. M. Fok MBChB, FRCSE, FHKCOS
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  4. C. H. Yan MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS
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  5. F. Y. Ng MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. P. Yau MBBS, FRCSE, FHKCOS.

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Each author certifies that he or she, or a member of his or her immediate family, has no funding or commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request.

Each author certifies that his or her institution approved or waived approval for the reporting of this case and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

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Yau, W.P., Chiu, K.Y., Fok, A.W.M. et al. Distal Femur Rotation Relates to Joint Obliquity in ACL-deficient Chinese. Clin Orthop Relat Res 471, 1458–1464 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-012-2698-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-012-2698-4

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