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An intraoperative load sensor did not improve the early postoperative results of posterior-stabilized TKA for osteoarthritis with varus deformities

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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

In the present study, the early results of sensor-assisted versus manually balanced posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis with varus deformities were prospectively compared.

Methods

Fifty patients undergoing sensor-assisted TKA (group S) and 50 patients receiving manually balanced TKA (group M) were prospectively compared. The groups did not differ in terms of demographics, preoperative clinical status, or severity of deformity. The knee and function scores (KS and FS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and range of motion (ROM) were evaluated clinically. The mechanical axes and positions of components were assessed radiographically. In sensor-assisted TKA, the medial and lateral compartment loads were compared based on the patellar positions of inversion and eversion.

Results

There was no between-group difference in the postoperative KS or FS (n.s., respectively). The average postoperative WOMAC score was 17.0 in group S and 18.0 in group M (n.s.). The ROM was 131.2° in group S and 130.8° in group M (n.s.). Neither the postoperative alignment of the mechanical axis nor the component positioning differed between the groups (n.s.). In sensor-assisted TKA, the difference between the medial and lateral compartment loads was less than 15 lbs (6.8 kg) in each knee. The lateral compartment load increased after patellar eversion (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

There are concerns about the cost–benefit ratio of the intraoperative load sensor, despite its advantage of more precisely assessing ligament balance without patellar eversion, which resulted in a smaller lateral gap. A long-term follow-up study with a large cohort is required.

Level of evidence

II.

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Funding

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea

    Sang Jun Song, Se Gu Kang, Yeon Je Lee & Kang Il Kim

  2. Department of Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, 23 Kyunghee-daero, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 130-872, South Korea

    Cheol Hee Park

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  1. Sang Jun Song
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Correspondence to Cheol Hee Park.

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Ethical approval

All procecures performed in the studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national reareach committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of our hospital.

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A informed consent form was signed by each patient.

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Song, S.J., Kang, S.G., Lee, Y.J. et al. An intraoperative load sensor did not improve the early postoperative results of posterior-stabilized TKA for osteoarthritis with varus deformities. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 27, 1671–1679 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-5314-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-018-5314-7

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