Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors for the occurrence of complications in a consecutive series of patients who underwent step-cut tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) and subsequent screw refixation in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Methods
Using standardised conventional radiographs, critical parameters including TTO length and depth, proximal abutment width (OT), and orientation and placement of fixation screws were measured in 422 patients (mean age of 71 years and a follow-up time range of one to five years) with two screw fixations.
Results
Medial spatial orientation in the distal screw (11 %, p=0.046), the TTO length (<55.4 mm, p=0.013), the OT width (<14 mm, p=0.002) and the distance of the distal refixation screw from the TKA (<51.7 mm, p=0.003) were significant factors for the occurrence of complications.
Conclusions
Age, gender, comorbidities, height, weight and/or the body mass index had no significant influence on the occurrence of complications. The TTO-related complication rate was 3 %. Consideration of these key surgical factors leads to improved outcomes.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the orthopaedic surgeons and associates of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology as well as the Institute of Radiology, Kantonsspital Bruderholz, for providing the patient documentation and radiographs, respectively, which were used in this study.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Wishart, M., Arnold, M.P., Huegli, R.W. et al. Anterolateral approach using tibial tubercle osteotomy for total knee arthroplasty: can we predict failure?. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 36, 2485–2490 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-012-1693-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-012-1693-4