The tipping point in medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy relates to the shape of the proximal tibia more than to lower limb alignment correction.

PURPOSE

The tipping point (TP) of the knee joint is the centre of rotation of the joint in the coronal plane. This study aimed to define the TP in medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO).

METHODS

Data from 154 consecutive patients with varus knee malalignment, who underwent MOWHTO between 2017 and 2021, was retrospectively reviewed. The degree of preoperative osteoarthritis (OA), using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading system, was recorded. Long-leg standing radiographs were used to record the alignment parameters, including the hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), the mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA), the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), the joint line convergence angle (JLCA) and the joint line obliquity (JLO) angle. Postoperative Tegner activity scores, Western Ontario and McMaster University Scores and patients' satisfaction were recorded. To define the TP, the relationship of all variables to Δ JLCA (absolute difference between preoperative to postoperative JLCA values) was analysed. Linear regression was employed for Δ JLCA to preoperative JLCA and postoperative and Δ MPTA (absolute difference between preoperative and postoperative values). K-means clustering was used to partition observations into clusters, in which each observation belongs to the cluster with the nearest mean serving as a prototype of the cluster, and analysed if there was any specific threshold influencing Δ JLCA. After defining the TP, further subanalysis of the TP based on the preoperative KL OA grade and analysis of variance of this TP to the KL OA grade was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 154 patients (77.9% males and 22.1% females) were included. The mean age was 48.2 ± 11 years, and the mean body mass index was 27.1 ± 4 kg/m. Preoperatively, 26 (16.9%) patients had KL grade IV OA. The mean preoperative and postoperative JLCA and the significance of their relation to Δ JLCA were 2.6° ± 1.8° (p < 0.0001) and 1.9° ± 1.8° (p = 0.6), respectively. The mean Δ JLCA was 1.4° ± 1.5°. The mean pre- and postoperative MPTA and the significance of their relation to Δ JLCA were 84.6 ± 2.2 (p = 0.005) and 91.8 ± 2.5 (p < 0.0007), respectively. The mean Δ MPTA was 7.2 ± 2.3 (p = 0.3). The mean preoperative and postoperative HKA and the significance of their relation to Δ JLCA were 174.6 ± 2.5 (p = 0.2) and 181.9 ± 2.4 (p = 0.7), respectively. The overall linear regression for Δ JLCA was statistically significant for preoperative JLCA (R = 0.3, p < 0.0001) and postoperative MPTA (R = 0.09, p = 0.0001) and statistically insignificant for Δ MPTA (R = 0.01, p = 0.2) and postoperative HKA (R = 0.04, p = 0.7). MPTA > 91.5° was the optimal threshold dividing this series data set between substantial and nonsignificant Δ JLCA.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the main predictive factors for intra-articular correction (Δ JLCA) after MOWHTO were the preoperative value of JLCA and the postoperative value of MPTA. A value of 92° for postoperative MPTA is potentially the optimal threshold to predict intra-articular correction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, retrospective cohort study.