Quantification of the Effect of Vertical Bone Resection of the Medial Proximal Tibia for Achieving Soft Tissue Balancing in Total Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: Degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee usually shows arthritic change in the medial tibiofemoral joint with severe varus deformity. In total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the medial release technique is often used for achieving mediolateral balancing. But, in a more severe varus knee, there are more difficult technical problems. Bony resection of the medial proximal tibia (MPT) as an alternative technique for achieving soft tissue balancing was assessed in terms of its effectiveness and possibility of quantification. METHODS: TKAs were performed in 78 knees (60 patients) with vertical bone resection of the MPT for soft tissue balancing from September 2011 to March 2013. During operation, the medial and lateral gaps were measured before and after the bony resection technique. First, the correlation between the measured thickness of the resected bone and the change in medial and lateral gaps was analyzed. Second, the possibility of quantification of each parameter was evaluated by linear regression and the coefficient ratio was obtained. RESULTS: A significant correlation was identified between alteration in the medial gap change in extension and the measured thickness of the vertically resected MPT (r = 0.695, p = 0.000). In the medial gap change in flexion, there was no statistical significance (r = 0.214, p = 0.059). When the MPT was resected at an average thickness of 8.25 +/- 1.92 mm, the medial gap in extension was increased by 2.94 +/- 0.87 mm. In simple linear regression, it was predictable that MPT resection at a thickness of 2.80 mm was required to increase the medial gap by 1.00 mm in knee extension. CONCLUSIONS: The method of bone resection of the MPT can be considered effective with a predictable result for achieving soft tissue balancing in terms of quantification during TKA.

Development of a Pneumatic Tensioning Device for Gap Measurement during Total Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of soft tissue balancing during total knee arthroplasty (TKA), all estimating techniques are dependent on a surgeon's manual distraction force or subjective feeling based on experience. We developed a new device for dynamic gap balancing, which can offer constant load to the gap between the femur and tibia, using pneumatic pressure during range of motion. METHODS: To determine the amount of distraction force for the new device, 3 experienced surgeons' manual distraction force was measured using a conventional spreader. A new device called the consistent load pneumatic tensor was developed on the basis of the biomechanical tests. Reliability testing for the new device was performed using 5 cadaveric knees by the same surgeons. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. RESULTS: The distraction force applied to the new pneumatic tensioning device was determined to be 150 N. The interobserver reliability was very good for the newly tested spreader device with ICCs between 0.828 and 0.881. CONCLUSIONS: The new pneumatic tensioning device can enable us to properly evaluate the soft tissue balance throughout the range of motion during TKA with acceptable reproducibility.