ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of bone cuts and the resultant alignment, using the MyKnee patient specific cutting blocks. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 132 patients undergoing primary TKR for osteoarthritis by one single surgeon. The operative time, the preoperative Hip-Knee-Ankle (HKA) axis based on the CT-scan, the postoperative HKA axis based on long axis standing x-rays, the planned and the actual size of the femoral and the tibial components, and the number of the recuts which has been made intraoperative were measured. RESULTS: The average preoperative HKA axis was 177.50 (range 163.50 to 1940), whereas the average postoperative HKA axis was 179.40 (range 177.10 to 182.70). No outliers were reported in the study (0%). Intraoperatively, 4 femoral components (3.03%), and 7 tibial components (5.30%) applied to the patients were different than the planned size. There was no need of recuts in any of our cases intraoperatively. CONCLUSION: The MyKnee system evaluated in this study was shown to be remarkable reliable in the coronal plane alignment, and the prediction of the component size. However, further studies are needed to determine whether there are any clinically important improvements in outcomes or patient satisfaction when using patient-specific cutting blocks for TKA.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the geometry of the distal femur and the proximal tibia in the osteoarthritic knee using 3D reconstructive CT scan imaging. METHODS: 449 patients with knee osteoarthritis were treated surgically in our center with patient-specific technology total knee arthroplasty. Preoperatively, all the patients underwent a CT scan according to a standard protocol. Using this database, the Hip-Knee-Angle (HKA), the Femur Valgus Angle (FVA), the Tibia Varus Angle (TVA), the Posterior Tibia Slope (PTS), and the angle between the posterior condylar axis and the anatomical transepicondylar axis (PCA) for each patient were recorded and statistically evaluated. RESULTS: In overall, the mean HKA angle was 177.3±5.55, the mean FVA angle was 3.19±2.08, the mean TVA was 3.28±2.35, the PTS angle was 9.02±3.46, and the PCA angle was 2.86±0.78. Evaluation of the correlations between HKA and PCA (r=0.035), HKA and PTS (r=-0.047), and PCA and PTS (r=0.05) showed non-significant relationships (P=0.46, P=0.32, and P=0.29 respectively). No significant differences were revealed from the comparison of male patients with female patients, regarding the mean HKA, FVA, TVA, PTS, and PCA. CONCLUSION: The posterior condylar axis is a well-defined but not a reliable axis, while the transepicondylar and the anteroposterior are reliable, but not easily defined axes. Given the large ranges and standard deviations of the location of posterior condylar axis, and the important inter- and intraobserver variability in the intraoperative location of the transepicondylar and the anteroposterior axes, the use of a preoperative 3D CT scan is recommended.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: A significant proportion of surgeons use intra-articular drains after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The usual reason given to justify the use of a drain is to minimize patient pain and stiffness of the knee joint. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of this approach. METHODS: In this study 118 consecutive ACL reconstruction patients were randomized to no drain or a postoperative intra-articular suction drain. Inclusion criteria included a successful ACL reconstruction via either 4-strand hamstrings or bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft as a graft source. The primary outcomes were defined as pain (assessed by pain scores and analgesic counts) and range of motion (ROM) (assessed by loss of flexion and extension compared with the nonoperative leg). An independent statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: The 2 groups were comparable with respect to patient demographics, surgical findings, and procedures performed. There were no differences between the treatment groups for the primary outcomes of pain and ROM during the 8-week follow-up period. The study had adequate power to detect a clinically significant difference. Regarding the secondary outcomes, there was a difference in the grade of hemarthrosis between the groups at week 1 but not at week 4 or 8. However, the difference in subjective grade of hemarthrosis at 1 week did not have any effect on the primary outcomes of pain and ROM. During the study period, there were no complications in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The routine use of intra-articular drains after arthroscopic ACL surgery was not supported by this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, randomized controlled trial without narrow confidence intervals.
