title: Joint débridement--a complement to high tibial osteotomy in the treatment of degenerative arthritis of the knee.
abstract: The management of unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee by high tibial osteotomy is enhanced by an associated joint débridement. A review of 120 patients who underwent the combined procedure, with follow-up to thirteen years, indicated that good or satisfactory results may be achieved in 82 per cent and that such results may be maintained over a prolonged period of review. This paper summarizes a long-term review of a series of one of us (D. L. M.), who since 1961 has practiced the combined procedure of tibial osteotomy and open joint débridement. The patient group was reviewed by him one year following surgery and then independently by the second author (R. P. W) in 1974, when 105 of the original 120 patients were available for detailed follow-up. Controversy surrounds the role of débridement when associated with osteotomy. This paper discusses both the rationale for and the results of combining these procedures. The over-all results confirm that these procedures are indeed complementary.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003646:Debridement / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery*