title: Valgus osteotomy for osteoarthritis of the knee.
abstract: Recent reports indicate that proximal tibial osteotomy for osteoarthritis of the knee is contraindicated if subluxation of the joint is evident clinically or on weight-bearing X-rays, or if the angular deformity of the joint is greater than 15 degrees. The purpose of this paper is to present evidence that a proximal tibial osteotomy, properly planned and performed, can give consistently sat-sfactory results even in osteoarthritic knees which have preoperative varus deformities greater that 15 degrees or are subluxated. A proper planning requires an exact measurement of the deformity on full length X-rays, a precise preoperative drawing and a very exact osteotomy giving some overcorrection. The overcorrection must compensate for the weakness of the lateral muscles, the most frequent cause of the condition.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery*