title: High tibial osteotomy in the treatment of arthritic varus knee. A medium term (small) review of 61 cases.
abstract: Sixty-one valgizing high tibial osteotomies performed according to the Insall method between 1975 and 1982 were reviewed; follow-up ranged from a minimum of 4 years to a maximum of 11, with an average of 7.5 years. The stage of preoperative osteoarthritis, evaluated according to Ahlbacks's classification, never exceeded Grade 3 (obliteration of the joint space and slight bone erosion). Preoperative varus never exceeded 10 degrees. The clinical results, evaluated on the score-form used at the Hospital for Special Surgery, were satisfactory in 48 cases (79% of the total) and unsatisfactory in 13 (21%). The success rate decreased to 65% in cases with a follow-up exceeding 10 years. There was frequently some loss of radiographic correction between the postoperative and follow-up values, but this was significant in only 9 cases where it exceeded 5 degrees. The arthritis was radiographically progressive in 22 cases, 18 of which were from the satisfactory group (excellent and good) and 4 from the unsatisfactory group (fair and poor). This positive evaluation of the results, even if they tended to deteriorate over a period of time, show that high valgizing tibial osteotomy is an effective operation, particularly when performed in knees without severe deformity.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ortopedia e Traumatologia dell'Università, Perugia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rinonapoli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aglietti
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buzzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy; D011859:Radiography; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery*