title: Mini-incision total knee arthroplasty can increase risk of component malalignment.
abstract: Interest in minimal-incision total knee arthroplasty has increased in recent years. We compared a group of 30 patients who had total knee arthroplasty with a mini-incision to a similar group of 30 patients who had total knee arthroplasty with a standard length incision. The minimal-incision group had some minor early advantages (less pain medication use, earlier improvement in range of motion), but these advantages dissipated by 3 months followup. Radiographic evaluations showed that four of the 30 patients with minimal incisions had tibial component varus malalignment (< 87 degrees ), whereas no patients with the standard length incision had malalignment. Although total knee arthroplasty performed using a minimal incision may provide some early advantages, minimal incisions can impede a surgeon's vision and may influence component alignment and possibly compromise long-term outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic study, Level III-1 (retrospective comparative study). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Associates, Inc., Baltimore, MD, USA. ehenze1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Dalury
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Dennis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D017760:Bone Malalignment / Q000209:etiology*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D011184:Postoperative Period; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome