Proximal medial tibial biplanar retrotubercle open wedge osteotomy in medial knee arthrosis

The patellar tendon length changes and patella infera occurs in medial open wedge osteotomies. We hypothesized that patellar tendon length in the sagittal plane would not change in a proximal medial tibial biplanar retrotubercle open wedge osteotomy. Proximal medial tibial biplanar retrotubercle open wedge osteotomies were conducted on 23 knees of 22 patients; the mean patient age was 59 +/- 7 years (range, 53-69 years). The surgical procedure used had some technical distinctions from those used in literature. The mean follow-up was 37 +/- 11 months (range, 19-58 months). Preoperative and postoperative Hospital for Special Surgery Scoring System (HSS) scores, radiological tibial slope, Insall-Salvati, Blackburne-Peel, and Caton indices, femoro-tibial anatomical axis angle, the angle between the femoral condyle and tibial plateau, and the angle between the tibial plateau and tibial axis were measured and compared statistically. Postoperative HSS scores were statistically higher than the preoperative HSS scores. The femoro-tibial axis angle, the angle between the femoral condyle and tibial plateau, and the angle between the tibial plateau and tibial axes decreased significantly. No statistical difference was observed between the preoperative and postoperative Insall-Salvati, Blackburne-Peel, or Caton indices. When we performed proximal medial tibial biplanar retrotubercle open wedge osteotomy, clinical and radiological recovery was observed but patellar height did not change. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.