[Para-articular knee osteotomies]

Osteotomy close to the knee is an established method to treat degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee with varus or valgus deformity. However, indications, surgical techniques and results are discussed controversially. This article gives an overview of those surgical procedures most commonly used for correcting valgus and varus deformities. Supported by our results it is shown that osteotomy of the tibia for degenerative osteoarthritis together with operative arthroscopy in the same operative session gives better results compared to osteotomy alone. Despite the success of arthroplasty of the knee, osteotomy has it's place in the treatment of osteoarthritis.