Comparison of two techniques in achieving planned correction angles in femoral subtrochanteric derotation osteotomy

Increased femoral anteversion in cerebral palsy alters biomechanics of gait. Femoral subtrochanteric derotational osteotomies are increasingly performed to improve gait in cerebral palsy. The amount of angular correction can be determined and planned preoperatively but, accuracy in achieving planned angular correction has not been tested experimentally before. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the two techniques in achieving planned angular correction. Sixteen dry femora were used in this study. Specimens in both groups were derotated to achieve a desired amount of correction with two different techniques, consecutively. In technique one, the cross section of the femur was assumed to be circular and the desired amount of angular correction was calculated and expressed in terms of surface distance by a geometric formula (surface distance=2×π×radius of femur). In both groups, derotations were made based on this surface distance calculation. Consecutively the same specimens were derotated by pins and guide technique. Femoral anteversion of specimens were measured before and after derotation by computerized tomography. There was a statistically significant differance in planned and achieved correction angles (P=0.038) in both subgroups derotated by the surface distance technique. When the two techniques were compared, there was significant difference (P=0.050) between high magnitude correction subgroups (subgroups 2 vs. 4). In conclusion, the results of this study highlighted the difficulty in achieving accurate derotation angles. Derotations based on guide-pins technique yielded more accurate results than derotations based on surface distance technique. In addition, surface diameter technique was not suitable when higher degrees of derotations are needed. In achieving a planned derotation angle two techniques are described for accuracy. Both the techniques have potential pitfalls resulting in malrotations. Surgeons must be aware of these obstacles and try to avoid them.