Recurrence in infantile tibia vara (Blount disease) after high tibia and fibula osteotomy

Infantile Tibia Vara (ITV or Blount disease) often recurs after surgical correction of the deformity. Vastly different recurrence rates have been reported in the literature. The main objective of this study was to identify any risk factors for the recurrence of ITV following high tibia and fibula valgus osteotomy. This was a retrospective cohort comparative study of 44 patients with ITV (16 with bilateral involvement) who underwent a total of 60 high tibia and fibula osteotomies. Demographics, family history, BMI, walking age and age at surgery were recorded. Pre-, post- and follow-up weight-bearing anatomic femorotibial angles, were measured from X-rays. The limbs were divided into Langenskiöld stages based on preoperative X-rays. The study found an overall recurrence rate of 63.3% for children who had a high tibia and fibula osteotomy for ITV. Surgery after the age of 4 years, advanced Langenskiöld stages (stages 3-5) and overcorrection of less than 15 degrees of valgus were identified as risk factors for recurrence. This study recommends performing a high tibia and fibula valgus osteotomy before the age of 4 years in ITV to avoid recurrence. Overcorrection of the high tibia and fibula osteotomy to 15 degrees of valgus should be considered in older patients with high Langenskiöld stages at time of presentation.