Chinese Clinical Practice Guidelines in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis by Periarticular Knee Osteotomy

Unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis (UKOA) is the early stage of knee joint degeneration, which is characterized by unicompartmental degeneration and mostly occurs in medial compartment. Pain and limited motion are main symptoms, which affect patients' life quality. Periarticular knee osteotomy (PKO) for lower extremity alignment correction is an effective treatment for UKOA with abnormal alignment, which could relieve pain and improve joint function by adjusting lower extremity alignment. At present, no clinical guidelines are available for the treatment of UKOA by PKO for lower extremity alignment correction. Experts from the Clinical New Technology Application Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association, Joint Surgery Study Group of the Chinese Orthopaedic Association of the Chinese Medical Association, and Osteoarthritis Study Group of the Chinese Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association formulated these guidelines. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) grading system and the Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) were adopted to select 25 most concerning questions. Finally, 25 recommendations were formulated through evidence retrieval, evidence quality evaluation, and the determination of directions and strength of recommendations. Recommendation items 1-5 are indications and contraindications for PKO for lower extremity alignment correction, items 6-21 are surgical methods and principles, item 22 describes 3D printing corrective osteotomy technique, and items 23-25 address the perioperative period, follow-up management, and other content. These guidelines are designed to improve the normalization and standardization of KOA treatment by PKO for lower extremity alignment correction.