Knees with isolated lateral compartment osteoarthritis show a substantial variability in functional knee phenotypes...

The primary aim of this study was to assess and describe the phenotypic variation in the coronal plane of knees affected by isolated lateral compartment osteoarthritis (OA). The secondary aim was to investigate the potential gender-specific and age-related differences in functional knee phenotypes among knees with isolated lateral compartment OA.

A comprehensive classification system was used to categorize 305 knees with isolated lateral compartment OA based on their mechanical hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), femoral mechanical angle (FMA), and tibial mechanical angle (TMA). The phenotypic variation of functional knee phenotypes was assessed for the entire cohort and stratified by gender and age category.

Among knees with isolated lateral compartment OA, a total of 60 distinct functional knee phenotypes were identified, with phenotype VAL_HKA6°NEU_FMA0°VAL_TMA3° being the most prevalent (10.8 %). Gender-specific differences were evident, with females exhibiting significantly greater valgus alignment in both mean HKA and TMA values compared with males (HKA: -6.4° vs. -5.4°, respectively; P = 0.02 and TMA 94.4° vs. 89.0°, respectively; P = 0.005). Age-related variations included younger patients predominantly displaying femoral deformities, while older patients primarily exhibited isolated tibial- or combined femoral and tibial deformities.

There is a broad variation of functional knee phenotypes among knees affected by isolated lateral compartment OA, with gender-specific and age-related differences. Recognizing this inherent phenotypic diversity during preoperative planning may facilitate the implementation of tailored approaches that account for the unique characteristics and bony deformities of the individual knee.