Effect of Coronal Plane Knee Alignment Classification on Clinical Outcomes After High Tibial Osteotomy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomechanical analysis
• Knee joint biomechanics

Background:

• Coronal plane alignment of the knee (CPAK) classification is crucial for understanding knee joint mechanics.
• Studies investigating CPAK classification following high tibial osteotomy (HTO) are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of different CPAK phenotypes in patients undergoing HTO.
• To compare clinical outcomes, specifically the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), based on CPAK phenotypes after HTO.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 171 knees from patients who underwent HTO.
• Evaluation of CPAK phenotypes preoperatively and at 2-year follow-up.
• Assessment of KOOS subscales and their changes in relation to CPAK phenotypes.

Main Results:

• The most frequent preoperative and postoperative CPAK phenotypes were Type I and Type VI.
• A significant shift in CPAK phenotype distribution was observed after HTO.
• No statistically significant differences were found in KOOS subscales across different CPAK phenotypes post-HTO.

Conclusions:

• CPAK phenotype distribution changes significantly after HTO, with Types I and VI being most common.
• CPAK classification does not appear to influence KOOS outcomes in patients following HTO.