A prospective and retrospective study of the outcome of high tibial osteotomy in osteoarthritis of the knee with varus deformity

Abstract

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) degenerative condition causes progressive wear in the articular cartilage and rises pressure over the medial compartment of the knee joint which will end up as a varus deformity. High tibial osteotomy (HOT) is one of the surgical managements in treatment of OA. The goal of the treatment is to relieve medial compartment knee pain and slowdown the arthritic progression. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was done on 20 patients of all ages and both genders having medial compartment OA with varus deformity of all grades over 24-month duration. Functional evaluation was done by the Knee Society Score, functional score, and the Lysholm score, whereas radiological evaluation was done by calculating various angles in orthoroentgenogram. Results: All the function scores hold high statistical significance. Changes in hip knee axis (HKA), medial proximal tibial angle, and tibial joint angle were statistically significant. All osteotomy sites consolidated in 6 months with not a single case of nonunion. Conclusion: HOT is an effective technique and has excellent functional and radiological outcomes with minimal complications in the management of OA. Appropriate patient selection, proper osteotomy type, and precise surgical techniques are essential for the success of HOT.