Can the tibial length predict the size of tibial component of total knee arthroplasty?

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is performed worldwide. TKA is performed to relief pain, correct deformities and improve mobility in patients with debilitating diseases of their knee joints. Templating is done as pre-operative planning for TKA. Certain parameters, such as shoe size, had been studied as predictor (s) for implant size. This study aimed to determine if the tibial length (TL) can also be as a predictor of a tibial component of TKA. Materials and Methods: TL and tibial plateau width (TPW) measurements were done on dry adult tibiae. Proximal tibiae were traced on tracing paper, to obtain anterior–posterior and lateral tracings. Length of tracings confirmed with measurement on dry bones. A TKA template, converted to 100% scale was used to estimate the tibial baseplate by two orthopaedic surgeons. Results: A total of 51 matured, non-sexed, non-paired tibiae were studied. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between the TL and the TPW (P = 0.0001). Furthermore, a statistically significant positive relationship was also observed between the TL and the tibial implant baseplate (P = 0.0001). The study showed that a particular range of tibia length will accommodate certain sizes of the tibial implant baseplate. Conclusion: The tibia length can be used as a predictor of the size of tibial baseplate of TKA.