A prospective study for initial assessment of functional outcome of high tibial osteotomy in active young adults in early osteoarthritis of knee

Abstract

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis is typically the result of wear and tear and progressive loss of articular cartilage. Common clinical symptoms include knee pain, stiffness and swelling that worsens over time. Osteoarthritis commonly affects the medial compartment of knee giving rise to varus deformity. High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a valuable treatment modality in correcting malalignment and thereby relieving the symptoms associated with medial unicompartmental osteoarthritis.
Methodology: Twenty-eight young patients with complaints of knee pain were screened and those diagnosed as early knee osteoarthritis (grade I-III on Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale) were operated by high tibial osteotomy. Follow-up evaluation was done at 3, 6 and 9 months by Knee Society Scoring Scale and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain.
Results: The mean knee score was 53.3 pre-operatively and post-operatively the score improved gradually to the mean of 83.2 at 9 months. The visual analog scale for pain in all patients showed a significant improvement at the final follow-up.
Conclusion: High tibial medial opening wedge osteotomy is a good option in the treatment of unicompartmental osteoarthritis knee. It relieves pain and improves functional outcome. Accurate preoperative planning and good surgical technique gives better results.