Evaluation of lower limb axial alignment using digital radiography stitched films in pre-operative planning for total knee replacement.

Background: For patients with knee osteoarthritis, even slight anatomical variations in the femur or the tibia could affect total limb alignment during total knee replacement (TKR). Our hypothesis implies that the femoral valgus correction angle (VCA) in patients indicated for TKR, is variable and higher than the reported norm of 6° utilized in most intramedullary instrumentation systems, and that tibial bowing may result to a disparity of the tibial mechanical axis to the anatomical axis.

Methods: Our study is a retrospective review of 216 pre-operative arthritic knees, which investigated the lower limb axial alignment using digitally-stitched films.