Functional alignment minimizes changes to joint line obliquity in robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty: a CT analysis of functional versus kinematic alignment in 2,116 knees using the Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification.

Aims: Functional alignment (FA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) aims to achieve balanced gaps by adjusting implant positioning while minimizing changes to constitutional joint line obliquity (JLO). Although FA uses kinematic alignment (KA) as a starting point, the final implant positions can vary significantly between these two approaches. This study used the Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification to compare differences between KA and final FA positions.

Considerations of morphometry and phenotypes in modern knee arthroplasty.

As advancements in total knee arthroplasty progress at an exciting pace, two areas are of special interest, as they directly impact implant design and surgical decision making. Knee morphometry considers the three-dimensional shape of the articulating surfaces within the knee joint, and knee phenotyping provides the ability to categorize alignment into practical groupings that can be used in both clinical and research settings. This annotation discusses the details of these concepts, and the ways in which they are helping us better understand the individual subtleties of each patient's knee.

Not all knees are the same.

The aim of mechanical alignment in total knee arthroplasty is to align all knees into a fixed neutral position, even though not all knees are the same. As a result, mechanical alignment often alters a patient's constitutional alignment and joint line obliquity, resulting in soft-tissue imbalance. This annotation provides an overview of how the Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification can be used to predict imbalance with mechanical alignment, and then offers practical guidance for bone balancing, minimizing the need for soft-tissue releases.

How often do we alter constitutional limb alignment, joint line obliquity, and Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) phenotype when performing mechanically aligned TKA?

Aims: While mechanical alignment (MA) is the traditional technique in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), its potential for altering constitutional alignment remains poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify unintentional changes to constitutional coronal alignment and joint line obliquity (JLO) resulting from MA.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken of 700 primary MA TKAs (643 patients) performed between 2014 and 2017.

Functional alignment in total knee arthroplasty best achieves balanced gaps and minimal bone resections: an analysis comparing mechanical, kinematic and functional alignment strategies.

Purpose: Key concepts in total knee arthroplasty include restoration of limb alignment and soft-tissue balance. Although differences in balance have been reported amongst mechanical alignment (MA), kinematic alignment (KA) and functional alignment (FA) techniques, it remains unclear whether there are differences in gap imbalance or resection thicknesses when comparing different constitutional alignment subgroups.

Methods: MA (measured resection technique), KA (matched resections technique) and FA (technique based on the restricted KA boundaries) were compared in 116 consecutive patients undergoing 137 robotic-assisted cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasties.

Multi-Planar Expansion of the Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee Classification? A Computed Tomographic Study Indicates No Significant Correlation With Alignment Parameters in Other Planes.

Background: The Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification categorizes knee phenotypes based on constitutional limb alignment (arithmetic hip-knee-ankle angle or aHKA) and joint line obliquity (JLO). This study aimed to determine if sagittal and rotational knee alignments vary among CPAK types in order to establish whether this classification should be expanded beyond coronal plane assessment.

Methods: Coronal, sagittal, and rotational alignment measurements were made and CPAK types were calculated from computed tomographic data of 437 patients (509 knees) who underwent robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Long leg radiographs underestimate the degree of constitutional varus limb alignment and joint line obliquity in comparison with computed tomography: a radiographic study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand if differences exist between computed tomography (CT) and long leg radiographs (LLR) when defining coronal plane alignment of the lower limb in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It aimed to identify any such differences between the two imaging modalities by quantifying constitutional limb alignment (arithmetic hip-knee-ankle angle (aHKA), joint line obliquity (JLO) and Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) type within the same population.

Methods: A retrospective radiographic study compared pre-operative LLR and CT measurements in patients undergoing robotic-assisted TKA.

Interobserver Agreement of Post-operative Perth Computed Tomography Protocol Data in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has become the treatment of choice for advanced osteoarthritis. Identifying malalignment is central to improving TKA outcomes and providing optimal management of TKA patients with post-operative pain and dissatisfaction. Computed tomography (CT) imaging has become increasingly popular as a more precise way of analysing post-TKA component alignment and the Perth CT protocol remains the current predominant assessment tool.

Does Choice of Patellar Implant in Total Knee Arthroplasty Matter?: A Randomized Comparative Trial of 3 Commonly Used Designs.

Background: There is currently a lack of evidence to identify the optimal patellar implant design in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study was to assess clinical, intraoperative, radiographic, and scintigraphic differences between inlay (IN), onlay round (OR), and onlay oval (OO) patellar implants.

Methods: A parallel-group, double-blinded, randomized trial compared IN, OR, and OO patellar implants using the same posterior-stabilized TKA prosthesis for each.

Arithmetic hip-knee-ankle angle and stressed hip-knee-ankle angle: equivalent methods for estimating constitutional lower limb alignment in kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: Kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty (KA TKA) relies on precise determination of constitutional alignment to set resection targets. The arithmetic hip-knee-ankle angle (aHKA) is a radiographic method to estimate constitutional alignment following onset of arthritis. Intraoperatively, constitutional alignment may also be approximated using navigation-based angular measurements of deformity correction, termed the stressed HKA (sHKA).

The Addition of Suture Tape to the Hamstring Graft Construct Does Not Reduce Instrumented Knee Laxity Following ACL Reconstruction.

Purpose: To establish the effect of the addition of suture tape to the hamstring graft construct through measurement of instrumented sagittal plane knee laxity at 6 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken of a consecutive series of primary ACLR performed between May 2017 and June 2019. Patients with concomitant or historic contralateral knee injury were excluded.

Intraoperative pressure sensors improve soft-tissue balance but not clinical outcomes in total knee arthroplasty: a multicentre randomized controlled trial.

Aims: Intraoperative pressure sensors allow surgeons to quantify soft-tissue balance during total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study was to determine whether using sensors to achieve soft-tissue balance was more effective than manual balancing in improving outcomes in TKA.

Methods: A multicentre randomized trial compared the outcomes of sensor balancing (SB) with manual balancing (MB) in 250 patients (285 TKAs).

The importance of joint line obliquity: a radiological analysis of restricted boundaries in normal knee phenotypes to inform surgical decision making in kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: Restricted kinematic alignment (rKA) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) aims to restore native soft tissue laxities while limiting alignment extremes that risk prosthetic failure. However, there is no consensus where restricted boundaries (RB) should be set. This study aims to determine the proportion of limbs in which constitutional alignment and joint line obliquity (JLO) would be restored with various RB scenarios, to inform decision making in rKA TKA.

Tibiofemoral dynamic stressed gap laxities correlate with compartment load measurements in robotic arm-assisted total knee arthroplasty.

Aims: It is unknown whether gap laxities measured in robotic arm-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) correlate to load sensor measurements. The aim of this study was to determine whether symmetry of the maximum medial and lateral gaps in extension and flexion was predictive of knee balance in extension and flexion respectively using different maximum thresholds of intercompartmental load difference (ICLD) to define balance.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of 165 patients undergoing functionally-aligned TKA was performed (176 TKAs).

No difference in clinical outcomes between portable navigation and conventional instrumentation in total knee arthroplasty: A randomised trial.

Background: Portable accelerometer-based navigation devices (PAD) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have been proposed to combine the alignment precision of computer navigation with the efficiency of conventional instrumentation (CON). The aim of this study was to determine if PAD was more effective than CON in TKA in improving clinical outcomes at medium term follow-up.

Methods: Participants undergoing primary TKA were randomly assigned to either PAD or CON.

Does the Use of Intraoperative Pressure Sensors for Knee Balancing in Total Knee Arthroplasty Improve Clinical Outcomes? A Comparative Study With a Minimum Two-Year Follow-Up.

Background: It is undetermined whether using sensors for knee balancing in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improves patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of sensor balance (SB) with manual balance (MB) TKA with a minimum two-year follow-up.

Methods: A consecutive series of 207 MB TKAs was compared with 222 SB TKAs between April 2014 and April 2017.

Interobserver agreement of sensor-derived compartmental pressure measurements in computer-assisted total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Sensor-guided compartmental pressure measurements are becoming increasingly utilized in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to objectively confirm intraoperative knee balance. We aimed to determine agreement of pressure measurements between two observers when performing sensor-guided TKA with the use of computer-assisted surgery (CAS).

Methods: One-hundred and eighteen consecutive patients undergoing 130 TKAs were analysed.

Characteristics of three different patellar implant designs in total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Despite debate over the role of patellar resurfacing in total knee arthroplasty, many surgeons feel it decreases re-operation rates and anterior pain, and an increasing number are adopting resurfacing. This study compares intra-operative characteristics of different patellar implants to assist surgeons in gaining better understanding of these implants.

Methods: The three most commonly used patellar implants (inset, onlay round and onlay oval) were allocated randomly to 120 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Surgeon-defined assessment is a poor predictor of knee balance in total knee arthroplasty: a prospective, multicenter study.

Background: The accuracy of surgeon-defined assessment (SDA) of soft tissue balance in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is poorly understood despite balance being considered a significant determinant of surgical success. The study's hypothesis was that intra-operative SDA is a poor predictor of coronal balance in TKA.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter study assessing accuracy of SDA of balance was conducted in 250 patients (285 TKAs).

Restoring the constitutional alignment with a restrictive kinematic protocol improves quantitative soft-tissue balance in total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.

Aims: It is unknown whether kinematic alignment (KA) objectively improves knee balance in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), despite this being the biomechanical rationale for its use. This study aimed to determine whether restoring the constitutional alignment using a restrictive KA protocol resulted in better quantitative knee balance than mechanical alignment (MA).

Methods: We conducted a randomized superiority trial comparing patients undergoing TKA assigned to KA within a restrictive safe zone or MA.

Does soft tissue balancing using intraoperative pressure sensors improve clinical outcomes in total knee arthroplasty? A protocol of a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Soft tissue imbalance is considered to be a major surgical cause of dissatisfaction following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Surgeon-determined manual assessment of ligament tension has been shown to be a poor determinant of the true knee balance state. The recent introduction of intraoperative sensors, however, allows surgeons to precisely quantify knee compartment pressures and tibiofemoral kinematics, thereby optimising coronal and sagittal plane soft tissue balance.