Does the posterior tibial slope in caliper-verified unrestricted kinematically aligned TKA using manual instruments match the slope in the contralateral healthy knee and improve function?

Purpose: Unrestricted kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty (unKA TKA) strives to restore the pre-arthritic posterior tibial slope (PTS), however consistency of achieving this alignment target is unknown. The present study determined the proportion of subjects with differences in PTS less than 2° from the target and the improvement in patient-reported function after unKA TKA.

Methods: A review of 562 postoperative scanograms identified 99 patients (51 female) with a unKA TKA in one limb, a contralateral healthy limb, and a postoperative axial CT scan.