The vastus medialis obliquus insertion: a classification system relevant to minimally invasive TKA.

When performing minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty, the level of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) insertion is important, as a distal insertion may prevent a true quadriceps-sparing approach. We have previously reported a variable VMO insertion to the patella. In this article we propose a simple classification system to describe the level of insertion of the VMO, the purpose of which is to enable accurate documentation during minimally invasive approaches to the knee.

Variation of the vastus medialis obliquus insertion and its relevance to minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty.

The aim of the study was to assess population variation of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) insertion to the patella. Sixty-five magnetic resonance imaging studies and 18 cadaver specimens were studied. The VMO insertion was expressed as a percentage of patellar length.