The rectangular flexion gap is associated with an increased knee flexion angle in a cruciate-sacrificing rotating platform mobile-bearing total knee arthroplasty.

Background: The knee flexion angle after a total knee arthroplasty is an important indicator of clinical outcome. However, there is little appropriate information about the correlation between the ligament balancing and knee flexion angle after total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the ligamentous balance in extension and flexion on knee flexion angle one year after posterior cruciate ligament sacrificing rotating platform total knee arthroplasty.

Methods: Eighty-five total knee arthroplasties in 71 patients were investigated in this study. The postoperative knee flexion angle and the percentage of improvement in the balanced group in which the difference between varus and valgus was less than 2° and the unbalanced group in extension and the rectangular group in which the asymmetry of the flexion gap was within 2° and the trapezoidal group in flexion were compared. The factors affecting postoperative knee flexion angle were also investigated in a forced entry multiple regression analysis.

Results: The mean flexion angle improved significantly from 116.2° to 122.5° in the rectangular group. By contrast, in the trapezoidal group, no significant improvement was seen (from 115.5° to 117.4°). The statistically significant difference was found between the rectangular and trapezoidal group in flexion in terms of the improvement of the knee flexion angle while there was no difference between the balanced and unbalanced group in extension. The multiple regression analysis showed that the asymmetry of the flexion gap was a predictor of the postoperative knee flexion angle.

Conclusions: Asymmetric flexion gap affected negatively the postoperative knee flexion angle after posterior cruciate ligament sacrificing rotating platform total knee arthroplasty. A gap balancing technique is recommended for this type of implant.