Purpose
To verify whether lateral hinge fracture (LHF) affects correction accuracy in open-wedge
high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) and to identify the fracture characteristics responsible
for inaccurate correction, including LHF type and hinge location.
Methods
Patients undergoing OWHTO with locking plate fixation between 2010 and 2016 were retrospectively
reviewed. Patients who did not have a minimum 2-year of follow-up or postoperative
long-standing hip-to-ankle radiographs were excluded. Correction accuracy was assessed
using the weight-bearing line ratio: 57% to 67%, planned correction; 50% to 70%, acceptable
correction; otherwise, inappropriate correction. The association between LHF and correction
accuracy was assessed using the χ2 test. To identify the fracture characteristics responsible for inaccurate correction,
LHF type (stable type 1 and unstable types 2 and 3) and hinge location (shallow osteotomy,
deep osteotomy, and occult complete osteotomy) were analyzed using ordinal logistic
regression analysis, taking other related demographic and radiologic factors into
account. Clinical outcomes according to LHF type were evaluated using the Hospital
for Special Surgery scores.
Results
A total of 148 cases were included; 41 (27.7%) showed LHF: type 1, 32 cases; type
2, 7 cases; and type 3, 2 cases. Planned, acceptable, and inappropriate corrections
were noted in 63 (42.6%), 36 (24.3%), and 48 (32.4%) cases, respectively. LHF had
a significant association with correction accuracy (P = .010). Regarding fracture characteristics, unstable LHF and occult complete osteotomy
were significant risk factors (P = .016 and P = .004, respectively). Specifically in cases of stable LHF, occult complete osteotomy
adversely affected correction accuracy (P = .025). No difference was found in the final Hospital for Special Surgery scores
according to LHF type (P = .816).
Conclusions
LHF affected the accuracy of coronal alignment correction in OWHTO. Unstable LHF or
occult complete osteotomy were risk factors for inaccurate correction. Even among
stable LHFs, those with occult complete osteotomy could lead to inaccurate correction.
Level of Evidence
Level III, retrospective cohort study.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 30, 2021
Accepted:
April 13,
2021
Received:
July 19,
2020
Footnotes
The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this article. Full ICMJE author disclosure forms are available for this article online, as supplementary material.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Published by Elsevier on behalf of the Arthroscopy Association of North America
