ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica 2002 March;53(1):19-24

Copyright © 2002 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Treatment of acquired curved knee

Ceffa R., Ghisellini F., Mordente G., Kourounis G., Desayeux S.

Background. Surgical treatment of acquired curved knee is not frequent. We reviewed the case records of our unit to define guidelines for correct surgical approach to the abnormality.
Methods. A total of 17 knee abnormalities (in 14 patients) of various etiology were treated with corrective osteotomy and autoplastic bone graft; one case was treated according to Ilizarov. The site of surgical correction was the tibia in cases of curved tibia and the femur in cases of curved femur and capsule.
Results. Three patients experienced relapses and were reoperated after several years. One patient has experienced a further relapse since then. The mean follow-up was 5.5 years (range 2 to 13 years). Except for the one case of repeated relapse, at control visits all patients maintained postoperative corrected angle values without remarkable clinical disorder.
Conclusions. The study of the results over time confirmed the benefit of correction at skeletal maturity and at the site of deformation, thus avoiding difficult and complicated operation of the soft tissues. The options of the type of means of surgical synthesis is discussed and the benefit of preoperative examination is underlined. The preoperative study involves the expectations of the patients and their motivation for postoperative compliance, including modification of concomitant factors such as obesity.