A Novel Safety Device For Bicortical Fixation In Medial-opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy Reduces Correction Loss And Promotes Bone Union

A Novel Safety Device For Bicortical Fixation In Medial-opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy Reduces Correction Loss And Promotes Bone Union

Syunya Otani, MD, PhD, JAPAN Masafumi Itoh, MD, PhD, JAPAN Umito Kuwashima, MD, PhD, JAPAN Junya Itou, MD, PhD, JAPAN Ken Okazaki, MD, PhD, JAPAN

Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, JAPAN


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Anatomic Location

Treatment / Technique

Diagnosis / Condition

Diagnosis Method


Summary: A novel device for bicortical fixation of distal screws in MOWHTO significantly enhances bone union and reduces correction loss, indicating it as a preferred method to improve patient outcomes and minimize complications.


Introduction

Medial-opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) is a widely accepted surgical procedure for treating varus deformity in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, complications such as neurovascular injury during distal screw drilling remain a concern. To address this, we have developed a novel device designed to prevent injury to the contralateral neurovascular bundle and enable safe bicortical fixation of all four distal screws. While bicortical fixation is theoretically superior in providing stability, its effect on postoperative outcomes compared to a mixed method with some monocortical screws is not well established. This study aims to evaluate the influence of the distal screw fixation method on bone union and correction loss following MOWHTO.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 77 knees in 73 consecutive patients who underwent MOWHTO at our institution between August 2019 and August 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: the Bi group, where all four distal screws were bicortically fixed, and the Mono group, where two screws were monocortically fixed. We assessed bone union at 3 months and correction loss of the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) at 1 year postoperatively. Multivariate regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of screw fixation method, opening width, and body mass index (BMI) on correction loss. Statistical significance was determined using the unpaired t-test and Fisher’s exact test, with a p-value of <0.05 considered significant.

Results

The Bi group demonstrated significantly better bone union at 3 months postoperatively compared to the Mono group (p = 0.005). Additionally, the correction loss at 1 year was significantly smaller in the Bi group (p = 0.0005), with only 1 case (3%) exhibiting a loss of more than 1°, compared to 8 cases (25%) in the Mono group (p<0.05). Furthermore, there were no cases in the Bi group with correction loss exceeding 2°, while the Mono group had 2 cases (6%). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the bicortical fixation method was a significant factor contributing to improved bone union and reduced correction loss.

Conclusion

The novel safety device allowing for secure bicortical fixation of all distal screws in MOWHTO significantly promotes bone union and reduces correction loss, demonstrating its clinical efficacy. Our findings suggest that bicortical fixation, facilitated by this new device, should be considered as a preferred method in MOWHTO to optimize patient outcomes and minimize complications. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are warranted to confirm these results.