@article{HowellGillSheltonetal.2022, author = {Howell, Stephen M. and Gill, Manpreet and Shelton, Trevor J. and Nedopil, Alexander J.}, title = {Reoperations are few and confined to the most valgus phenotypes 4 years after unrestricted calipered kinematically aligned TKA}, series = {Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy}, volume = {30}, journal = {Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1007/s00167-021-06473-3}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-265291}, pages = {948-957}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Purpose The present study determined the postoperative phenotypes after unrestricted calipered kinematically aligned (KA) total knee arthroplasty (TKA), whether any phenotypes were associated with reoperation, implant revision, and lower outcome scores at 4 years, and whether the proportion of TKAs within each phenotype was comparable to those of the nonarthritic contralateral limb. Methods From 1117 consecutive primary TKAs treated by one surgeon with unrestricted calipered KA, an observer identified all patients (N = 198) that otherwise had normal paired femora and tibiae on a long-leg CT scanogram. In both legs, the distal femur-mechanical axis angle (FMA), proximal tibia-mechanical axis angle (TMA), and the hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) were measured. Each alignment angle was assigned to one of Hirschmann's five FMA, five TMA, and seven HKA phenotype categories. Results Three TKAs (1.5\%) underwent reoperation for anterior knee pain or patellofemoral instability in the subgroup of patients with the more valgus phenotypes. There were no implant revisions for component loosening, wear, or tibiofemoral instability. The median Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) was similar between phenotypes. The median Oxford Knee Score (OKS) was similar between the TMA and HKA phenotypes and greatest in the most varus FMA phenotype. The phenotype proportions after calipered KA TKA were comparable to the contralateral leg. Conclusion Unrestricted calipered KA's restoration of the wide range of phenotypes did not result in implant revision or poor FJS and OKS scores at a mean follow-up of 4 years. The few reoperated patients had a more valgus setting of the prosthetic trochlea than recommended for mechanical alignment. Designing a femoral component specifically for KA that restores patellofemoral kinematics with all phenotypes, especially the more valgus ones, is a strategy for reducing reoperation risk.}, language = {en} } @article{SteinertSchroederSefrinetal.2022, author = {Steinert, Andre F. and Schr{\"o}der, Lennart and Sefrin, Lukas and Janßen, Bj{\"o}rn and Arnholdt, J{\"o}rg and Rudert, Maximilian}, title = {The impact of total knee replacement with a customized cruciate-retaining implant design on patient-reported and functional outcomes}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {2}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12020194}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312746}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Purpose: To treat patients with tricompartimental knee osteoarthritis (OA), a customized cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty (CCR-TKA) system can be used, including both individualized instrumentation and implants. The objective of this monocentric cohort study was to analyze patient-reported and functional outcomes in a series of patients implanted with the second generation of this customized implant. Methods: At our arthroplasty center, we prospectively recruited a cohort of patients with tricompartmental gonarthrosis to be treated with total knee replacement (TKA) using a customized cruciate-retaining (CCR) implant design. Inclusion criteria for patients comprised the presence of intact posterior cruciate and collateral ligaments and a knee deformity that was restricted to <15° varus, valgus, or flexion contracture. Patients were assessed for their range of motion (ROM), Knee Society Score (KSS), Western Ontario and McMaster University osteoarthritis index (WOMAC), and short form (SF)-12 physical and mental scores, preoperatively, at 3 and 6 months, as well as at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years of follow-up (FU) postoperatively. Results: The average age of the patient population was 64 years (range: 40-81), the average BMI was 31 (range: 23-42), and in total, 28 female and 45 male patients were included. Implant survivorship was 97.5\% (one septic loosening) at an average follow-up of 2.5 years. The KSS knee and function scores improved significantly (p < 0.001) from, respectively, 41 and 53 at the pre-operative visit, to 92 and 86, respectively, at the 5-year post-operative time point. The SF-12 Physical and Mental scores significantly (p < 0.001) improved from the pre-operative values of 28 and 50, to 50 and 53 at the 5-year FU, respectively. Patients experienced significant improvements in their overall knee range of motion, from 106° at the preoperative visit to 122°, on average, 5 years postoperatively. The total WOMAC score significantly (p < 0.001) improved from 49.1 preoperatively to 11.4 postoperatively at 5-year FU. Conclusions: Although there was no comparison to other implants within this study, patients reported high overall satisfaction and improvement in functional outcomes within the first year from surgery, which continued over the following years. These mid-term results are excellent compared with those reported in the current literature. Comparative long-term studies with this device are needed. Level of evidence 3b (individual case-control study).}, language = {en} } @article{NedopilDhaliwalHowelletal.2022, author = {Nedopil, Alexander J. and Dhaliwal, Anand and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.}, title = {A surgeon that switched to unrestricted kinematic alignment with manual instruments has a short learning curve and comparable resection accuracy and outcomes to those of an experienced surgeon}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {7}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12071152}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281842}, year = {2022}, abstract = {After starting an orthopedic practice, a surgeon with a fellowship in mechanically aligned (MA) TKA initiated this study to characterize their learning curve after they switched to unrestricted kinematic alignment (KA) TKA using manual instruments. Accordingly, the present study determined for the inexperienced (IE) surgeon the number of cases required to achieve consistent femoral resections and operating times, and whether the femoral resection accuracy, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and component alignment were different from an experienced (E) surgeon. This prospective cohort study analyzed the IE surgeon's first 30 TKAs, all performed with KA, and 30 consecutive KA TKAs performed by an E surgeon. The resection accuracy or deviation was the calipered thickness of the distal and posterior medial and lateral femoral resections minus the planned resection thickness, which was the thickness of the corresponding condyle of the femoral component, minus 2 mm for cartilage wear, and 1 mm for the kerf of the blade. Independent observers recorded the femoral resection thickness, operative times, PROMs, and alignment. For each femoral resection, the deviation between three groups of patients containing ten consecutive KA TKAs, was either insignificant (p = 0.695 to 1.000) or within the 0.5 mm resolution of the caliper, which indicated no learning curve. More than three groups were needed to determine the learning curve for the operative time; however, the IE surgeon's procedure dropped to 77 min for the last 10 patients, which was 20 min longer than the E surgeon. The resection deviations of the IE and E surgeon were comparable, except for the posterolateral femoral resection, which the IE surgeon under-resected by a mean of -0.8 mm (p < 0.0001). At a mean follow-up of 9 and 17 months, the Forgotten Joint Score, Oxford Knee Score, KOOS, and the alignment of the components and limbs were not different between the IE and E surgeon (p ≥ 0.6994). A surgeon that switches to unrestricted KA with manual instruments can determine their learning curve by computing the deviation of the distal and posterior femoral resections from the planned resection. Based on the present study, an IE surgeon could have resection accuracy, post-operative patient outcomes, and component alignment comparable to an E surgeon.}, language = {en} } @article{RakNedopilSayreetal.2022, author = {Rak, Dominik and Nedopil, Alexander J. and Sayre, Eric C. and Masri, Bassam A. and Rudert, Maximilian}, title = {Postoperative inpatient rehabilitation does not increase knee function after primary total knee arthroplasty}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {11}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12111934}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-297322}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Inpatient rehabilitation (IR) is a common postoperative protocol after total knee replacement (TKA). Because IR is expensive and should therefore be justified, this study determined the difference in knee function one year after TKA in patients treated with IR or outpatient rehabilitation, fast-track rehabilitation (FTR) in particular, which also entails a reduced hospital length of stay. A total of 205 patients were included in this multi-center prospective cohort study. Of the patients, 104 had primary TKA at a German university hospital and received IR, while 101 had primary TKA at a Canadian university hospital and received FTR. Patients receiving IR or FTR were matched by pre-operative demographics and knee function. Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), and EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) determined knee function one year after surgery. Patients receiving IR had a 2.8-point lower improvement in OKS (p = 0.001), a 6.7-point lower improvement in WOMAC (p = 0.063), and a 12.3-point higher improvement in EQ-VAS (p = 0.281) than patients receiving FTR. IR does not provide long-term benefits to patient recovery after primary uncomplicated TKA under the current rehabilitation regime.}, language = {en} } @article{NedopilHowellHull2022, author = {Nedopil, Alexander J. and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.}, title = {A TKA insert with a lateral flat articular surface maximizes external and internal tibial orientations without anterior lift-off relative to low- and ultracongruent surfaces}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {8}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12081274}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286142}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background: In total knee arthroplasty (TKA), inserts can have different levels of medial and lateral congruency determined by the acuteness of the upslopes of the anterior and posterior articular surfaces. The present study evaluated an insert with different levels of lateral congruency and a medial ball-in-socket congruency to test the hypothesis that a lateral flat (F) insert maximizes external tibial orientation at extension and internal orientation at 90° flexion and lowers the incidence of anterior lift-off relative to low-congruent (LC) and ultracongruent (UC) lateral inserts. Methods: Two surgeons treated 23 patients with unrestricted caliper-verified kinematic alignment (KA) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) retention. They randomly trialed inserts with a medial radial dial that functioned as a built-in goniometer by measuring the tibial orientation relative to a sagittal line on the femoral trial component. Anterior lift-off of the insert from the baseplate indicated PCL tightness. Results: The F insert's mean of 9° of external tibial orientation was higher than that of the LC (5°, p < 0.0001) and UC inserts (2°, p < 0.0001). The -13° of internal tibial orientation at 90° flexion was higher than that of the LC (-9°, p < 0.0001) and UC inserts (-7°, p < 0.0001). The 0\% incidence of anterior lift-off was less than that of the LC (26\%) and UC inserts (57\%) (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Surgeons and implant manufacturers should know that adding congruency to the lateral articular surface limits external tibial orientation in extension and internal tibial orientation at 90° flexion and overtightens the PCL. These rotational limitations and flexion space tightness can adversely affect patellofemoral tracking and knee flexion.}, language = {en} } @article{NedopilHowellHull2022, author = {Nedopil, Alexander J. and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.}, title = {Measurement of tibial orientation helps select the optimal insert thickness to personalize PCL tension in a medial ball-in-socket TKA}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {9}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12091427}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286232}, year = {2022}, abstract = {As the conformity of a medial ball-in-socket total knee arthroplasty (TKA) provides intrinsic anterior-posterior (A-P) stability, surgeons cannot rely on the manual examination of sagittal laxity to identify the optimal insert thickness. Instead, the present study determined whether measuring tibial axial orientation in extension and 90° flexion with an insert goniometer could identify the optimal thickness that, when implanted, provides high postoperative function. In twenty-two patients that underwent unrestricted caliper-verified kinematic alignment (KA) with a PCL retaining implant, two surgeons measured tibial orientation in extension and 90° flexion with 10, 11, 12, and 13 mm thick insert goniometers. Each TKA had one insert thickness that restored either the maximum external tibial orientation in extension, the maximum internal tibial orientation at 90° flexion, or both relative to 1 mm thinner and thicker inserts. In addition, the 6-month median [interquartile range] Forgotten Joint Score of 73 (54-87) and Oxford Knee Score of 42 (38-45) indicated high satisfaction and function. In conclusion, surgeons using a medial ball-in-socket TKA design can measure external tibial orientation in extension and internal tibial orientation at 90° flexion with an insert goniometer. Furthermore, implanting an insert with the thickness that provided the maximum orientation values resulted in high postoperative function, thereby personalizing PCL tension.}, language = {en} } @article{DhaliwalZamoraNedopiletal.2022, author = {Dhaliwal, Anand and Zamora, Tomas and Nedopil, Alexander J. and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.}, title = {Six commonly used postoperative radiographic alignment parameters do not predict clinical outcome scores after unrestricted caliper-verified kinematically aligned TKA}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {9}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12091468}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-288186}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background: Unrestricted caliper-verified kinematically aligned (KA) TKA restores patient's prearthritic coronal and sagittal alignments, which have a wide range containing outliers that concern the surgeon practicing mechanical alignment (MA). Therefore, knowing which radiographic parameters are associated with dissatisfaction could help a surgeon decide whether to rely on them as criteria for revising an unhappy patient with a primary KA TKA using MA principles. Hence, we determined whether the femoral mechanical angle (FMA), hip-knee-ankle angle (HKAA), tibial mechanical angle (TMA), tibial slope angle (TSA), and the indicators of patellofemoral tracking, including patella tilt angle (PTA) and the lateral undercoverage of the trochlear resection (LUCTR), are associated with clinical outcome scores. Methods: Forty-three patients with a CT scan and skyline radiograph after a KA TKA with PCL retention and medial stabilized design were analyzed. Linear regression determined the strength of the association between the FMA, HKA angle, PTS, PTA, and LUCTR and the forgotten joint score (FJS), Oxford knee score (OKS), and KOOS Jr score obtained at a mean of 23 months. Results: There was no correlation between the FMA (range 2° varus to -10° valgus), HKAA (range 10° varus to -9° valgus), TMA (range 10° varus to -0° valgus), TSA (range 14° posterior to -4° anterior), PTA (range, -10° medial to 14° lateral), and the LUCTR resection (range 2 to 9 mm) and the FJS (median 83), the OKS (median 44), and the KOOS Jr (median 85) (r = 0.000 to 0.079). Conclusions: Surgeons should be cautious about using postoperative FMA, HKAA, TMA, TSA, PTA, and LUCTR values within the present study's reported ranges to explain success and dissatisfaction after KA TKA.}, language = {en} } @article{SappeyMarinierHowellNedopiletal.2022, author = {Sappey-Marinier, Elliot and Howell, Stephen M. and Nedopil, Alexander J. and Hull, Maury L.}, title = {The trochlear groove of a femoral component designed for kinematic alignment is lateral to the quadriceps line of force and better laterally covers the anterior femoral resection than a mechanical alignment design}, series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Personalized Medicine}, number = {10}, issn = {2075-4426}, doi = {10.3390/jpm12101724}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-290482}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Background: A concern about kinematically aligned (KA) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is that it relies on femoral components designed for mechanical alignment (MAd-FC) that could affect patellar tracking, in part, because of a trochlear groove orientation that is typically 6° from vertical. KA sets the femoral component coincident to the patient's pre-arthritic distal and posterior femoral joint lines and restores the Q-angle, which varies widely. Relative to KA and the native knee, aligning the femoral component with MA changes most distal joint lines and Q-angles, and rotates the posterior joint line externally laterally covering the anterior femoral resection. Whether switching from a MAd- to a KAd-FC with a wider trochlear groove orientation of 20.5° from vertical results in radiographic measures known to promote patellar tracking is unknown. The primary aim was to determine whether a KAd-FC sets the trochlear groove lateral to the quadriceps line of force (QLF), better laterally covers the anterior femoral resection, and reduces lateral patella tilt relative to a MAd-FC. The secondary objective was to determine at six weeks whether the KAd-FC resulted in a higher complication rate, less knee extension and flexion, and lower clinical outcomes. Methods: Between April 2019 and July 2022, two surgeons performed sequential bilateral unrestricted caliper-verified KA TKA with manual instruments on thirty-six patients with a KAd- and MAd-FC in opposite knees. An observer measured the angle between a line best-fit to the deepest valley of the trochlea and a line representing the QLF that indicated the patient's Q-angle. When the trochlear groove was lateral or medial relative to the QLF, the angle is denoted + or -, and the femoral component included or excluded the patient's Q-angle, respectively. Software measured the lateral undercoverage of the anterior femoral resection on a Computed Tomography (CT) scan, and the patella tilt angle (PTA) on a skyline radiograph. Complications, knee extension and flexion measurements, Oxford Knee Score, KOOS Jr, and Forgotten Joint Score were recorded pre- and post-operatively (at 6 weeks). A paired Student's T-test determined the difference between the KA TKAs with a KAd-FC and MAd-FC with a significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The final analysis included thirty-five patients. The 20.5° trochlear groove of the KAd-FC was lateral to the QLF in 100\% (15 ± 3°) of TKAs, which was greater than the 69\% (1 ± 3°) lateral to the QLF with the 6° trochlear groove of the MAd-FC (p < 0.001). The KAd-FC's 2 ± 1.9 mm lateral undercoverage of the anterior femoral resection was less than the 4.4 ± 1.5 mm for the MAd-FC (p < 0.001). The PTA, complication rate, knee extension and flexion, and clinical outcome measures did not differ between component designs. Conclusions: The KA TKA with a KAd-FC resulted in a trochlear groove lateral to the QLF that included the Q-angle in all patients, and negligible lateral undercoverage of the anterior femoral resection. These newly described radiographic parameters could be helpful when investigating femoral components designed for KA with the intent of promoting patellofemoral kinematics.}, language = {en} }