@article{NedopilShekharHowelletal.2021,
  author    = {Nedopil, Alexander J. and Shekhar, Adithya and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.},
  title     = {An insert with less than spherical medial conformity causes a loss of passive internal rotation after calipered kinematically aligned TKA},
  series = {Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery},
  volume    = {141},
  journal   = {Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery},
  number    = {12},
  issn      = {1434-3916},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00402-021-04054-0},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-266710},
  pages     = {2287-2294},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Introduction In total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the level of conformity, a medial stabilized (MS) implant, needs to restore native (i.e., healthy) knee kinematics without over-tensioning the flexion space when the surgeon chooses to retain the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is unknown. Whether an insert with a medial ball-in-socket conformity and lateral flat surface like the native knee or a less than spherical medial conformity restores higher and closer to native internal tibial rotation without anterior lift-off, an over-tension indicator, when implanted with calipered kinematic alignment (KA), is unknown. Methods and Materials Two surgeons treated 21 patients with calipered KA and a PCL retaining MS implant. Validated verification checks that restore native tibial compartment forces in passive flexion without release of healthy ligaments were used to select the optimal insert thickness. A goniometer etched onto trial inserts with the ball-in-socket and the less than spherical medial conformity measured the tibial rotation relative to the femoral component at extension and 90° and 120° flexion. The surgeon recorded the incidence of anterior lift-off of the insert. Results The insert with the medial ball-in-socket and lateral flat surface restored more internal tibial rotation than the one with less than spherical medial conformity, with mean values of 19° vs. 17° from extension to 90° flexion (p < 0.01), and 23° vs. 20°-120° flexion (p < 0.002), respectively. There was no anterior lift-off of the insert at 90° and 120° flexion. Conclusion An MS insert with a medial ball-in-socket and lateral flat surface that matches the native knee's spherical conformity restores native tibial internal rotation when implanted with calipered KA and PCL retention without over-tensioning the flexion space.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ShekharHowellNedopiletal.2022,
  author    = {Shekhar, Adithya and Howell, Stephen M. and Nedopil, Alexander J. and Hull, Maury L.},
  title     = {Excellent and good results treating stiffness with early and late manipulation after unrestricted caliper-verified kinematically aligned TKA},
  series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2075-4426},
  doi       = {10.3390/jpm12020304},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262094},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) for stiffness within 6 to 12 weeks after mechanically aligned total knee arthroplasty (TKA) generally yields better outcome scores than an MUA performed later. However, the timing of MUA after unrestricted, caliper-verified, kinematically aligned (KA) TKA remains uncertain. A retrospective review identified 82 of 3558 (2.3\%) KA TKA patients treated with an MUA between 2010 and 2017. Thirty patients treated with an MUA within 3 months of the TKA (i.e., early) and 24 in the late group (i.e., >3 months) returned a questionnaire after a mean of 6 years and 5 years, respectively. Mean outcome scores for the early vs. late group were 78 vs. 62 for the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) (p = 0.023) and 42 vs. 39 for the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) (p = 0.037). Subjectively, the early vs. late group responses indicated that 83\% vs. 67\% walked without a limp, 73\% vs. 54\% had normal extension, and 43\% vs. 25\% had normal flexion. An MUA within 3 months after unrestricted KA TKA provided excellent FJS and OKS at final follow-up relative to a late MUA. A late MUA performed after 3 months is worth consideration because of the good FJS and OKS scores, albeit with a risk of a persistent limp and limitation in knee extension and flexion.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NedopilDelmanHowelletal.2021,
  author    = {Nedopil, Alexander J. and Delman, Connor and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.},
  title     = {Restoring the patient's pre-arthritic posterior slope is the correct target for maximizing internal tibial rotation when implanting a PCL retaining TKA with calipered kinematic alignment},
  series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  number    = {6},
  issn      = {2075-4426},
  doi       = {10.3390/jpm11060516},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240996},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Introduction: The calipered kinematically-aligned (KA) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) strives to restore the patient's individual pre-arthritic (i.e., native) posterior tibial slope when retaining the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Deviations from the patient's individual pre-arthritic posterior slope tighten and slacken the PCL in flexion that drives tibial rotation, and such a change might compromise passive internal tibial rotation and coupled patellofemoral kinematics. Methods: Twenty-one patients were treated with a calipered KA TKA and a PCL retaining implant with a medial ball-in-socket and a lateral flat articular insert conformity that mimics the native (i.e., healthy) knee. The slope of the tibial resection was set parallel to the medial joint line by adjusting the plane of an angel wing inserted in the tibial guide. Three trial inserts that matched and deviated 2°> and 2°< from the patient's pre-arthritic slope were 3D printed with goniometric markings. The goniometer measured the orientation of the tibia (i.e., trial insert) relative to the femoral component. Results: There was no difference between the radiographic preoperative and postoperative tibial slope (0.7 ± 3.2°, NS). From extension to 90° flexion, the mean passive internal tibial rotation with the pre-arthritic slope insert of 19° was greater than the 15° for the 2°> slope (p < 0.000), and 15° for the 2°< slope (p < 0.000). Discussion: When performing a calipered KA TKA with PCL retention, the correct target for setting the tibial component is the patient's individual pre-arthritic slope within a tolerance of ±2°, as this target resulted in a 15-19° range of internal tibial rotation that is comparable to the 15-18° range reported for the native knee from extension to 90° flexion.},
  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{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}
}