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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy
Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 10/2013

01-10-2013 | Knee

Joint line changes after primary total knee arthroplasty: navigated versus non-navigated

Authors: A. Jawhar, V. Shah, S. Sohoni, H. P. Scharf

Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy | Issue 10/2013

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Abstract

Purpose

Navigation has been introduced to achieve more accurate positioning of the implants after TKA. The scientific attention was mainly paid on limb alignment rather than restoration of the natural joint line. The aim of our study was to compare the accuracy of the joint line restoration in primary TKA with and without navigation. We hypothesized that joint line reconstruction in navigated TKA is more accurate.

Methods

A total of 493 primary TKAs operated in a single medical centre were consecutively selected and divided into two groups. 206 cases were performed computer assisted (BrainLab CI-System), whereas 287 knees were implanted conventionally. For both groups, the joint line position of the knee was determined on standardized calibrated standing pre- and postoperative digital radiographs in ap view by a modified method of Kawamura et al. A joint line shift of more than 8 mm was defined as outlier.

Results

In the conventional group, the joint line shift averaged 0.7 mm (±4.4 mm), whereas the findings in the computer-assisted cases were in average 0.6 mm (±4.5 mm). The joint line was located above 8 mm in 6 % of non-navigated versus 6.8 % of navigated primary TKAs. There were no statistically significant differences of joint line shift between the different component types. A statistically significant relation was not found between joint line shift and leg alignment changes.

Conclusions

Conventional surgical technique allows a precise joint line reconstruction in primary TKA. Navigation did not improve the joint line reconstruction.

Level of evidence

Diagnostic study, Level III.
Footnotes
1
Platform: Ci Navigation Station Software: 2004–2005: Ci Knee 1.1.1 Producer: BrainLAB, Kapellenstr. 12, 2005–2011: Ci Knee 1.1.2 85622 Feldkirchen, Germany.
 
2
DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc, 700 Orthopaedic Derive, Warsaw.
 
3
Siemens AG, Henkestr. 127, D-91052 Erlangen, Germany.
 
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Metadata
Title
Joint line changes after primary total knee arthroplasty: navigated versus non-navigated
Authors
A. Jawhar
V. Shah
S. Sohoni
H. P. Scharf
Publication date
01-10-2013
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy / Issue 10/2013
Print ISSN: 0942-2056
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7347
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2580-2

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