To observe long-term outcome of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) in treating the medial compartment osteoarthrosis of the knee.
A retrospective study was made between 1985 and 1996, of 194 patients (215 knees) who had HTO in medial compartment osteoarthritis at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Kiel University.
One hundred and sixty-one knees were reviewed at an average follow-up of 7.5 years (range, 1.5 - 12 years). 97.3% good and excellent results up to two years postoperatively; 93.6% good and excellent results up to five years postoperatively; at over five years, 78.2% good and excellent. Nineteen (11.8%) knees had required conversion of their HTO to a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The survive rate of HTO taking as TKA as an end point is 98.7% in 2 years; 95.0%, 5 years and 84.1%, 10 years.
We believe that the high tibial osteotomy is one of good methods in treating the medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee, overcorrection the femorotibial alignment is the key step of the operation. Postoperatively, there is a trend of the results to get worse with time and a part of the patients had been revised to total knee arthroplasty because of a poor result.