Supracondylar femur osteotomies around the knee: patient selection, planning, operative techniques, stability of fixation, and bone healing

Abstract

Background: Similar to the re-appreciation of high tibial osteotomy (HTO), supracondylar distal femur varus osteotomy (SCO) for lateral compartment osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee has gained renewed interest as new knowledge has become available on the influence of malalignment on the development, progression and symptoms of OA. Furthermore, the less than optimal results of knee replacements (TKR) in younger patients have also led to renewed interest in joint-preserving treatment options.

Purpose: Varus SCO has not had the same success or widespread use as valgus HTO. The goal in SCO is similar to HTO, to shift the load from the diseased to the healthy compartment, in order to reduce pain, improve function and delay placement of a TKR. Valgus OA however occurs much less frequently than varus OA and varus SCO is considered a technically more demanding procedure. In the past the surgical techniques for SCO were mainly dependent on difficult-to-use implants making the procedure more complex. Complication rates related to the failure of fixation up to 16% have been reported.

Disussion: The new biplane osteotomy technique fixated with a locking compression plate is very stable; bone healing potential is optimal using this technique and takes 6-8 weeks. Full weight bearing before full bone healing is possible without loss of correction.

Conclusion: In this article, patient selection, planning, surgical techniques, stability of fixation, and bone healing are discussed. Varus supracondylar osteotomy is a viable treatment option for a well-defined patient group suffering from valgus malalignment and lateral compartment osteoarthritis, and in addition may be considered in ligamentous imbalance and lateral patellofemoral maltracking.