Author(s)

David M. Fang, Tatsuya Sueyoshi, Kenneth E. Davis, Merrill A. Ritter

Center for Hip and Knee Surgery, Joint Replacement Surgeons of Indiana Research Foundation (JRSI), Mooresville, USA.

The gold standard for evaluating postoperative alignment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been standing AP hip to ankle radiograph. The objective of this study was to determine if the angle between the anatomic axis of the tibia and femur measured on short standard radiographs accurately reflected overall coronal and mechanical alignment from full length knee films. Both full length and short length knee films were retrospectively compared measurements made on from 188 knees in 129 consecutive patients after primary TKA between July 1990 and January 1991. The tibiofemoral angle, distal femur and proximal tibia resection angles, and mechanical alignment were evaluated on the long leg by a blinded observer. The difference in the tibiofemoral angle measured on short and long leg films, 4.4 (+/﹣2.9) vs 5.2 (+/﹣3.0) degrees of valgus, respectively, was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The correlation coefficient between the tibiofemoral angle and mechanical axis was 0.9 (p < 0.01). There was no difference in the distal femur or proximal tibia resection angle measured on short length knee vs long leg films. In conclusion, the tibiofemoral angle measured on short length knee radiographs accurately reflects postoperative alignment. The differences between tibiofemoral angle and the mechanical alignment are highly correlated and equivalent measures of overall alignment.

Total Knee Rthroplasty, Tibiofemoral Angle, Standing AP Radiograph, Accuracy

Fang, D. , Sueyoshi, T. , Davis, K. and Ritter, M. (2015) Short Leg Film Is Sufficient for Postoperative Follow-Up in Total Knee Arthroplasty. Open Journal of Orthopedics, 5, 175-178. doi: 10.4236/ojo.2015.57023.