Osteotomy

Osteotomy involves surgical procedures where a bone is cut and realigned or repositioned to improve the forces going through the area.

Planning software with full-length weight-bearing X-rays allows pre-operative calculation of the required amount of wedge correction in the tibia in mm.

laminar spreaders opening the bone during high tibial osteotomy

Laminar spreaders open the wedge of a high tibial osteotomy, and then the bone is held in the new position with a plate and screws until new bone fills the gap.

Strong metal or carbon fibre plates and screws are used fix the bones in the new position, until new bone heals the defect, after which time the surgeon and patient may elect to remove the plate.

Common osteotomy procedures in the knee

Osteotomies are usually performed to improve knee pain or to decrease the forces going through a vulnerable area, but may also be done to improve the cosmetic appearance of a limb.

Common osteotomy procedures relating to the knee include:

high tibial osteotomy
distal femoral osteotomy
tibial tubercle osteotomy

Knee Alignment and Complex Osteotomies

An explanation of different kinds of osteotomy around the knee

What are the alternatives to a joint replacement?

Discussion looking at the alternatives to a joint replacement in active patients whose osteoarthritis tends to be limited.

Realignment osteotomy for knee pain

Osteotomy is the procedure of cutting a bone and realigning it to improve anatomy and function. This course by Adrian Wilson, FRCS, focuses on surgical realignment of the femur or tibia in patients whose knee symptoms can be alleviated by altering the forces through one or other side of the knee joint.