THE POSTERIOR CONDYLAR ANGLE IN OSTEOARTHRITIC KNEES

The posterior condylar angle is formed by the transepicondylar axis an d the tangent line to the posterior condyles. It is an important relat ionship to determine rotational alignment of the femoral component in total knee arthroplasty. We measured this angle directly in 107 osteoa rthritic knees undergoing total knee arthroplasty. The posterior condy lar angle was significantly greater in valgus knees than in other oste oarthritic knees. Given the standard deviations and ranges of values n oted, the posterior condyles are potentially unreliable references for femoral component rotation in some knees.