High tibial osteotomy using a dynamic axial external fixator

High tibial osteotomy is an accepted treatment for unicompartmental osteoar thritis of the knee. Conventional osteotomy can be a demanding procedure wi th potential for complications. Opening wedge high tibial osteotomy using a n external fixator is an alternative that may have advantages in comparison with classic methods. The aims of the current study were to determine if o pening wedge osteotomy using hemicallotasis techniques is safer than, and t he outcome comparable with that of, conventional techniques. Seventy-six hi gh tibial osteotomies were performed in 65 patients for primary osteoarthri tis. The mean age of the patients was 54.8 years (range, 36-70 years). The mean followup was 6 years. The only serious complication occurred in one pa tient, who had chronic osteomyelitis develop 2 years after surgery. There w ere no neurologic or vascular complications. The authors think this techniq ue is safer than conventional techniques. Survivorship at 5 and 10 years wa s 89% and 63%, respectively. The mean knee score in osteotomies was 26.6 (m aximum possible score, 48). The outcome is comparable with, or better than, that of other techniques for osteotomy. Subsequent knee replacement, in ca ses requiring conversion, was straightforward. The mean score in knees that had osteotomies that were converted to total knee replacements was 33.7.