Kirschner Wire Reference Technique in Open-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy

Abstract

Open-wedge high tibial osteotomy is a common procedure to treat young adult and adult patients with symptomatic varus malalignment. The purpose of the high tibial osteotomy is to shift the mechanical load from the medial compartment to the lateral compartment. There are several methods to determine the correct alignment, such as the cable method, the gap measurement method, the navigator system, or the patient-specific cutting guide method. The cable and gap measurement techniques are easy to use, but the results of these techniques are unpredictable. The navigator and patient-specific cutting guide methods have high accuracy in attaining the desired correction alignment, but they are quite costly. We propose a technique we call the Kirschner wire reference method, which is easy to use to achieve the desired alignment correction, without requiring specialized or expensive equipment.