Conventional plate and screws in medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy: are they sufficiently stable? A retrospective study☆

OBJECTIVE Opening-wedge osteotomy of the proximal tibia is a widely performed procedure for treating medial gonarthrosis in active patients and in the presence of varus malalignment of the lower limb. The fixation method is controversial, and the use of conventional implants has been abandoned in favor of implants with more modern locking screws. The aim of the present clinical study was to assess the maintenance of the correction achieved in cases wherein fixation was performed using conventional implants. METHODS This retrospective study included 51 patients who underwent opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy wherein fixation was performed using conventional implants (4.5-mm DCP plate and non-locking screws). Radiological findings regarding patellar height, tibial slope, and varus correction postoperatively and after consolidation were analyzed to assess the maintenance of the correction achieved by osteotomy. RESULTS The mean loss of correction angle, calculated by the difference between the correction angle in the immediate postoperative period and that after consolidation, was 0.92° ± 0.9°. In addition, changes in patellar height determined by the Blackburne-Peel method and in the sagittal slope of the tibial plateau were not significant or clinically relevant. CONCLUSIONS The use of conventional plates and screws is viable in the fixation of opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy because they provide enough stability to maintain the achieved correction until consolidation, without significant changes.