Concordance between clinical and radiographic measurement of the mediolateral knee angle 5 years after unicompartmental knee replacement

Mediolateral tibiofemoral alignment after knee replacements is considered an important clinical predictor. Weight-bearing radiographic examination has been proposed as the golden standard. Clinically the most reliable measurement is lying unstressed measurement of the mediolateral angle. The comparison made in this study showed poor correlation between clinical and radiological examinations. The reasons may be greater force put on the weight-bearing knee or increased flexion of the weight-bearing knee, which allow more laxity in the coronal plane and cause the knee to slip into the most unstable position. The symptomatic value of misalignment is questioned, but if weight-bearing radiographic examination should be used more specific operational instruction must be given than conventionally.