Influence of the anterior–posterior femoral translation on the range of motion in cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty
Yanagisawa, S., Sato, N., Ohsawa, T. et al.Knee
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the post-operative range of motion (ROM) of the knee related to the anterior–posterior femoral translation on the tibia observed during surgery in cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty (TKA) using a navigation system. Our hypothesis is that the intraoperative anterior–posterior femoral translation is correlated with the post-operative ROM in patients undergoing cruciate-retaining TKA.
Methods
The subjects were 20 patients involving 23 joints. The passive maximum ROM was measured before and 1 year after surgery. In addition, we evaluated the intraoperative anterior–posterior femoral translation that was measured after inserting a tensor device from 10° to 120° of knee flexion. The starting point of the anterior–posterior femoral translation was defined as when the femur started to move posteriorly. The anterior–posterior femoral translation 120 was set as the amount of femoral movement from 10° to 120°.
Results
The subjects were divided into those with an increased or maintained ROM (group A) and those with a decreased ROM (group B). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the age or pre-operative ROM. The starting point of the anterior–posterior femoral translation was significantly earlier in group B (58.0 ± 5.7° for group A, 48.7 ± 3.2° for group B) (P < 0.05). Regarding the anterior–posterior femoral translation 120, Group B showed a larger amount of femoral movement posteriorly than group A (13.0 ± 6.5 mm for group A, 19.0 ± 6.2 mm for group B) (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
The present study shows that intraoperative anterior–posterior femoral translation has a significant correlation with the post-operative ROM in patients undergoing cruciate-retaining TKA. If the starting point of the anterior–posterior femoral translation is early and the anterior–posterior femoral translation 120 is large, there is likely to be a decrease in the post-operative ROM.
Level of evidence
III.
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