Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31286044›Full record

ArticleArthroplasty today2019

Relationship between surgical balancing and outcome measures in total knees.

Lauren M Chu, Patrick A Meere, Cheongeun Oh, Peter S Walker

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Arthroplasty today, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Lauren M ChuNew York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Patrick A MeereNew York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Cheongeun OhDepartment of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Peter S WalkerNew York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, NY, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe purpose of the study was to investigate the accuracy of balancing which could be achieved at total knee surgery and its relation to functional outcomes.

methodsDuring surgery, the forces on the medial and lateral plateaus were measured at 10-15 degrees flexion in 101 patients, using an instrumented tibial trial, with equal forces being targeted. Of the initial 101 cases, 71 cases completed all follow-up visits to 1 year. At each follow-up visit, the function was measured using the Knee Society Scoring System, and varus and valgus laxity angles were measured.

resultsThe mean medial/(medial + lateral) compartmental force ratio was 0.52, with a standard deviation of 0.09. The total contact force was 217 Newtons, with a standard deviation of 72 Newtons. No correlations were found between the functional scores and the compartmental force ratio or total contact force. However, the mean varus and valgus laxity angles, 2.8 and 2.3 degrees, respectively, were very close to the angles of normal intact knees.

conclusionsThe likely reason for the lack of correlation of function was that the large majority of the balancing ratios were within the range 0.4-0.6 but with a wide spread of functional scores typical of total knee study groups. However, the normal varus and valgus angles achieved at follow-up indicated that equal balancing in early flexion was a reasonable surgical target. Using instrumented tibial trials enabled accurate and consistent balancing values to be achieved, as well as normal varus and valgus laxity angles, which may be important in obtaining optimal outcomes.

Indexed as

Ligament pretensionsSoft tissue balancingSurgical balancingTotal knee surgeryVarus-valgus laxity

Identifiers

PMID31286044
PMCPMC6588683

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.