Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38947178›Full record

ArticleOrthopedic reviews2024

Femorotibial angle on short knee radiographs fails to accurately predict the lower limb mechanical alignment. A systematic review and meta-analysis on different femorotibial angle definitions and short knee radiograph types.

Giancarlo Giurazza, Giovanni Perricone, Edoardo Franceschetti, Stefano Campi, Pietro Gregori, Biagio Zampogna, Umberto Gabriele Cardile, Giuseppe Francesco Papalia, Rocco Papalia

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orthopedic reviews, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing 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

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
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

9 authors.

Giancarlo GiurazzaFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4385-6813
Giovanni PerriconeFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Edoardo FranceschettiFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Stefano CampiFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Pietro GregoriFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Biagio ZampognaFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Umberto Gabriele CardileFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Giuseppe Francesco PapaliaFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.
Rocco PapaliaFondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 200 - 00128 Roma, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) on Full Limb Radiographs (FLRs) is the gold standard for coronal knee alignment assessment. Despite the widespread utilization of the more convenient femorotibial angle (FTA) on either antero-posterior (AP) or postero-anterior (PA) short knee radiographs (SKRs), its definition and correlation with HKA remains controversial. This review is the first to systematically investigate FTA-HKA correlation and the effect of different FTA methods and SKRs. Methods: Systematic literature search (Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane Library) followed PRISMA guidelines, to evaluate studies examining the FTA-HKA correlation. Meta-analyses compared the 3 most common FTA methods, knee center determination method and SKR types. Results: 17 studies (2597 patients, 3234 knees) were included. The strongest correlation with HKA (r = 0.78) was found for FTA Method 1 (angle formed by lines drawn from the midpoint of tibial spines to points 10 cm above and below the joint line). No significant differences were observed when grouping the FTA methods by knee center assessment (Group I, r = 0.78; Group II, r = 0.77). AP SKRs showed a trend towards stronger FTA-HKA correlation compared to PA SKRs, in both Method 1 (r = 0.79 vs 0.75) and Method 3 (r = 0.80 vs 0.66). Conclusion: Irrespective of its definition or type of SKR used, FTA lacks reliable accuracy in predicting the HKA in most knees. FLRs should be used whenever precise estimation of the patient's alignment is necessary. Caution is warranted in interpreting studies investigating knee alignment or knee arthroplasty outcomes based on FTA.

Indexed as

Femorotibial angle (FTA)FTA-HKA correlationFull limb radiographHip-Knee-Ankle angle (HKA)Short Knee Radiograph

Identifiers

PMID38947178
PMCPMC11213696

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.