Wear Patterns in Knee Articular Surfaces in Varus Deformity

This study was performed to study the relationship between the degree of varus deformity of osteoarthritic knees and the anatomic distribution of cartilage pathology. Bone wafers resected from the distal femur and proximal tibia were obtained from 107 patients (195 knees) with primary varus osteoarthritis. Severity and distribution of joint damage was scored for each articular surface and related to potential prognostic factors, including varus deformity, the ligamentous status of the knee, age, gender and BMI. There was highly significant association between varus angulation of the knee and the total damage score for the tibia (P = 0.001), but not the femur (P = 0.2947). The degree of deformity, and not the status of the ACL alone, determines wear pattern and provides insight for preoperative planning of TKA.