OBJETIVO: To radiographically evaluate patients who underwent opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomy in order to analyze the proximal tibial slope in the frontal plane, sagittal plane, and patellar height. METHOD: The study included 22 patients operated on at the Instituto Nacional de Traumatologia e Ortopedia (INTO) for the correction of varus angular tibial deviation using the opening wedge osteotomy (OWO) technique with the Orthofix monolateral external fixator. We analyzed patients with OWO having completed treatment between January 2000 and December 2006. Values were measured by using X-rays of the anteroposterior profile with load and lateral profile with 30º flexion of the operated knees. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences between the pre- and post-operative indices of tibial slope and patellar height in the patients were found. CONCLUSION: Opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomy is a technique that avoids the problems presented by high tibial osteotomy, as it is done without promoting changes in the extensor mechanism, ligament imbalance or deformities in the proximal tibia.
Osteotomy; Osteoarthritis; Tibia
