Clinical results of lateral closing wedge high tibial osteotomy for osteoarthritis of the knee (Oblique osteotomy with tension band fixation)

We evaluated the preliminary results of oblique and lateral closing-wedge high tibial osteotomy for medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee. Thirty-nine patients (29 women, 10 men; mean age 53 years; range 34 to 64 years) underwent oblique and lateral closing-wedge high tibial osteotomy followed by tension band plate fixation. According to the Ahlback system, seven patients had grade II, 27 patients had grade III, and five patients had grade IV osteoarthritis. Fixation was completed with a blade plate and two cortical screws. The results were evaluated using the Knee Society Score at the end of a mean follow-up of 23 months (range 12 to 41 months). The mean pre- and postoperative Knee Society scores were 43 (range 18-72) and 80 (range 20-90), and the mean Knee Function scores were 57 (range 45-90) and 72 (range 35-90), respectively (p