Patient Specific Guides in Total Knee Arthroplasty-Are They Accurate in Restoring Mechanical Alignment? A Prospective Clinical Series of 175 Cases

Background: Our study looked to see if patient specific guides in TKA restored mechanical alignment in patients with osteoarthritis. Materials and Methods: This prospective study measured the coronal alignment using long leg radiographs in 175 TKAs performed using patient specific cutting blocks. All patients underwent a posterior stabilizing TKA (Smith & Nephew GENESIS II) by the senior surgeon (WB) using Visionaire cutting blocks (based on pre-operative MRI studies). Results: The mechanical axis of the knee joint was measured using long leg radiographs taken six weeks post-operatively. There were no adverse intraoperative events. The coronal axis was restored to within 3° of neutral in 144 of 168 knees (85.7%). Conclusion: We conclude that patient specific instrumentation is accurate in restoring mechanical alignment in patients undergoing TKA.