Proximal Tibiofibular Joint Pain Versus Peroneal Nerve Dysfunction: Clinical Results of Closed-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy Performed with Proximal Tibiofibular Joint Disruption

Abstract

Closed-wedge high tibial osteotomy (CW-HTO) requires shortening of the fibula or the fibular head or disruption of the proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ). However, no study has evaluated the proximal tibiofibular joint after the osteotomy. The aim of this study was to investigate the fate of the PTFJ after CW-HTO applied with using PTFJ disruption method.

This prospective study included 22 knees of 20 patients who underwent CW-HTO. The mean age of the patients was 50 +/- 4 years, and the mean follow-up period was 27.5 +/- 14.3 months (12-46 months). The grade of gonarthrosis (Ahlback's classification), tibiofemoral alignment and tibial slope angles were measured on radiographs pre- and post-operatively. During the surgery, the PTFJ capsule was released meticulously so as not to injure the peroneal nerve. Tenderness over the PTFJ was recorded preoperatively and at the last follow-up.

No patient had tenderness or pain over PTFJ preoperatively. On the follow-up examinations, tenderness with compression was detected in nine knees with dorsiflexion, in ten with plantar flexion and in nine with neutral position of the ankle, respectively. None of the patients had peroneal nerve injury (including hypesthesia and mild weakness) post-operatively. However, while 11 knees were pain free in all positions of the ankle, seven knees had tenderness over PTFJ both in dorsiflexion and in plantar flexion.

CW-HTO using PTFJ disruption provides good clinical results in terms of medial knee pain and corrects the alignment sufficiently while avoiding peroneal nerve injury. However, the results of this study indicated that this technique might result in painful PTFJs. Thus, the surgeon should consider a possibly painful PTFJ, which can be a cause of chronic lateral knee pain when performing this technique.