The Big Updates from BASK 2023
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By Stuart Pearce & Stephen Key
BASK raised many questions for us to dig further into, within this series we will be discussing the hot topics emanating from the conference, providing an overview of current evidence, and giving examples of how this can inform your practice.
A pain-free, well-functioning knee and longevity of the joint replacement are the overarching goals when any TKA is undertaken, although how these outcomes are best achieved still divides people. Two concepts that are often discussed are alignment of the joint, whether that’s mechanical or kinematic alignment (or something in between), and balance of the soft tissue that supports it.
The optimal alignment philosophy has been debated for years, but opinion remains divided on whether we should be aiming for restoration of pre-disease native joint anatomy, kinematic alignment (KA)1, providing a joint with a neutral hip-knee-ankle (HKA) axis, and joint line perpendicular to the mechanical axes, mechanical alignment (MA)2, or something in between. The issue is that while MA has demonstrated good longevity, KA provides more natural movement, less reported pain, and better patient satisfaction as a result3,4.
Mechanical alignment (MA) has been seen as the gold standard since Freeman et al. described the technique in 19735. However, MA replicates only 0.1% of the human population’s native anatomy6. Consequently, MA techniques often lead to alterations in the position of the articular surface which then requires soft tissue release to accommodate the altered articular anatomy; the mean change in distal joint line position is 3.3mm laterally and 2.1mm medially in varus knees, while imbalance ≥ 3mm was seen in up to 51% of varus and 82% of valgus knees before soft tissue release7. This may account for at least some of the reported pain and instability of MA patients. Furthermore, joint line elevation has a significant negative correlation with functional outcome scores8, while instability after TKA, often caused by changes in joint line position and subsequent abnormal ligament tension, accounts for around 22% of revisions and is the second most common reason for early revision in some series9,10.
KA aims to overcome the disadvantages of MA by restoring the articular surface to its native pre-disease position, aligning the implant with the axes of rotation of the knee so that the soft tissues are restored to their pre-disease tension and the joint is inherently balanced without the need for soft tissue release11. However, this assumes the soft tissue envelope remains unchanged by disease, injury, or the surgical procedure itself, and with disease progression comes increasing uncertainty about the pre-disease joint position relative to that found intra-operatively. Additionally, the limb may be restored to what would traditionally be considered an outlier alignment, with concerns over the longevity of the joint, although evidence increasingly suggests that tolerance of implants to deviation from mechanical alignment is considerably greater than previously thought12,13.
For a joint to function correctly, ligament balance is a prerequisite. Gutske et al. found that balanced joints have better outcomes irrespective of alignment14. Fehring et al. concluded that 27% of early revision was due to ligament instability15, with variables such as loosening, tibial wear, and pain being significantly higher within unbalanced groups16. The more a TKA replicates native joint anatomy, the better the ligament balance and consequently better patient satisfaction and functional scores. This is highlighted by medial ligament stability and lateral laxity in extension significantly correlating with these scores17. Aunan et al. amongst others, have highlighted the importance of measuring and controlling balance, with small changes in medial laxity (>2mm) in extension having a significant negative impact on function and pain measures18. Surgeon ‘feel’ has already been shown to be inaccurate and inadequate for producing reproducible high-quality joints19,20. While more anatomic alignment will tend to lead to better ligament balance, it may or may not be adequately achieved regardless of alignment technique, and without the routine use of objective intra-operative assessment tools to assess and ensure a balanced knee one might postulate that outcomes will always be mixed.
Clark et al. used functional alignment (FA), where the pre-resection balancing of the joint occurs so bone cuts are positioned to achieve the primary goal of a balanced knee without releases, while alignment is a secondary consideration, and variations of it are accepted, to achieve more consistent balance than either KA or MA21. With the increasing use of technology in TKA enabling precise, accurate implant placement and objective balance assessment, should we now be refocussing on ensuring optimal balance and accepting that, to some extent, the alignment target can be relaxed? Classification systems such as Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK)22 provide a starting point for the alignment goal, but maybe more consistent clinical outcomes and implant survivorship will be achieved by deviating from that in pursuit of balance as the primary goal. Would future efforts to refine what that optimal balance goal is, and how best to achieve it, be more fruitful than chasing a “gold standard” alignment? Maybe instead we need to seek a “gold standard” balance.
How do you balance or align your TKA procedures? Is it patient-specific and how do you aim to optimise the long-term outcomes for your patients? Can it be one method fits all, or do we need to be more personalised in how we treat to minimise reinterventions further down the line? With waiting lists at record levels, surely better surgery now is preferable to more challenging revisions in a few years?
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Stuart Pearce PhD
Medical Affairs Johnson & Johnson MedTech
Stuart joined the organisation in 2020 following the end of his Doctorate studies at Barts and the London, University of London in 2019. Publishing on Aneurysms, Atherosclerosis and Medical Teaching during his studies he has continued to develop his knowledge of Medical Devices, Medical Technologies and their impact on the wider healthcare system.
Stephen Key
UK and Ireland Medical Lead for DePuy Synthes
Formerly a consultant hip and knee surgeon in London, having completed undergraduate medical training at the University of Cambridge in 2004, specialist Orthopaedic training on The Royal London rotation, and fellowship training in hip and knee arthroplasty and soft tissue knee surgery in Australia and the UK.
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References
- Rivière C, Iranpour F, Auvinet E, et al. Alignment options for total knee arthroplasty: A systematic review. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res 2017;103(7):1047-1056.
- Insall J, Binazzi R, Soudry M, Mestriner L. Total knee arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1985;192:13-22.
- Dossett H, Estrada N, Swartz G, et al. A randomised controlled trial of kinematically and mechanically aligned total knee replacements: two-year clinical results. Bone Joint J 2014;96:907–913.
- Blakeney W, Clément J, Desmeules F, et al. Kinematic alignment in total knee arthroplasty better reproduces normal gait than mechanical alignment. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2019;27:1410–1417.
- Freeman M, Swanson S, Todd R. Total replacement of the knee using the Freeman–Swanson knee prosthesis. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1973;94:153–170.
- Almaawi A, Hutt J, Masse V, et al. The Impact of Mechanical and Restricted Kinematic Alignment on Knee Anatomy in Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty 2017;32(7):2133-2140.
- Blakeney W, Beaulieu Y, Puliero B, et al. Bone resection for mechanically aligned total knee arthroplasty creates frequent gap modifications and imbalances. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2020;28:1532–1541.
- van Lieshout W, Valkering K, Koenraadt K, et al. The negative effect of joint line elevation after total knee arthroplasty on outcome. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2019;27:1477–1486.
- Can A, Erdogan F, Erdogan A. Tibiofemoral Instability After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: Posterior-Stabilized Implants for Obese Patients. Orthopedics 2017;40(5):e812–e819.
- Sharkey P, Hozack W, Rothman R, et al. Insall Award paper. Why are total knee arthroplasties failing today? Clin Orthop Relat Res 2002;404:7-13.
- Nisar S, Palan J, Rivière C, et al. Kinematic alignment in total knee arthroplasty. EFORT Open Rev 2020;5(7):380-390.
- Shelton T, Nedopil A, Howell S, Hull M. Do varus or valgus outliers have higher forces in the medial or lateral compartments than those which are in-range after a kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty? limb and joint line alignment after kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty. Bone Joint J 2017;99-B(10):1319-1328.
- Abdel M, Ollivier M, Parratte S, et al. Effect of Postoperative Mechanical Axis Alignment on Survival and Functional Outcomes of Modern Total Knee Arthroplasties with Cement: A Concise Follow-up at 20 Years. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2018;100(6):472-478.
- Gustke K, Golladay G, Roche M, et al. Primary TKA Patients with Quantifiably Balanced Soft-Tissue Achieve Significant Clinical Gains Sooner than Unbalanced Patients. Advances in Orthopedics 2014, Article ID 628695, 6 pages. 13-17
- Fehring T, Odum S, Griffin W, et al. Early failures in total knee arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2001;392:315-318.
- Babazadeh S. The relevance of ligament balancing in total knee arthroplasty: how important is it? A systematic review of the literature. Orthopedic Reviews 2009;1(2):e26-e26.
- Kamenaga T, Muratsu H, Kanda Y, et al. The Influence of Postoperative Knee Stability on Patient Satisfaction in Cruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty 2018;33:2475-2479.
- Aunan E, Kibsgård T, Diep L, Röhrl S. Intraoperative ligament laxity influences functional outcome 1 year after total knee arthroplasty. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2015;23(6):1684-1692.
- Elmallah R, Mistry J, Cherian J, et al. Can We Really “Feel” a Balanced Total Knee Arthroplasty? J Arthroplasty 2016;31(9 Suppl):102-105.
- Lee G-C, Lotke P. Can Surgeons Predict What Makes a Good TKA?: Intraoperative Surgeon Impression of TKA Quality Does Not Correlate With Knee Society Scores. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2012;470(1):159-165.
- Clark G, Steer R, Wood D. Functional alignment achieves a more balanced total knee arthroplasty than either mechanical alignment or kinematic alignment prior to soft tissue releases. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2023;31:1420–1426
- MacDessi S, Griffiths-Jones W, Harris I, et al. Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification. Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(2):329-337.