Data regarding the posterior slope of the tibia (PTS) is limited and sometimes conflicting. The purpose of this study was to determine the native posterior tibial slope in patients undergoing a medial or lateral UKA. A retrospective review was performed on 2,395 CT scans in patients indicated for UKA, and the PTS of the osteoarthritic compartment was measured relative to a plane set perpendicular to the sagittal, tibial mechanical axis. The mean pre-operative PTS in patients undergoing medial UKA was 6.8° ± 3.3°, with 34.3% between 4° to 7°. The mean pre-operative PTS in patients undergoing lateral UKA was 8.0° ± 3.3°, with 27.5% between 4° to 7°. If attempting to recreate a patient's pre-operative tibial slope, a routine target of 5° to 7° will produce a posterior slope less than the patient's native anatomy in 47% of patients undergoing UKA. This is the first, large CT-based review of posterior slope variation of the proximal tibia in patients undergoing UKA.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.