Shady S Elmasry, Peter K Sculco, Cynthia A Kahlenberg, David J Mayman, Michael B Cross, Andrew D Pearle, Timothy M Wright, Geoffrey H Westrich, Carl W Imhauser
BACKGROUND: In TKA, soft tissue balancing is assessed through manual intraoperative trialing. This assessment is a physical examination via manually applied forces at the ankle, generating varus and valgus moments at the knee while the surgeon visualizes the lateral and medial gaps at the joint line. Based on this examination, important surgical decisions are made that influence knee stability, such as choosing the polyethylene insert thickness. Yet, the applied forces and the assessed gaps in this examination represent a qualitative art that relies on each surgeon's intuition, experience, and training...
August 1, 2022: Clinical Orthopaedics and related Research