Accuracy of tibial cuts with patient-specific instrumentation is not influenced by the surgeon's level of experience.

PURPOSE: It was hypothesized that surgeon's experience as well as bone density play a significant role in achieving accurate cuts with patient-specific instrumentation (PSI). The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the tibial cuts in different bone densities made by a highly experienced orthopedic surgeon on one hand and a less experienced orthopedic surgeon on the other.

METHODS: Tibial models from three different sawbone densities were developed for this study. Each surgeon performed 21 cuts. A coordinate measuring machine was used to analyse the cuts. The K-Cohen test was performed to evaluate the results. The analyzed parameters were guide positioning and deviation from the guide cut to the tibial cut, including varus/valgus angle, the tibial slope, cut height, planarity (mm2 ), and rugosity (mm).

RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the positioning of the tibial cut guide between the two surgeons for the tibial slope (p < 0.05), while no difference was observed for the varus/valgus angle (n.s.) and the cut height (n.s.). No significant difference in the tibial cut was observed between the surgeons for the tibial slope angle (n.s.), varus/valgus angle (n.s.), planarity (n.s.), and rugosity (n.s.). In the different bone types, no significant difference was observed for the tibial slope (n.s.) and varus/valgus angle (n.s.), while planarity and rugosity showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Our study showed no significant difference in the tibial cuts for the tibial slope, varus/valgus angle, planarity, and rugosity between the two surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, it could be demonstrated that accuracy of the cuts is ensured by PSI not depending on the surgeon's experience and the bone mineral density. This speaks to its clinical significance: PSI might be suited for less experienced surgeons to reduce outliers in total knee arthroplasty (TKA).