Agnes G. d'Entremont1, Burkhard Madler2, Simon Horlick3, Mojieb Manzary3, Trevor Stone3, Robert G. McCormack3, David R. Wilson3
1Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 2Philips Medical Systems; 3Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia
High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a treatment for medial TF OA that changes joint biomechanics. HTO has been shown to alter mechanics in both the TF and PF joints. Our objective was to determine how the mechanical change produced by HTO affects PF cartilage. Seven subjects had dGEMRIC scans before surgery, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. We saw several patterns of change, the predominant one being a decrease in dGEMRIC index at 6 months, followed by a smaller increase at 12 months. The variety of dGEMRIC changes produced by HTO may reflect subject-specific mechanical changes of the surgery.