Prevention of lateral plateau fractures during open-wedge high tibial osteotomy: A technical tip and a review of the literature

Abstract

Open-wedge high tibial osteotomy is a joint-preserving procedure associated with a number of complications including intra-articular fractures. The primary purpose is to change the varus malalignment into a neutral or valgus alignment according to the extent of cartilage damage. Thus, injury to the lateral tibial plateau would result in serious consequences. This report proposes a simple technical tip to intraoperatively mitigate such a troublesome complication. We also conducted a literature review to investigate the incidence and effects of intra-articular fractures highlighting the techniques recommended by previous authors to avoid intra-articular fractures during tibial valgization osteotomy.