The Impact of a Gap Balancing or Measured Resection Surgical Technique on Posterior Condylar Offset and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

Background: To increase total knee arthroplasty procedure satisfaction, surgeons are exploring improvements in surgical technique. The impact of gap balancing or measured resection approach on posterior condylar offset (PCO) is not well understood.

Methods: We reviewed the clinical and radiographic results of 498 unilateral posterior stabilized total knee arthroplasties. Radiographs were assessed to measure the primary endpoints of anterior-posterior width, PCO, and anterior condylar offset. Clinical outcome measures were used to assess patient improvement measures. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to determine the clinical factors related to our primary endpoints.

Results: No significant difference was observed between groups in anterior-posterior width (P = .24) and PCO (P = .78). Significant positive correlations were observed between postoperative PCO and knee range of motion (r = 0.12, P = .04) and total Knee Society Scores (r = 0.14, P = .02).

Conclusion: No impact of surgical technique on PCO was observed. Correlations were observed between postoperative PCO and the functional subscore and total Knee Society Score. All patients reported clinical improvements at 1 year postoperatively.