Intraoperative soft tissue balance reflects minimum 5-year midterm outcomes in cruciate-retaining and posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty

With the use of an offset type tensor for total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), intraoperative soft tissue balance including the joint component gap and ligament balance was measured in 41 varus-type osteoarthritic patients (19 cruciate-retaining [CR] TKAs and 22 posterior-stabilized [PS] TKAs), and the correlations between the intraoperative values and the postoperative values assessed by stress radiographs at extension and flexion were examined at a minimum 5-year follow-up. In CR TKAs, the postoperative soft tissue balances at both angles were significantly correlated with the intraoperative values. In PS TKAs, the postoperative soft tissue balances at extension, not flexion, were significantly correlated with the intraoperative values. In conclusion, the intraoperative condition of the soft tissue balance reflected the postoperative values especially in CR TKAs even at 5-year midterm follow-ups.