Distal Femoral Osteotomy

An osteotomy is a surgical procedure that involves cutting and reshaping of a bone. Distal femoral osteotomy is indicated to correct deformities and malalignments such as valgus knee, a deformity where the knee angles out from the center of the body. It is also performed to treat osteoarthritis in young active patients contraindicated for joint replacement.

Prior to the surgery, your surgeon orders a series of imaging studies to estimate the extent of deformity and calculate the degree of correction for correct alignment of your legs. Distal femoral osteotomy is performed under general or spinal anesthesia. A 4 to 6 cm incision is made in the upper leg near the knee from the side (laterally). The muscles and blood vessels are protected and the thigh bone is approached. Under fluoroscopy, a guide wire is inserted. With the help of an oscillating saw, a wedge shaped bone is removed and a wedge-shaped instrument with markings is inserted to measure and confirm the bone gap’s dimension. The correct alignment of your leg is confirmed. The bone is secured with a TomoFix plate, a fixation device that provides stable fixation of the osteotomy. The plate is fixed to the bone with the help of screws. A wedge-shaped bone graft is removed from the pelvic bone and inserted to fill the osteotomy defect. Once the correct alignment of your leg is confirmed, the muscles and blood vessels are released and the incision is sutured.

As with all surgical procedures, distal femoral osteotomy may be associated with certain complications such as infection, blood clots, delayed or nonunion of the bone and injuries to the surrounding blood vessels.