Radiographic changes and clinical outcomes after open and closed wedge high tibial osteotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background The purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine changes in radiological variables and clinical outcomes between open and closed wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO and CWHTO, respectively), which have ongoing controversial issues in numerous quantitative clinical studies. Methods PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for suitable controlled trials between Jan 1, 1999, and Feb 2, 2018. The inclusion criteria included studies written in English, studies with a level of evidence of I–IV, and studies presenting comparisons between OWHTO and CWHTO. The main clinical and radiographic results were extracted and pooled using Stata 12.0. Results After searching for and screening trials, 28 trials involving 2840 knees were eligible for the meta-analysis. After OWHTO or CWHTO, clinical scores, including the American Knee Society Score, Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score, Lysholm score, and Visual Analog Scale pain score, improved ( p < 0.05), but the range of motion was unchanged ( p > 0.05). The anatomical femorotibial angle (SMD 0.04, 95% CI − 0.66 to 0.74) and hip-knee-ankle angle (SMD 0.11, 95% CI − 0.11 to 0.33) data suggested that the OWHTO and CWHTO groups were similar in function of correction. Posterior tibial slope increased (SMD − 0.71, 95% CI − 1.04 to − 0.37) after OWHTO but decreased (SMD 0.72, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.08) after CWHTO. OWHTO decreased patellar height ( p < 0.05), while patellar height did not change significantly after CWHTO ( p > 0.05). Conclusion This meta-analysis indicates that compared with CWHTO, OWHTO increases the posterior slope, decreases the patellar height, and provides a similar accuracy of correction; however, CWHTO leads to a decreased posterior slope and an unchanged patellar height. Therefore, programs should be personalized and customized for the specific situation of each patient.