Abstract
Radiographic assessment of component rotation has been impossible without using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The purpose of the present study was to assess the rotational alignment of the femoral component using plane radiography. Eighty-three patients from 89 knees who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were evaluated radiographically before and after surgery using kneeling view, a postero-anterior projection vertical to the tibia at 70 to 80° flexion of the knee. In this view, the transepicondylar axis and posterior condylar line can be seen. The condylar twist angle was 5.7±1.6° preoperatively and 2.6±0.9° postoperatively. The external rotation of the femoral component was 3.2±1.1°. Plane kneeling view radiographs taken before and after TKA can be used to assess the rotational alignment of the femoral component. Axial images of patellofemoral articulation were then superimposed to the kneeling view images along the outline of the femoral component. Combination of kneeling view and axial view can demonstrate the relationship between the rotational alignment of the femoral component and the patellofemoral joint after TKA.
