What is an osteotomy (HTO, high tibial osteotomy)?
In patients who have arthritis on only the inside or the outside of the knee, and the rest of the knee is normal, an osteotomy is occasionally performed. This is generally performed in patients who are too young for total knee replacement. This procedure is performed to take the pressure off of the area of the knee with arthritis. A wedge of bone is generally added to the shinbone in order to realign the knee. Depending on the type of osteotomy, a bone graft from the hip may also be required to help the osteotomy heal. Sometimes, a wedge of bone is removed from the outside of the knee to perform the osteotomy. This procedure provides good pain relief for approximately 80% of patients up to 10 years.

• Patient Guide to Osteoarthritis (832Kb)

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