Successful Return to Sport Following Distal Femoral Varus Osteotomy

Abstract

Objective Distal femoral varus osteotomy (DFVO) is an effective treatment for unloading valgus knee malalignment; however, there is limited evidence on the ability for patients to return to athletics following this procedure. The purpose of this study is to report the functional outcomes and rate of return to sport for athletes that underwent DFVO. Design A consecutive series of athletes that had undergone DFVO were retrospectively reviewed. Radiographs were assessed to determine preoperative and postoperative alignment. Institutional registries were used to collect preoperative and postoperative Marx Activity Scale, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation Form scores, and return to sport. Results Thirteen patients (8 males, 5 females) with a mean age of 24 years (range 17-35 years) and a mean follow-up of 43 months (range 24-74 months) were included in the study. Six patients underwent medial closing wedge DFVO versus 7 patients who underwent lateral opening wedge DFVO. Nine of 13 had concomitant chondral, meniscal, or ligamentous procedures performed. The mean alignment correction was 8° (range 5°-13°). All patients were able to successfully return to sport at a mean of 11 months (range 9-13 months). Furthermore, all 13 patients demonstrated an improvement in both Marx Activity Scale (4-11; P < 0.01) and IKDC scores (53-89; P < 0.01) after surgery. Conclusions Correction of valgus knee malalignment through DFVO—either medial closing wedge or lateral opening wedge—can reliably result in improvement in function and return to sport. Concomitant chondral, meniscal, and ligamentous pathology should be addressed.