Evaluating the preoperative planning and improving the surgical technique of medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy

Currently, medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) is the most commonly used HTO technique to approach OA of the medial tibiofemoral compartment caused by genu varum leg axis malalignment. To maximize the survivorship of MOWHTO and prevent failure, an accurate preoperative planning and a precise intraoperative surgical technique is mandatory. This thesis offers a number of solutions to improve the accuracy of the pre- and intraoperative surgical technique of MOWHTO by using semi-automatic software and the use of an innovative 3D-PSG design. Additionally, for accurate 3D planning of the MOWHTO regarding the frontal and sagittal alignment, this study successfully developed a concept of a mathematical model for evaluation of the hinge axis positioning influencing the frontal and sagittal alignment.