Computational models of knee osteotomy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Patient specific musculoskeletal models to predict functional outcome of knee osteotomy.
IRAS ID
244963
Contact name
Gareth Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 2 months, 4 days
Research summary
Knee osteoarthritis is a widespread condition affecting millions of people. It causes painful cartilage damage and reduces joint mobility until an artificial knee, a prosthesis, is implanted to restore it. People whose knee bows outwards, which is common in young sports people, tend to develop osteoarthritis as their leg shape means higher and unevenly distributed loads go through their knees. Surgeons can preserve their natural joints by making the leg straighter to adjust the knee loads. Such corrective surgeries, of which the most common are high tibial osteotomies, are difficult and uncommon because their outcomes are not always satisfactory. This is because surgeons plan them based mainly on legs’ geometry, whereas the forces at the knee joint depend on how you walk. This project aims to help surgeons plan successful interventions using computer-based techniques, so more patients can enjoy their natural knees for longer.
MRI will be collected before each patient involved in the study undergoes surgery, and used to create a three-dimensional computer model of their skeleton and muscles. The patient’s outcome scores ( questionnaires Oxford, EQ5D-3L and KOOS )and gait will also be analysed, to quantify how much force acts on their knee joints when walking before correction of the leg alignment. The computer model will then be used as a ‘virtual patient’ to simulate the surgery, determine how that person will walk after the intervention and if their knee forces will decrease as planned. One year after the actual surgery the patients will be tested again (MRI, questionnaires and gait analysis) to verify if the computer’s predictions were correct.
Our long-term goal is to help surgeons tailoring the best intervention for each patient, considering their unique anatomy and way of walking.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/WM/0064
Date of REC Opinion
2 Mar 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion