Valgus tibial osteotomy: avoiding the pitfalls.

Valgus tibial osteotomy is a well-accepted procedure for the treatment of unicompartmental degenerative joint disease of the knee. For a good result to be obtained, at least for degrees of valgus angulation with the leg in the weight-bearing position must be achieved. Experience with 20 procedures showed a tendency for undercorrection, which led to poor results. After analyzing the technical reasons for these poor results, we devised a detailed protocol that included patient selection, preoperative planning, and an operative technique that minimizes the chance of technical error.