The Feasibility of Hinged Knee Arthrodiastasis for Cartilage Regeneration: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Introduction: Knee joint distraction (KJD) is a potential technique for cartilage regeneration in young patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Static distraction has been utilised typically; however, a significant proportion of patients complain of knee stiffness post-distractor removal. The use of a hinged distractor may reduce the duration and severity of post-treatment knee stiffness by maintaining the range of motion during distraction. Furthermore, improved cartilage regeneration has been demonstrated in hinged ankle joint distraction as compared to static, and this may also be demonstrated at the knee. An evidence review was undertaken to inform further research and a potential change in practice.

Aim: A systematic review of all primary research on hinged knee joint distraction for cartilage regeneration.

Methods: An online systematic search of citation databases was conducted. Quality assessment and data extraction were undertaken by two separate researchers.

Results: The literature search returned a small number of relevant studies, of which 7 were included. Three of these were animal studies, two cadaveric and two case series. The study quality was low or very low. There was significant methodological heterogeneity with difficulties encountered in the transfer of constructs from animal and cadaveric studies to humans. Issues faced included difficulties with hinge placement and pin site pain in motion.

Conclusion: The feasibility of hinged knee joint distraction has yet to be proven. Any further research attempting to establish the benefits of hinged-over static knee distraction will have to take construct design considerations into account.