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Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate gender-related differences in the sagittal curvature of the distal femoral condyle in the Korean osteoarthritic population METHODS: The sagittal curvatures of the distal femoral condyle of 1979 Korean patients (1680 female and 299 male) were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI scans were obtained before total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in consecutive patients with end-stage osteoarthritis. The sagittal curvature of the distal medial and lateral femoral condyles was characterized with respect to the anterior, distal, and posterior circles. The diameter of each circle was measured. This study included 1873 varus and 106 valgus knees., Results: The anterior, distal, and posterior diameters were significantly greater in the male patients than in the female patients (P < 0.05). In the male patients, the lateral diameter was significantly greater than the medial diameter in the anterior and posterior circles (P < 0.05). However, in the female patients, the lateral diameter was significantly greater only in the anterior circle. In both genders, the medial diameter was significantly greater than the lateral diameter of the distal circle (P < 0.05). For both the varus and valgus knees, the lateral diameter was greater than the medial diameter in the anterior circle., Conclusions: It has been concluded that the sagittal curvature of the femoral condyles in females is significantly different to their male counterparts. This study provides a reliable evaluation of the sagittal curvature of the femoral condyle in the Korean population. These gender-related differences in the sagittal curvature of the femoral condyle may require further investigation to determine surgical implications such as in TKA, and the existence of gender-related dimorphism in specific knee injuries and pathologies, such as ligament injuries and tibiofemoral problems., Level of Evidence: III.

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an effective surgical technique for pain relief and functional restoration in patients with localized osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, the role of the joint line in UKA, especially its biomechanical effect, has not been previously investigated. This study numerically evaluates the effects of the joint line on the contact stresses in polyethylene (PE) inserts, articular cartilage, and lateral meniscus using the finite element (FE) analysis. The FE model for joint line was modeled as the orthogonal projection line from the medial tibial plateau to the anatomical axis. The joint line was varied from -6 to +6 mm in 2 mm intervals, and the seven FE models were analyzed and compared under ISO gait loading conditions. The contact stresses in the PE insert, articular cartilage, and lateral meniscus matched those of the reference joint line (0 mm) in the ±2 and ±4 mm joint line cases but significantly differed from the reference in the ±6 mm joint line cases. On the +6 mm joint line, the contact stress was greater on the PE insert than on the articular cartilage, whereas the reverse occurred on the -6 mm joint line. This study confirms the post-operative significance of joint line preservation in UKA implantation surgery. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:347-352, 2017., (© 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)