Navigation versus conventional high tibial osteotomy: systematic review

Introduction One major use for high tibial osteotomy aims at improving alignment in the symptomatic, varus malaligned, medial compartment osteoarthritic knee. The importance of achieving correct alignment is obvious upon considering the increased potential for significant complications with over- or undercorrection in any plane. The aim of this systematic review was to compare navigation and conventional high tibial osteotomy. Methods This systematic review searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to compare the short-term clinical and radiological outcomes between patients undergoing either conventional or navigated high tibial osteotomy. Results We retrieved 71 articles, which ultimately resulted in 14 eligible studies for inclusion. Though heterogeneity prevented statistical analysis, only one study failed to suggest superiority of navigation over conventional techniques. Conclusion Navigated high tibial osteotomy improves accuracy over conventional techniques, though the current best evidence presented herein must be advanced by higher quality studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1040-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.