Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is evolving from mechanical alignment to more individualized alignment options in an attempt to improve patient satisfaction. Thirteen-year survival of kinematically aligned prostheses has recently been shown to be similar to mechanically aligned TKA, allaying concerns of long-term failure of this newer individualized technique. There is a complex inter-relationship of three-dimensional knee and limb alignment for a TKA. This article will review planning parameters necessary to individualize each knee, along with a discussion of how these parameters are related in three dimensions. Future use of computer software and machine learning has the potential to identify the ideal surgical plan for each patient. In the meantime, the material presented here can assist surgeons as newer individual alignment planning becomes a reality.
Copyright © 2024 Written work prepared by employees of the Federal Government as part of their official duties is, under the U.S. Copyright Act, a “work of the United States Government” for which copyright protection under Title 17 of the United States Code is not available. As such, copyright does not extend to the contributions of employees of the Federal Government.