Computer navigation vs extramedullary guide for sagittal alignment of tibial components: radiographic study and meta-analysis.

Sagittal alignment of tibial components using computer navigation was compared with conventional methods. A radiologic study was performed using 110 total knee arthroplasties from 3 groups: computer navigation, cutting block with extramedullary guide, and manual tilt of extramedullary guide. Posterior tibial slopes were measured from radiographs and compared using statistical methods. The cutting block method was the most accurate, and computer navigation was the most precise. The manual tilt group had the greatest variance, significantly greater than computer navigation. There was no significant difference between groups with respect to the percentage of knees with posterior slope within 3° of the desired slope. Meta-analysis of 10 studies found no reduction in outliers with computer navigation. Computer navigation offers greatest precision but does not reduce the number of outliers.