Passive kinematics and laxity of prosthetic knees and intact knees as measured by a novel computer-assisted system.

ABSTRACT

A system was developed for recording and analyzing passive kinematics and laxity of intact and operated knees using contemporary infrared surgical navigation hardware with custom-written data analysis software. Initial results are presented, suggesting that intra- and interobserver laxity assessment and kinematic behavior with the knee intact vs arthrotomy performed are repeatable. Normal and diseased knees have distinct kinematic and laxity behaviors, but, because of the laxity of the quadriceps in this study, additional data are needed before generalizations can be made.