MBBS(HK), FRCS (Edinburgh), FHKCOS, FHKAM (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Clinical Associate Professor

Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

• Biography
• Basic Science Research
• Clinical Research
• Clinical Interests
• Representative publications
• Professional achievement
• Honor and Award
• Educational videos

Dr. WP Yau is the Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong. He was the Chief of the Division of Sports and Arthroscopic Surgery of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology from 2008 to 2021. Dr. Yau is also the past president of the Hong Kong College of Orthopedic Surgeons (HKCOS), which is the official organization in training orthopedic specialists and conducting professional examination in orthopaedic surgery in Hong Kong.

Dr. Yau started his medical education at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 1987, and earned his medical degree in 1992. After completing his medical internship in 1993, Dr. Yau began his general surgical training at the Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) of Hong Kong and obtained the Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) in 1997. He was then enrolled into the orthopaedic training program of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, QMH. He finished his orthopaedic residency training in 2000 and passed the fellowship examination in the same year with flying colours. He was the winner of the gold medal of the conjoint examination in orthopaedic surgery jointly held by HKCOS and RCSEd. Dr. Yau was awarded the Fellow of the HKCOS and Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in 2001.

Dr. Yau joined HKU in 2007. He was appointed the Chief of Division of Sports and Arthroscopic Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, QMH in 2008. Dr. Yau was promoted to Clinical Associate Professor of Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, HKU in 2013. He was also appointed as the Honorary Clinical Consultant of Hospital Authority in August 2013.

Dr. Yau specializes in Sports Medicine and Adult Joint Reconstruction Surgery. His major research interest lies in clinical outcome studies in these two areas. This has led to the publication of more than 54 peer-reviewed articles, 1 book chapter and 88 conference papers. Dr. Yau has delivered more than 80 invited lectures and gives close to 170 presentations. He had been invited to talk in a number of national and international orthopaedic conferences, including the annual congress of Chinese Orthopaedic Association, Egyptian Arthroscopy Association, Indonesian Orthopaedic Association, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), Japanese Shoulder Society, Korean Orthoapedic Association, Singapore Orthopaedic Association (SOA), New Zealand Orthopaedic Association (NZOA), Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association, Asia-Pacific Knee Society, Annual Congress of Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Society, International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery and SICOT Orthopaedic World Congress.

Dr. WP Yau is one of the leaders of orthopaedic society in Hong Kong. He was the President of the Sports Medicine Chapter of Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association (HKOA) in 2012 and has been the President of the Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons since 2019.

Dr. Yau has received multiple awards, including the Author Yau Award of the HKOA in 1994 and 2004, the David Fang Trophy of the HKOA in 2004, the Harry Fang Gold Medal Award of the HKCOS in 2000 and the Japan Orthopaedics and Traumatology Foundation Fellowship Award in 2008, the Best sports medicine paper award of the HKOA in 2010 and 2016 and the Orthopaedic Basic Science Award of the HKOA in 2014. Dr. Yau was selected as the ambassador representing the Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association to attend annual congress of sister national orthopaedic associations, including the JOA Annual Congress in 1995 and 2005, the NZOA Scientific Meeting in 2003 and 2005, and the SOA Annual Congress in 2006 and 2008.

Dr. Yau received the honor of“Top reviewers” of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research in 2015 and 2016. He was appointed as the Deputy editor of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research in 2017. He is also a reviewer of a number of international journals, including American Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Journal of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery B.

Dr. Yau is active in providing orthopaedic education, both locally in Hong Kong and internationally.

He was appointed as the Training Director of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, HKU since 2008 and served as a member in the Education Committee of the HKCOS from then onwards. He was also the Convener of the Basic Orthopaedic Bioskill Workshop under the HKCOS since 2009 for a 5-year term. Dr. Yau was appointed to be the Deputy censor of HKCOS in 2013, the Chief censor of HKCOS in 2015 and the President-Elect of HKCOS in 2017. Dr. Yau was elected to be the President of HKCOS in 2019.

Dr. Yau has been the organizer of SICOT Educational Day since 2011. SICOT is the biggest orthopaedic association in the world. SICOT Educational Day is an annual international academic activities for the teaching of trainee and young fellows throughout the world. Dr. Yau was appointed as the chairman of SICOT Educational Day Committee in 2018.

• Role of Strontium in interfacial tissue engineering in tendon healing and ligament reconstruction
• Biomechanical study of a new arthroscopic knot – “HK-knot”
• Feature based 2D-3D registration and 3D reconstruction via statistical inference for image-guided interventions

• Development of new surgical technique for knee and shoulder surgery
• Combined Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and anterior-lateral ligament reconstruction
• Osteometry of Chinese and its impact in orthopaedic disease and intervention
• Computer navigation orthopaedic surgery

• Sports medicine
• Knee surgery
• Patellar surgery
• Shoulder surgery
• Hip surgery
• Minimal invasive surgery
• Computer navigation surgery

• Are there any differences in clinical outcomes between patients with a retear of supraspinatus repair and those with an intact repair at the 5-year follow-up?
  WP Yau.  American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2024; ACCEPTED
• Evaluation of graft maturation by MRI in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with and without concomitant anterolateral ligament reconstruction.
  WP Yau, W Lin.  Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2024; 12(1): 23259671231223976 .
  doi: 10.1177/23259671231223976
• Smokers achieved minimal clinically important difference for visual analog scale and American shoulder and elbow surgeons scores at a lower rate than nonsmokers even when repaired supraspinatus tendons were intact on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging.
  WP Yau.  Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 2024; ACCEPTED
• Modification of outside-in technique in preparing femoral tunnel during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction – “PL-portal outside-in technique”.
  WP Yau.  Arthroscopy Techniques, 2024; online first, available online 4 December 2023.
  doi:10.1016/j.eats.2023.08.016.
• Evaluation of graft ligamentization in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by MRI.
  WP Yau, Yat-Chi Chan
  American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023;51(6):1466-1479.
  doi: 10.1177/03635465231160790.
• Repair of meniscus root tear – Is there a difference between medial meniscus root repair and lateral meniscus root repair? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
  JR Khoo, WP Yau.  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2023; 31(2):  10225536231175233
  doi:10.1177/10225536231175233
• The Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  Position statement in management of osteoarthritis of knee. 
  WP Yau, CK Chiu, SMH Cheung and AYL Cheung
  The Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2022;
  https://www.hkcos.org.hk/Position_Statement/HKCOS_Position_Statement_OA_KNEE_20221201.pdf.   Published on 10 August 2022
• Association of smoking with graft rupture after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
  Yat-Chi Chan, WP Yau
  Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2022; 10(10): 23259671221127244
  DOI: 10.1177/23259671221127244
• CORR Insights: No benefit to sensor-guided balancing compared with freehand balancing in TKA: a randomized controlled trial.
  WP Yau 
  Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 2022; 480:1545-1546.
  DOI: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000002206.
• Anterior Knee Endoscopy
  TL Choi, TH Lui, PWP Yau and GCN Leung.
  Endoscopy of the Hip and Knee. Principle and Practice. P 161-182, 2021, Springer, ISBN 978-981-16-3487-1
• CORR Insights: No difference in Blood Loss and Risk of Transfusion Between Patients Treated with One or Two Doses of Intravenous Tranexamic Acid After Simultaneous Bilateral TKA
  WP Yau.
  Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (2021), online-first publication: 24 Decemebr 2021
  DOI: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000002090.
• Protecting healthcare workers from COVID-19: learning from variation in practice and policy identified through a global cross-sectional survey
  Z Hussain, H Shorman, PWP Yau, G Thevendran, F Randelli, MZ Zhan, MS Kocher, A Norrish and V Khanduja.
  Bone and Joint Journal Open, 1(5):144-151.
  DOI: 10.1302/2633-1462.15.BJO-2020-0024.R1
• Management of traumatic patellar dislocation in a regional hospital in Hong Kong.
  HL Lee and WP Yau.
  Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2017, 23(2): 122-8.
  DOI: 10.12809/hkmj164872
• Simultaneous pose estimation and patient-specific reconstruction from single image using maximum penalized likelihood estimation (MPLE)
  Kang X, Yau WP and Taylor RH.
  Pattern Recognition, 2016; 57:61-69.
  DOI: 10.1016/j.patcog.2016.03.025
• Prevalence of Radiographic Parameters Predisposing to Femoracetabular Impingement in Young Asymptomatic Chinese and White Subjects.
  JV Houcke, WP Yau, CH Yan, W Huysse, WH Lau, CS Wong, C Pattyn and EA Audenaert.
  Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Am, 2015, 97A:310-7.
  DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.M.01538
• Strontium exerts dual effects on calcium phosphate cement: accelerating the degradation and enhancing the osteoconductivity both in vitro and in vivo.
  GM Kuang, WP Yau, J Wu, et al.
  Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part A, 2015, 103(5): 1613-21
  DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.35298
• Anterior cruciate ligament tear in Hong Kong Chinese patients.
  AWM Fok and WP Yau.
  Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2015, 21(2):131-5.
  DOI: 10.12809/hkmj134124
• Local application of Strontium in a Calcium Phosphate Cement System Accelerates Healing in Soft Tissue Tendon Graft in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction – a Rabbit Experiment.
  GM Kuang and WP Yau.
  American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014, 42(12): 2996-3001
  DOI: 10.1177/0363546514549536
• Femoral Radiographic Landmarks for Popliteus Tendon Reconstruction and Repair – A New Method of Reference.
  AWM Fok, GM Kuang and WP Yau.
  American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014, 42(2):394-398.
  DOI: 10.1177/0363546513510388
• Associations between Isolated bundle tear of Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Time from Injury to Surgery, and Clinical Tests.
  AWM Fok and WP Yau.
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2014, 22(2):209-13.
  DOI: 10.1177/230949901402200219
• Robustness and accuracy of feature-based single image 2D-3D registration without correspondences for image-guided intervention
  X Kang, M Armand, Y OTake, WP Yau, PYS Cheung, Y Hu and RH Taylor.
  IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2014, 61(1):149-161
  DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2013.2278619
• Computer-assisted bone tumour ablation using sparse radiographs.
  Xin Kang, Ren H, Li J, Yau WP.
  Advanced Robotics, 2014 Jan;28(5):303-315
  DOI:  10.1080/01691864.2013.867286
• Use of a Strontium-enriched Calcium Phosphate Cement in Accelerating the Healing of Soft Tissue Tendon Graft Within the Bone Tunnel in a Rabbit Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Model.
  GM Kuang, WP Yau, WW Lu and KY Chiu.
  Bone and Joint Journal, 2013, 95B(7):923-8.
  DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.95B7.30748
• Tunnel Positions in Transportal Versus Transtibial Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Case-Control Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.
  WP Yau, AWM Fok and DKH Yee.
  Arthroscopy, 2013, 29(6):1047-1052.
  DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2013.02.010
• Distal femur rotation relates to joint obliquity in ACL deficient Chinese.
  WP Yau, KY Chiu, AWM Fok, CH Yan and FY Ng.
  Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 2013, 471:1458-1464.
  DOI: 10.1007/s11999-012-2698-4
• Delay in ACL reconstruction is associated with more severe and painful meniscal and chondral injuries.
  August WM Fok and WP Yau.
  Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology Arthroscopy, 2013; 21:928-933.
  DOI: 10.1007/s00167-012-2027-1
• Early Results of all-inside meniscal repairs using a pre-loaded suture anchor.
  AWM Fok and WP Yau.
  Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2013, 19(2):124-8.
  https://www.hkmj.org/abstracts/v19n2/124.htm
• A Simple and novel hybrid robotic system for robot-assisted femur fracture reduction
  Ye R, Chen Y and WP Yau.
  Advanced Robotics, 2012, 26(1-2):83-104.
  DOI: 10.1163/016918611X607383
• An effective approach by a chelate reaction in optimizing the setting process of strontium-incorporated calcium phosphate bone cement.
  GM Kuang, WP Yau, WM Lam, Jun Wu, KY Chiu, WW Lu and H Pan.
  Journal of Biomedical Materials
  DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.32511
• Osteointegration of soft tissue grafts within the bone tunnels in Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction can be enhanced.
  GM Kuang, WP Yau and W Lu. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 2010, 18:1038-1051.
  DOI: 10.1007/s00167-009-0910-1
• Osteoconductive bone cement enhances tendon-bone healing in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
  GM Kuang, WP Yau, FL Lim, KY Chiu and WW Lu.  Orthopaedic Journal of China, 18 (16):1349-1353, August 2010.
• Inter- and Intra-observer Error in Distal femur Transepicondylar Axis Measurement by using Computerized Tomogram.
  WH Lie, WP Yau, KY Chiu, HB Leung, LS Wong and S Wong.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2009, 24(1): 96-100.
  DOI:10.1016/j.arth.2007.11.014
• Errors in Identification of the Distal Femur Transepicondylar and Anterior Posterior Axes in Minimal Incision TKR and Conventional Incision TKR – A Cadaveric Study.
  WP Yau, A Leung, KG Liu, CH Yan, LLS Wong and KY Chiu.
  Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (British) 2008, 90B:520-6.
  DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.90B4.19841
• Computer navigation did not improve alignment in a lower-volume total knee practice.
  WP Yau, KY Chiu, Zuo JL, WM Tang and TP Ng.
  Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 2008, 466(4):935-45.
  DOI: 10.1007/s11999-008-0144-4
• Cutting Errors in Total Knee Replacement: Assessment by Computer Assisted Surgery.
  WP Yau and KY Chiu.
  Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy 2008, 16(7):670-3
  DOI: 10.1007/s00167-008-0550-x
• Inter-observer and Intra-observer Error in Obtaining Transepicondylar Axis and Whiteside Line in Total Knee Arthroplasty
  CH Yan, WP Yau, TP Ng, WH Lie, KY Chiu and WM Tang.
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2008, 16(3):316-20.
  DOI: 10.1177/230949900801600310
• The accuracy of extramedullary guides for tibial component placement in total knee arthroplasty.
  KY Chiu, WP Yau, TP Ng and WM Tang.
  International Orthopaedics 2008, 32(4): 467 – 471.
  DOI: 10.1007/s00264-007-0354-5
• Comparison of range of motion after standard and high-flexion posterior stabilized total knee replacement.
  FY Ng, HL Wong, WP Yau, KY Chiu and WM Tang.
  International Orthopaedics 2008, 32:795-8.
  DOI: 10.1007/s00264-007-0409-7
• Coronal Bowing of the Femur and Tibia in Chinese – Its Incidence and Effects on Total Knee Arthroplasty Planning
  WP Yau, KY Chiu, WM Tang and TP Ng
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2007; 15:32-36
  DOI: 10.1177/230949900701500108
• Inter-observer and Intra-observer Errors in Obtaining Visually Selected Anatomical Landmarks During Registration Process in Non-Image-Based Navigation-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty.
  WP Yau, A Leung, KG Liu, CH Yan, LLS Wong and KY Chiu.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2007, 22:1150-1161
  DOI:10.1016/j.arth.2006.10.010
• How Precise is the Determination of Rotational Alignment of the Femoral Prosthesis in Total Knee Arthroplasty. An in vivo Study.
  WP Yau, KY Chiu and WM Tang.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2007, 22:1042-1048
  DOI:10.1016/j.arth.2006.12.043
• Navigated High Tibial Osteotomy with Vector Vision System
  KW Cheung, WP Yau, KH Chiu and KY Chiu.
  Navigation and MIS in Orthopaedic Surgery. P. 509-516, 2007, Springer; ISBN:978-3-540-36690-4
• Assessment of the proximal femoral morphology using plain radiograph – Can it predict the bone quality?
  Y Yeung, KY Chiu, WP Yau, WM Tang, WY Cheung, TP Ng.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2006; 21:508-513
  DOI:10.1016/j.arth.2005.04.037
• Intra-observer errors in identification of visually selected anatomic landmarks in non-image based computer navigation total knee replacement system – A cadaveric experiment.
  WP Yau, A Leung, KY Chiu, WM Tang and TP Ng.
  Journal of Arthroplasty 2005; 20:591-601
  DOI:10.1016/j.arth.2005.02.011
• Residual Posterior Femoral Condyle Osteophyte – Will it affect Flexion Range after Total Knee Replacement?
  WP Yau, K.Y. Chiu, W.M. Tang and T.P. Ng.
  International Orthopaedics 2005; 29:375-379
  DOI: 10.1007/s00264-005-0010-x
• Sagittal bowing at distal femur and total knee arthroplasty.
  WM Tang, MFY Kwan, KY Chiu, TP Ng, WP Yau.
  Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2005; 23:41-45
  DOI:10.1016/j.orthres.2004.06.013
• Factors leading to blood transfusion among Chinese patients undergoing total joint replacements:  A retrospective study. 
  WP Yau, W. M. Tang, T. P. Ng and K. Y. Chiu.
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2004; Vol 12:153-157
  DOI: 10.1177/230949900401200203
• Critical Radiological Analysis After Austin Moore Hemiarthroplasty.
  WP Yau, K. Y. Chiu.
  Injury, 2004; Vol. 35 Issue 10:1020-1024
  DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2003.08.016
• Extensively coated femoral components in revision hip arthroplasty:  follow-up study of 23 patients.
  FY Ng, KY Chiu, WP Yau, TP Ng and WM Tang.
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2004; Vol 12:168-172
  DOI: 10.1177/230949900401200206
• Posterior Cruciate Ligament-Substituting Total Knee Arthroplasty in Young Rheumatoid Patients with Advanced Knee Involvement
  WM Tang, KY Chiu, TP Ng and WP Yau.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2004; Vol. 19 No.1: 49-55
  DOI:  10.1016/j.arth.2003.08.009
• Patellar Clunk Syndrome after Posterior Stabilized Total Knee Replacement.
  WP Yau, JWK Wong, KY Chiu, TP Ng and WM Tang.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2003; Vol. 18 No. 8: 1023-1028
  DOI: 10.1016/s0883-5403(03)00447-9.
• Efficacy of a single dose of Cefazolin as a prophylactic antibiotic in primary arthroplasty.
  WM Tang, KY Chiu, TP Ng, WP Yau, PTY Ching and WH Seto.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2003; Vol. 18 No. 6: 714-718
  DOI:  10.1016/S0883-5403(03)00201-8
• Practicing Cementing Technique with a toy: Play-Doh.
  WM Tang, KY Chiu, TP Ng and WP Yau.
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2003; Vol. 18 No. 6: 799-800
  DOI: 10.1016/S0883-5403(03)00329-2
• Twenty-Year Follow-up of Hip Problems in Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita.
  WP Yau, Wang Chow, Yun Hoi Li and John CY Leong.
  Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 2002; 22: 358-363
• Knee flexion after total knee arthroplasty
  KY Chiu, TP Ng, WM Tang, WP Yau
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2002; 10(2): 194 -202
  doi: 10.1177/230949900201000215
• Arthroscopic treatment of patellar symptoms in posterior stabilized total knee replacement.
  JWK Wong, PWP Yau, PKY Chiu
  International Orthopaedics, 2002; 26:250-252
  DOI: 10.1007/s00264-002-0347-3
• Unusual Complication Associated with Femoral Intramedullary Guide in Total Knee Arthroplasty
  Yau WP, Ng TP and KY Chiu
  Journal of Arthroplasty, 2001;  16:247-249
  DOI: 10.1054/arth.2001.19161
• The performance of three vacuum-mixing cement guns – a comparison of the fatigue properties of the cement.
  WP Yau­, TP Ng, KY Chiu, KC Poon, WY Ho and DK Luk.
  International Orthopaedics (SICOT), 2001; 25:290-293
  DOI: 10.1007/s002640100266
• Orthopaedic Guidelines to Houseofficer.
  WP Yau.
  Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Queen Mary Hospital.  (Internal circulation).
• Handbook of Orthopaedic Traumatology.
  WP Yau
  Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Queen Mary Hospital.  (Internal circulation).