The medially spherical GMK Sphere (Medacta International AG, Castel San Pietro, Switzerland) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) was previously shown to accommodate lateral rollback while pivoting around a stable medial compartment, aiming to replicate native knee kinematics in which some coronal laxity, especially laterally, is also present. We assess coronal plane kinematics of the GMK Sphere and explore the occurrence and pattern of articular separation during static and dynamic activities. Using pulsed fluoroscopy and image matching, the coronal kinematics and articular surface separation of 16 well-functioning TKAs were studied during weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing, static, and dynamic activities. The closest distances between the modelled articular surfaces were examined with respect to knee position, and proportions of joint poses exhibiting separation were computed.Objectives
Methods
Throughout the 20th Century, it has been postulated that the knee moves on the basis of a four-bar link mechanism composed of the cruciate ligaments, the femur and the tibia. As a consequence, the femur has been thought to roll back with flexion, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) prostheses have been designed on this basis. Recent work, however, has proposed that at a position of between 0° and 120° the medial femoral condyle does not move anteroposteriorly whereas the lateral femoral condyle tends, but is not obliged, to roll back – a combination of movements which equates to tibial internal/ femoral external rotation with flexion. The aim of this paper was to assess if the articular geometry of the GMK Sphere TKA could recreate the natural knee movements The pattern of knee movement was studied in 15 patients (six male: nine female; one male with bilateral TKAs) with 16 GMK Sphere implants, at a mean age of 66 years (53 to 76) with a mean BMI of 30 kg/m2 (20 to 35). The motions of all 16 knees were observed using pulsed fluoroscopy during a number of weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing static and dynamic activities.Objectives
Methods
Twenty-nine patients (30 hips) with uncemented acetabular impaction allografting contained behind a metal backed component screwed to the pelvis at revision hip arthroplasty were reviewed at 12 to17 years (average 15.3 years) follow up. Five patients had died with the prosthesis in situ, 4 patients were lost to follow up, 13 patients had failed requiring further revision (only one failed prior to 5 years) and 9 survivors were minimally asymptomatic. The mean time to failure warranting further surgery was 9 years. Analysis of available serial radiographs (24 cases) demonstrated signs of loosening (migration, progressive radiolucent lines, screw breakage) in 54% of the latest radiographs of all cases. Removing those lost to follow up or deceased, 72% were radiologically loose (in the intact asymptomatic group 57% could be defined as loose). Additionally, in 70% of the cases the acetabular component tended to fail in a varus manner as the medial wall remodelled. These results indicate as previously published, short term results for this technique are satisfactory but in the long term they are not. Factors associated with this include the pressfit nature of the polyethylene liner which has been implicated in disappointing long term results for this prosthesis in primary applications, but not of the level of failure encountered in the current series. This experience suggests that the reliance on screw fixation over a bed of allograft in the absence of cement supplementation does not provide sufficient stability for reliable bone graft incorporation. The method reported above should be abandoned.
