Implantation of ultra-purified alginate (UPAL) gel is safe and effective in animal osteochondral defect models. This study aimed to examine the applicability of UPAL gel implantation to acellular therapy in humans with cartilage injury. A total of 12 patients (12 knees) with symptomatic, post-traumatic, full-thickness cartilage lesions (1.0 to 4.0 cm2) were included in this study. UPAL gel was implanted into chondral defects after performing bone marrow stimulation technique, and assessed for up to three years postoperatively. The primary outcomes were the feasibility and safety of the procedure. The secondary outcomes were self-assessed clinical scores, arthroscopic scores, tissue biopsies, and MRI-based estimations.Aims
Methods
Ceramic total knee arthroplasty (TKA) was introduced as a new-generation of knee prostheses in clinical practice, and are expected to reduce polyethylene wear due to its resistance to abrasion and lubrication. In 1992, we developed a cruciate retaining LFA-I total knee prosthesis (KYOCERA Medical Co., Japan), which comprises an alumina ceramic femoral component and a titanium-alloy tibial component with a polyethylene insert. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical results in rheumatoid patients who were treated with the alumina-ceramic LFA-I prosthesis with a minimum 15-year follow-up period. A total of 70 primary TKAs were performed in 51 patients between 1993 and 1996 using the cemented alumina-ceramic LFA-I prosthesis. Sixteen of these patients (20 knees) had died by the time of this study, of causes unrelated to the index arthroplasty, and 11 patients (16 knees) were lost to the follow-up. The remaining 34 knees were clinically and radiographically evaluated in the present study. The average follow-up time was 16.7 years. The average age of the patients was 58.2 years at the time of the operation. The clinical assessment was conducted with the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee rating score and the Knee Society scoring system. The component alignment and bone-implant interface were evaluated according to the Knee Society Roentgenographic Evaluation System.Introduction
Methods
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a well-established procedure associated with excellent clinical results. We have previously reported that intraoperative knee kinematics correlate with the clinical outcome in mobile bearing TKA. In addition, the intraoperative knee kinematics pattern does not correlate with the degree of preoperative knee deformity in mobile bearing TKA. However, the relationship among preoperative knee deformity, intraoperative kinematics and clinical outcome in fixed bearing TKA has been unknown. The purpose of this study is to compare the relationship among preoperative knee deformity, knee kinematics after fixed bearing TKA and the clinical outcome including the subjective outcomes evaluated by the new knee society score (KSS). A cross-sectional survey of thirty-five consecutive medial osteoarthritis patients who had a primary TKA using a CT-based navigation system was conducted. All knees had a Kellgren-Lawrence grade of 4 in the medial compartment and underwent a primary posterior stabilized TKA (Genesis II, Smith&Nephew) between May 2010 and October 2012. In all cases, a computed tomography-guided navigation system (Brain LAB, Heimstetten, Germany) was used. All surgery was performed by the subvastus approach and modified gap technique. Intraoperative knee kinematics was measured using the navigation system after implantation and closure of the retinaculum and soft tissue except for the skin. Subjects were divided into two groups based on intraoperative kinematic patterns: a medial pivot group (M group, n=19)(Figure 1) and a non-medial pivot group (N group, n=16)(Figure 2). Subjective outcomes with the new KSS and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Statistical analysis to compare the two groups was made using unpaired a Student t test.Introduction
Materials and Methods
The effect of the implant posterior condylar offset has recently generated much enthusiasm among researchers. Some reports were concerned about the relationship between the posterior condylar offset and an extension gap. However, the posterior condylar offset was measured in a flexed knee position or in reference to femoral anatomy alone. Posterior femoral condylar offset relative to the posterior wall of the tibia (posterior offset ratio; POR) is possibly the risk of knee flexion contracture associated with posterior femoral condylar offset after TKA. However, there are no reports concerning the relationship between POR and flexion contracture in vivo. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the measurement of POR and flexion contracture of the knee in vivo. Twenty-seven patients who underwent a primary total knee arthroplasty (PFC Sigma RP-F) were participated in the study. The lateral femoro-tibial angle (lateral FTA) was measured using lateral radiographs obtained by two procedures. Two procedures are applied to obtain true lateral radiographs of the lower extremities. (1) Full-length true lateral radiographs on standing, (2) True lateral radiographs in the prone position (Fig. 1A). ‘Posterior offset ratio’ was defined as Fig. 1B. Significant differences among groups were assessed using two-tailed Student's t-tests. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between lateral FTA and posterior offset ratio of patients.Introduction
Methods
We have previously reported that patients who demonstrated medial pivot kinematics pattern after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) had better clinical results than that of non-medial pivot pattern. However, it is unclear how preoperative kinematics pattern affects postoperative knee kinematics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between preoperative and postoperative knee kinematics pattern in TKA. The present study consists of 38 patients with medial osteoarthritis who underwent a primary TKA using a CT-based navigation system from July 2010 to September 2012. All the operations were performed by a single surgeon using a subvastus approach and the same posterior cruciate ligament substituting type (PS type) of prosthesis (Genesis II™ total knee system, Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN). The proximal tibia osteotomy and the distal femur osteotomy were set on the navigation system perpendicular to the mechanical axis in the coronal plane with 3° tibial posterior inclination in the sagittal plane. The coronal plane ligament imbalance was corrected until the gap imbalance was fewer than 2 mm. This gap balance was checked using a ligament balancer (Smith & Nephew) at 80 N in medial and lateral compartment of the knee. The navigation system was used to measure the flexion gap with the CAS ligament balancer (Depuy, Warsaw, IN, USA) at 90° knee flexion. The amount of external rotation on femoral osteotomy was adjusted by the navigation system with a balanced gap technique. The patella was resurfaced and a lateral release was not performed. Tibial A-P axis of the tibial tray was placed parallel to Akagi's line. We measured each kinematics pattern immediately after capsule incision (preoperative knee kinematics) and after implantation (postoperative knee kinematics) in TKA. Subjects were divided into two groups based on kinematics patterns: a medial pivot group (group M) and a non-medial pivot group (group N). A chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Introduction
Materials and Methods
Metals used for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are well known for their good biocompatibility, but may be a source of a release of metal ions that can be a cause of local and systemic adverse effects, aseptic loosening, and hypersensitivity reactions. One of the major difficulties in performing TKA is the selection of implants for patients who are preoperatively diagnosed as subject to metal sensitivity. Alternative solutions in cases of hypersensitivity are implants without metal constituents or metallic implants treated with a non-sensitive surface process. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical results in patients who had been preoperatively diagnosed with metal sensitivity and who subsequently were provided with the zirconia-ceramic LFA-III TKA, and with a minimum 5-year follow-up. Five patients (8 knees) with metal sensitivity underwent TKA using cemented zirconia-ceramic LFA-III implants. The LFA-III implant (KYOCERA Medical Co., Japan) is composed of a zirconia ceramic femoral component and a titanium-alloy tibial component with a polyethylene insert. All patients were female andthe average age at the time of surgery was 76.1 years. The average follow-up time was 7.2 years. Clinical and radiographic assessments were conducted with the Knee Society scoring system.Introduction
Methods
All lesions occurred around the prosthetic rim, and the mean size of osteolysis per knee was 2.1 +/−1.5 cc (range, 0.4–4.7 cc). Only seven lesions in 6 knees were diagnosed as osteolysis on plain radiographs: 2 lesions at anterior femoral condyle and 5 lesions at tibial condyles. None of the lesions around the posterior condylar flanges detected on CT was identified on plain radiographs. None of the implants showed radiographic loosening or required reoperation.
