Desmoid tumours are a rare fibroblastic proliferation of monoclonal origin, arising in deep soft-tissues. Histologically, they are characterized by locally aggressive behaviour and an inability to metastasize, and clinically by a heterogeneous and unpredictable course. Desmoid tumours can occur in any anatomical site, but commonly arise in the limbs. Despite their benign nature, they can be extremely disabling and sometimes life-threatening, causing severe pain and functional limitations. Their surgical management is complex and challenging, due to uncertainties surrounding the biological and clinical behaviour, rarity, and limited available literature. Resection has been the first-line approach for patients with a desmoid tumour but, during the last few decades, a shift towards a more conservative approach has occurred, with an initial ‘wait and see’ policy. Many medical and regional forms of treatment are also available for the management of this condition, and others have recently emerged with promising results. However, many areas of controversy remain, and further studies and global collaboration are needed to obtain prospective and randomized data, in order to develop an appropriate shared stepwise approach. Cite this article:
Tumours of the sacrum are difficult to manage. The sacrum provides the structural connection between the torso and lower half of the body and is subject to both axial and rotational forces. Thus, tumours or their treatment can compromise the stability of the spinopelvic junction. Additionally, nerves responsible for lower limb motor groups as well as bowel, bladder, and sexual function traverse or abut the sacrum. Preservation or sacrifice of these nerves in the treatment of sacral tumours has profound implications on the function and quality of life of the patient. This annotation will discuss current treatment protocols for sacral tumours. Cite this article:
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis or lateral elbow tendinopathy) is a self-limiting condition in most patients. Surgery is often offered to patients who fail to improve with conservative treatment. However, there is no evidence to support the superiority of surgery over continued nonoperative care or no treatment. New evidence also suggests that the prognosis of tennis elbow is not influenced by the duration of symptoms, and that there is a 50% probability of recovery every three to four months. This finding challenges the belief that failed nonoperative care is an indication for surgery. In this annotation, we discuss the clinical and research implications of the benign clinical course of tennis elbow. Cite this article:
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) intra-articular injections may provide a simple and minimally invasive treatment for early-stage knee osteoarthritis (OA). This has led to an increase in its adoption as a treatment for knee OA, although there is uncertainty about its efficacy and benefit. We hypothesized that patients with early-stage symptomatic knee OA who receive multiple PRP injections will have better clinical outcomes than those receiving single PRP or placebo injections. A double-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial was performed with three groups receiving either placebo injections (Normal Saline), one PRP injection followed by two placebo injections, or three PRP injections. Each injection was given one week apart. Outcomes were prospectively collected prior to intervention and then at six weeks, three months, six months, and 12 months post-intervention. Primary outcome measures were Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and EuroQol five-dimension five-level index (EQ-5D-5L). Secondary outcomes included visual analogue scale for pain and patient subjective assessment of the injections.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to assess the effect
of injecting genetically engineered chondrocytes expressing transforming
growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) into the knees of patients with osteoarthritis.
We assessed the resultant function, pain and quality of life. . A total of 54 patients (20 men, 34 women) who had a mean age
of 58 years (50 to 66) were blinded and randomised (1:1) to receive
a single injection of the
We aimed to investigate if the use of the largest possible cobalt-chromium head articulating with polyethylene acetabular inserts would increase the in vivo wear rate in total hip arthroplasty. In a single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 96 patients (43 females), at a median age of 63 years (interquartile range (IQR) 57 to 69), were allocated to receive either the largest possible modular femoral head (36 mm to 44 mm) in the thinnest possible insert or a standard 32 mm head. All patients received a vitamin E-doped cross-linked polyethylene insert and a cobalt-chromium head. The primary outcome was proximal head penetration measured with radiostereometric analysis (RSA) at two years. Secondary outcomes were volumetric wear, periacetabular radiolucencies, and patient-reported outcomes.Aims
Methods
We have conducted a prospective trial of the management of 135 adult patients who had sustained soft-tissue injuries of the neck in vehicle accidents. Early traction and physiotherapy was compared with rest in a collar and unsupervised mobilisation. No benefit from the
Eighty-four children suffering from Perthes' disease are reviewed. The policy of management for these patients was one by which 55 per cent of the cases had no
We treated 36 patients with unilateral facet dislocations or fracture-dislocations of the cervical spine at the Mayo Clinic between 1975 and 1986. Adequate records were available for 34: ten patients were treated by open reduction and posterior fusion, and 24 by nonoperative management. Of these, 19 had halo traction followed by halo-thoracic immobilisation, four had a simple cervicothoracic orthosis, and one received no
The purpose of this study was to identify the changes in untreated long head of the biceps brachii tendon (LHBT) after a rotator cuff tear and to evaluate the factors related to the changes. A cohort of 162 patients who underwent isolated supraspinatus with the preservation of LHBT was enrolled and evaluated. The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the LHBT on MRI was measured in the bicipital groove, and preoperative to postoperative difference was calculated at least 12 months postoperatively. Second, postoperative changes in the LHBT including intratendinous signal change, rupture, dislocation, or superior labral lesions were evaluated with seeking of factors that were correlated with the changes or newly developed lesions after rotator cuff repair.Aims
Methods
We report a series of 15 children, six male and nine female, of average age 20 months, seen at a paediatric orthopaedic clinic with torticollis. Orthopaedic examination revealed a normal range of neck movement in all cases but in seven there was palpable tightness in the absence of true shortening or contracture of the sternomastoid muscle. The patients were prospectively referred for ocular examination. In five of the 15 an ocular cause for the torticollis was detected with underaction of the superior oblique muscle in three, paresis of the lateral rectus muscle in one and nystagmus in one. Another two patients were found to have an abnormal ocular examination which was thought to be unrelated to their torticollis. Three of the patients with ocular torticollis required extra-ocular muscle surgery to abolish the head tilt and one of these had a tight sternomastoid muscle. Two of the non-ocular group had surgical release of the sternomastoid muscle; in the rest, the condition either resolved with physiotherapy or required no
The aim of this study was to examine the recent trend in delivery of arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) in Scotland and to determine if this varies by geographical location. Scottish Morbidity Records were reviewed retrospectively between March 2014 and April 2018 to identify records for every admission to each NHS hospital. The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS-4) surgical codes were used to identify patients undergoing primary ASD. Patients who underwent acromioclavicular joint excision (ACJE) and rotator cuff repair (RCR) were identified and grouped separately. Procedure rates were age and sex standardized against the European standard population.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to analyze the complications and outcomes of treatment in a series of previously untreated patients with a primary aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) who had been treated by percutaneous sclerosant therapy using polidocanol. Between January 2010 and December 2016, 56 patients were treated primarily with serial intralesional sclerosant injections. Their mean age was 20 years (1 to 54). The sites involved were clavicle (n = 3), humeri (n = 11), radius (n = 1), ulna (n = 3), hand (n = 2), pelvis (n = 12), femur (n = 7), tibia (n = 13), fibula (n = 3), and foot (n = 1). After histopathological confirmation of the diagnosis, 3% polidocanol (hydroxypolyaethoxydodecan) was injected into the lesion under image intensifier guidance. Patients were evaluated clinically and radiologically every six to eight weeks. In the absence of clinical and/or radiological response, a repeat sclerosant injection was given after eight to 12 weeks and repeated at similar intervals if necessary.Aims
Methods
Complex displaced osteoporotic acetabular fractures in the elderly are associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Surgical options include either open reduction and internal fixation alone, or combined with total hip arthroplasty (THA). There remains a cohort of severely comorbid patients who are deemed unfit for extensive surgical reconstruction and are treated conservatively. We describe the results of a coned hemipelvis reconstruction and THA inserted via a posterior approach to the hip as the primary treatment for this severely high-risk cohort. We have prospectively monitored a series of 22 cases (21 patients) with a mean follow-up of 32 months (13 to 59).Aims
Methods
A clicky hip is a common referral for clinical and sonographic
screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). There is
controversy regarding whether it represents a true risk factor for
pathological DDH. Therefore a 20-year prospective, longitudinal,
observational study was undertaken to assess the relationship between
the presence of a neonatal clicky hip and pathological DDH. A total of 362 infants from 1997 to 2016 were referred with clicky
hips to our ‘one-stop’ paediatric hip screening clinic. Hips were
assessed clinically for instability and by ultrasound imaging using
a simplified Graf/Harcke classification. Dislocated or dislocatable
hips were classified as Graf Type IV hips.Aims
Patients and Methods
Tuberculosis (TB) remains endemic in many parts
of the developing world and is increasingly seen in the developed world
due to migration. A total of 1.3 million people die annually from
the disease. Spinal TB is the most common musculoskeletal manifestation,
affecting about 1 to 2% of all cases of TB. The coexistence of HIV,
which is endemic in some regions, adds to the burden and the complexity
of management. This review discusses the epidemiology, clinical presentation,
diagnosis, impact of HIV and both the medical and surgical options
in the management of spinal TB. Cite this article:
The aims of this study were to compare the efficacy and safety
of intra-articular and intravenous (IV) tranexamic acid (TXA) in
controlling perioperative blood loss in total knee arthroplasty
(TKA) using a randomized, double-blinded equivalence trial. A total of 182 patients aged between 45 and 75 years undergoing
unilateral TKA at a tertiary centre were randomized to receive TXA,
either 1.5 g intra-articularly after closure of the wound (n = 91)
or two doses of 10 mg/kg IV (n = 91). The primary outcome measure
was the reduction in the level of haemoglobin (Hb) in the blood
on the fifth postoperative day. Secondary outcome measures were
the total, visible, and hidden blood losses (TBL, VBL, HBL). We
assumed equivalence of the primary outcome in both routes with a
margin of ± 0.35gm/dl. Block randomization using computer-generated
random numbers was used. The patients and the assessor of outcome were
blinded.Aims
Patients and Methods
Hydroxyapatite coatings for uncemented fixation in total knee
arthroplasty can theoretically provide a long-lasting biological
interface with the host bone. The objective of this study was to
test this hypothesis with propriety hydroxyapatite, peri-apatite,
coated tibial components using component migration measured with radiostereometric
analysis over two years as an indicator of long-term fixation. A total of 29 patients at two centres received uncemented PA-coated
tibial components and were followed for two years with radiostereometric
analysis exams to quantify the migration of the component.Aims
Patients and Methods
In this study we quantified and characterised
the return of functional mobility following open tibial fracture
using the Hamlyn Mobility Score. A total of 20 patients who had
undergone reconstruction following this fracture were reviewed at
three-month intervals for one year. An ear-worn movement sensor
was used to assess their mobility and gait. The Hamlyn Mobility
Score and its constituent kinematic features were calculated longitudinally,
allowing analysis of mobility during recovery and between patients
with varying grades of fracture. The mean score improved throughout
the study period. Patients with more severe fractures recovered
at a slower rate; those with a grade I Gustilo-Anderson fracture
completing most of their recovery within three months, those with
a grade II fracture within six months and those with a grade III
fracture within nine months. Analysis of gait showed that the quality of walking continued
to improve up to 12 months post-operatively, whereas the capacity
to walk, as measured by the six-minute walking test, plateaued after
six months. Late complications occurred in two patients, in whom the trajectory
of recovery deviated by >
0.5 standard deviations below that of
the remaining patients. This is the first objective, longitudinal
assessment of functional recovery in patients with an open tibial
fracture, providing some clarification of the differences in prognosis
and recovery associated with different grades of fracture. Cite this article:
Post-operative complications after total hip
or knee replacement can delay recovery, prolong hospitalisation, increase
rates of re-admission and, in the most severe cases, lead to long-term
disability or even death. In this analysis of pooled data from four
large, randomised, phase III clinical trials that compared the oral,
direct Factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban with subcutaneous enoxaparin
for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after total hip or
knee replacement (n = 12 729), the incidence of complications, including
bleeding and adverse events related to surgery (such as wound infection,
wound dehiscence and haemarthrosis) are reported. Interventions
and procedures relating to surgery are also compared between the
groups. Bleeding events, including excessive wound haematoma and
surgical-site bleeding, occurred at similar rates in the rivaroxaban
and enoxaparin groups. Over the total study duration, adverse surgical
events occurred at a similar rate in the rivaroxaban group compared
with the enoxaparin group after total knee replacement (2.26% This analysis shows that the incidence of adverse surgical events
with rivaroxaban was similar to enoxaparin.
