The June 2024 Knee Roundup. 360. looks at: The estimated lifetime risk of revision after primary knee arthroplasty influenced by age, sex, and indication; Should high-risk patients seek out care from high-volume surgeons?; Stability and fracture rates in medial unicondylar knee arthroplasties; Rethinking antibiotic prophylaxis for dental procedures post-arthroplasty; Evaluating DAIR: a viable alternative for acute periprosthetic joint infection; The characteristics and predictors of mortality in periprosthetic fractures around the knee; Patient health-related quality of life deteriorates significantly while waiting six to 12 months for total hip or knee arthroplasty; The importance of looking for diversity in knee implants

The December 2023 Knee Roundup. 360. looks at: Obesity is associated with greater improvement in patient-reported outcomes following primary total knee arthroplasty; Does mild flexion of the femoral prosthesis in total knee arthroplasty result in better early postoperative outcomes?; Robotic or manual total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial; Patient-relevant outcomes following first revision total knee arthroplasty, by diagnosis: an analysis of implant survivorship, mortality, serious medical complications, and patient-reported outcome measures using the National Joint Registry data set; Sagittal alignment in total knee arthroplasty: are there any discrepancies between robotic-assisted and manual axis orientation?; Tourniquet use does not impact recovery trajectory in total knee arthroplasty; Impact of proximal tibial varus anatomy on survivorship after medial unicondylar knee arthroplasty; Bone cement directly to the implant in primary total knee arthroplasty?; Maintaining joint line obliquity optimizes outcomes in patients with constitutionally varus knees

Abstract. Introduction. Patient selection is key to the success of medial unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA). Progression of arthritis is the most common indication for revision. Various methods of assessing the lateral compartment have been used including stress radiography, radioisotope bone scanning, MRI, and visualisation at the time of surgery. Arthroscopy is another means of assessing the integrity of the lateral compartment. Methods. We used per-operative arthroscopy as a means to confirm suitability for UKA in a consecutive series of 279 Oxford medial UKA. This study reports the long-term results of a previously published cohort of knees. Our series of UKA with per-operative arthroscopy (Group 1) was compared to all Oxford UKA (Group 2) and all UKA in the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) (Group 3). Results. The 14-year cumulative percentage revision (CPR) was 18.5% (95% CI 12.7, 26.4) for group 1, 19.7% (95% CI 18.8, 20.6) for group 2, and 19.2% (95% CI 18.5, 19.8) for group 3. There was no statistically significant difference in the (CPR) for the entire period when group 1 was compared to groups 2 or 3. Progression of arthritis was the indication for revision in similar proportions for the three groups (Group 1: 32.3%, Group 2: 35.7% and Group 3: 33.5%). Following per-operative arthroscopy 21.6% (77/356) of knees underwent a change of surgical plan from UKA to TKA. Conclusion. Per-operative arthroscopy may improve medium-term medial unicompartmental knee survivorship but does not improve long-term survivorship nor reduce revision due to progression of arthritis

Aims. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of tibial eminence avulsion intraoperatively for bi-unicondylar knee arthroplasty (Bi-UKA), with consideration of the effect of implant positioning, overstuffing, and sex, compared to the risk for isolated medial unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA-M) and bicruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty (BCR-TKA). Methods. Two experimentally validated finite element models of tibia were implanted with UKA-M, Bi-UKA, and BCR-TKA. Intraoperative loads were applied through the condyles, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and the risk of fracture (ROF) was evaluated in the spine as the ratio of the 95. th. percentile maximum principal elastic strains over the tensile yield strain of proximal tibial bone. Results. Peak tensile strains occurred on the anterior portion of the medial sagittal cut in all simulations. Lateral translation of the medial implant in Bi-UKA had the largest increase in ROF of any of the implant positions (43%). Overstuffing the joint by 2 mm had a much larger effect, resulting in a six-fold increase in ROF. Bi-UKA had ~10% increased ROF compared to UKA-M for both the male and female models, although the smaller, less dense female model had a 1.4 times greater ROF compared to the male model. Removal of anterior bone akin to BCR-TKA doubled ROF compared to Bi-UKA. Conclusion. Tibial eminence avulsion fracture has a similar risk associated with Bi-UKA to UKA-M. The risk is higher for smaller and less dense tibiae. To minimize risk, it is most important to avoid overstuffing the joint, followed by correctly positioning the medial implant, taking care not to narrow the bone island anteriorly. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2022;11(8):575–584

Aims

Unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty (UKA and TKA) are successful treatments for osteoarthritis, but the solid metal implants disrupt the natural distribution of stress and strain which can lead to bone loss over time. This generates problems if the implant needs to be revised. This study investigates whether titanium lattice UKA and TKA implants can maintain natural load transfer in the proximal tibia.

Aims

The treatment of patients with allergies to metal in total joint arthroplasty is an ongoing debate. Possibilities include the use of hypoallergenic prostheses, as well as the use of standard cobalt-chromium (CoCr) alloy. This non-designer study was performed to evaluate the clinical outcome and survival rates of unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) using a standard CoCr alloy in patients reporting signs of a hypersensitivity to metal.

The treatment of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and associated extra-articular deformity of the leg is challenging. Current teaching recognises two possible approaches: (1) a total knee replacement (TKR) with intra-articular bone resections to correct the malalignment or (2) an extra-articular osteotomy to correct the malalignment together with a TKR (either simultaneously or staged). However, a number of these patients only have unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis and, in the absence of an extra-articular deformity would be ideal candidates for joint preserving surgery such as unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) given its superior functional outcome and lower cost relative to a TKR [1). We report four cases of medial unicondylar knee replacement, with a simultaneous extra-articular osteotomy to correct deformity, using novel 3D printed patient-specific guides (Embody, UK) (see Figure 1). The procedure was successful in all four patients, and there were no complications. A mean increase in the Oxford knee score of 9.5, and in the EQ5D VAS of 15 was observed. To our knowledge this is the first report of combined osteotomy and unicompartmental knee replacement for the treatment of extra-articular deformity and knee osteoarthritis. This technically challenging procedure is made possible by a novel 3D printed patient-specific guide which controls osteotomy position, degree of deformity correction (multi-plane if required), and orientates the saw-cuts for the unicompartmental prosthesis according to the corrected leg alignment. Using 3D printed surgical guides to perform operations not previously possible represents a paradigm shift in knee surgery. We suggest that this joint preserving approach should be considered the preferred treatment option for suitable patients

Introduction

Limb alignment after unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) has a significant impact on surgical outcomes. The literature lacks studies that evaluate the limb alignment after lateral UKA or compare alignment outcomes between medial and lateral UKA. In this study, we retrospectively compare a single surgeon's alignment outcomes between medial and lateral UKA using a robotic-guided protocol.

Lower limb alignment after unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) has a significant impact on surgical outcomes. The literature lacks studies that evaluate the limb alignment after lateral UKA or compare it to alignment outcomes after medial UKA, making our understanding of this issue based on medial UKA studies. Unfortunately, since the geometry, mechanics, and ligamentous physiology are different between these two compartments, drawing conclusions for lateral UKAs based on medial UKA results may be imprecise and misleading. The purpose of this study was to compare the risk for limb alignment overcorrection and the ability to predict postoperative limb alignment between medial and lateral UKA. We evaluated the results of mechanical limb alignment in 241 patients with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis who underwent medial or lateral UKA; there were 229 medial UKAs and 37 lateral UKAs. Mechanical limb alignment was measured in standing long limb radiographs pre and post-operatively, intra-operatively it was measured using a computer assisted navigation system. Between the two cohorts, we compared the percentage of overcorrection and the difference between post-operative alignment and alignment measured by the navigation system. The percentage of overcorrection was significantly higher in the lateral UKA group (11%), when compared to the medial UKA group (4%), (p= 0.0001). In the medial UKA group, the mean difference between the intraoperative “virtual” alignment provided by the navigation system, and the post-operative, radiographically measured mechanical axis, was 1.33°(±1.2°). This was significantly lower than the mean 1.86° (±1.33°) difference in the lateral UKA group (p=0.019). Our data demonstrated an increased risk of mechanical limb alignment overcorrection and greater difficulty in predicting postoperative alignment using computer navigation, when performing lateral UKAs compared to medial UKAs.

Lower limb alignment after unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) has a significant impact on surgical outcomes. The literature lacks studies that evaluate the limb alignment after lateral UKA or compare it to alignment outcomes after medial UKA, making our understanding of this issue based on medial UKA studies. Unfortunately, since the geometry, mechanics, and ligamentous physiology are different between these two compartments, drawing conclusions for lateral UKAs based on medial UKA results may be imprecise and misleading. The purpose of this study was to compare the risk for limb alignment overcorrection and the ability to predict postoperative limb alignment between medial and lateral UKA. We evaluated the results of mechanical limb alignment in 241 patients with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis who underwent medial or lateral UKA; there were 229 medial UKAs and 37 lateral UKAs. Mechanical limb alignment was measured in standing long limb radiographs pre and post-operatively, intra-operatively it was measured using a computer assisted navigation system. Between the two cohorts, we compared the percentage of overcorrection and the difference between post-operative alignment and alignment measured by the navigation system. The percentage of overcorrection was significantly higher in the lateral UKA group (11%), when compared to the medial UKA group (4%), (p= 0.0001). In the medial UKA group, the mean difference between the intraoperative “virtual” alignment provided by the navigation system, and the post-operative, radiographically measured mechanical axis, was 1.33°(±1.2°). This was significantly lower than the mean 1.86° (±1.33°) difference in the lateral UKA group (p=0.019). Our data demonstrated an increased risk of mechanical limb alignment overcorrection and greater difficulty in predicting postoperative alignment using computer navigation, when performing lateral UKAs compared to medial UKAs.

Introduction

Kneeling ability is better in unicompartmental than total knee arthroplasty. There is also an impression that mobile bearing knees achieve better functional outcome than their fixed bearing cousins in unicompartmental and to a lesser extent total joint arthroplasty. In the UK, the market leading unicompartmental replacement is mobile bearing.

Introduction. Obesity has been considered a relative contra-indication in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) due to fear of high wear rates, loosening and tibial collapse. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of high body mass index (BMI) on ten-year survivorship and five-year functional outcome after Oxford UKA, a fully congruous mobile bearing design with large contact area and low wear rate. Methods. This prospective study examines a consecutive series of 595 knees (mean age 66 years, range: 33-88) undergoing Oxford UKA with a minimum 5-year follow-up. Patients were divided into three groups; Group I (Normal body weight), BMI <25 (n=171), Group II (overweight), BMI 25- 30 (n=264), and Group III (Obese), BMI ≥30 (n=160). The survivorship and functional outcome (as assessed by change in Oxford Knee Score [DeltaOKS]) and Knee Society Score (KSS) for all three groups were compared. Results. The mean follow-up was 6.3 years. There was no significant difference in the 10-year survivorship between groups (96% for all groups). Although numbers were small there was no significant difference in revision rates for patients with BMI ≥35 (n=1/38). Group III patients had a lower pre-operative OKS and lower post-operative OKS compared to groups I and II, although DeltaOKS was similar (p= .977). At last follow-up the Functional KSS was lower in group III (p=.11), although Objective KSS was not significantly different between groups (p=.954). Conclusion. Oxford UKA can be safely used in obese and morbidly-obese patients. Design features of congruous bearing and large contact area ensure low wear rates. Summary. No significant difference in revision rates noted between groups of increasing body mass index in this prospective study of outcome in patients undergoing medial Oxford unicondylar knee replacement

Oxford medial uni compartmental knee replacement is a common and widely accepted procedure that relies on accurate positioning and alignment of the implants for optimal outcome and longevity. Posterior slope of the tibial base plate has been shown to be an important factor affecting long term survivorship. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether navigation increased the accuracy of Oxford knee replacements using the posterior slope of the tibial component as an index measure. The posterior slope of tibial trays from 58 sequential Oxford medial unicondylar knee replacements over a two year period was checked on standard lateral x-rays against the recommended range. There were 12 cases in the navigated and 46 in the conventional group across six Orthopaedic firms. The mean posterior slope for navigated and conventional implantations was 4.75 and 3.3 degrees respectively with the difference not being statistically significant. However, when considering the data for low volume surgeons, the mean posterior slope with and without navigation was 4.75 and 1.83 degrees respectively which was significant with a p value of 0.017. Navigation was also found to significantly decrease the chance of implanting the knee with the posterior slope outside the acceptable range (p=0.024). In both analyses the navigated cohort had a narrower data spread and fewer outliers compared to the conventional group. No other factors were found to significantly correlate with the posterior slope. The study suggests that navigation might help low volume surgeons in increasing the accuracy and decreasing the incidence of extreme variations from the desirable range of implant positioning for unicompartmental knee replacements

Introduction: Unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) has seen a resurgence in the past decade. Perpetuation of this trend can only be supported through prospective demonstration of efficacy with validated outcomes measures.

Materials & Methods: Thirty-three consecutive cemented medial Miller-Galante UKA’s (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN) were performed in 32 patients (7 males/25 females; mean age of 67 ± 9 years). Average weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) of the patient population was 189 ± 31 lbs (Range, 145–293), 65 ± 4 in (range, 60–75), and 33 ± 5 BMI (range, 25–43), respectively. Average polyethylene thickness (as labelled) for this cohort was 8.3mm (range, 8–12mm). Outcomes were prospectively assessed via the SF-12, WOMAC, and Knee Society Score (KSS). No patients were lost to follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survivorship and Student’s t-test were performed using GraphPad Prism 4 software (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA).

Results: Minimum follow-up was 39 months with a mean follow up period of 49 (range, 39–59) months. One knee was converted at 6 months at another institution to a TKA. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis reported 97% survivorship at 59 months (95% CI). Of the 32 knees remaining, mean preoperative KSS and WOMAC pain scores improved significantly from 52 ± 7 (range, 37–67) to 89 ± 9 (range, 67–100) (p< 0.0001) and from 40 ± 22 (range, 0–80) to 93 ± 14 (range, 35–100) (p< 0.0001), respectively. Additionally, average SF-12 Physical Component scores significantly increased from 30 ± 7 (range, 18–51) at baseline to 49 ± 10 (range, 28–59) at time of follow-up (p< 0.0001). Overall stiffness and physical function assessed via the WOMAC index also exhibited statistically significant improvement, bettering from mean baseline scores of 54 ± 24 (range, 0–100) and 52 ± 19 (range, 25–87) to 84 ± 19 (range, 50–100, p< 0.0001) and 88 ± 15 (range, 44–100, p< 0.0001), respectively. No significant cement/bone interface radiolucencies were found upon thorough radiographic review at 3 years post UKA.

Discussion & Conclusion: The significant improvements observed in knee function & stiffness, and decreases in pain at a mean of 4 years after medial UKA are encouraging. Coinciding results from the physical component of the SF-12 assessment indicate reassurance of physical improvements regarding patient lifestyle. 97% survivorship in the short term would be discouraging if not for the specific circumstances of the sole conversion to TKA. This specific patient went against the advice of the operative surgeon and solicited services at an outside institution in conversion to a TKA despite markedly improved function (Pre-op/3 month post-op WOMAC and KSS of 30/75 and 60/91). Clinical and radiographic follow-up will continue in order to assess the long-term efficacy of medial UKA with the Miller-Galante prosthesis using strict patient selection criteria.

We have performed a prospective double-blind, randomised controlled trial over two years to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an intra-operative peri-articular injection of triamcinolone acetonide in patients undergoing medial unicondylar knee replacement. We randomised 90 patients into two equal groups. The study group received an injection of triamcinolone acetonide, bupivacaine, and epinephrine into the peri-articular tissues at the end of the operation. The control group received the same injection mixture but without the addition of triamcinolone. The peri-operative analgesic regimen was standardised. The study group reported a significant reduction in pain (p = 0.014 at 12 hours, p = 0.031 at 18 hours and p = 0.031 at 24 hours) and had a better range of movement (p = 0.023 at three months). There was no significant difference in the rate of infection and no incidence of tendon rupture in either group. The addition of corticosteroid to the peri-articular injection after unicondylar knee replacement had both immediate and short-term benefits in terms of relief from pain, and rehabilitation with no increased risk of infection

We reviewed 35 patients who underwent a medial unicondylar knee replacement, with an average follow up of 4 years (for functional assessment). All patents had a weight bearing AP and lateral X rays and were clinically assessed using Hospital for Special surgery score, Bristol Knee Score and SF 36 health assessment form. Five angles were measured on the x-rays to assess the alignment of the tibial and femoral alignment. There was a significant relation between the femoral component varus/valgus angle and three sub scores (fixed flexion contracture, maximum valgus/varus and range of movement) in Bristol Knee scores. The best functional out come correlated with femoral components of 4–8 degrees of valgus