Background. Giant cell tumours of bone (GCT) are benign bone tumours with a locally aggressive character. Local recurrence is considered the main complication of surgical treatment and is described in up to 50% of patients. Intralesional curettage with the use of adjuvants like phenol or polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) is recommended as initial treatment, significantly decreasing the risk of recurrence. However, risk factors for local recurrence in skeletal GCT have not yet been firmly established and a golden standard for local therapy remains controversial. Objective. The identification of risk factors predisposing for an increased risk of local recurrence. In addition, different surgical techniques are compared to identify the optimal surgical approach for the identified risk factors. Methods. In a retrospective study all 215 patients with bone GCT treated between 1964 and 2009 in one centre were included, of which 193 were suitable for analysis. All patients had minimal follow-up of 12 months (mean 115; range 12–445). Using a Kaplan Meier survival analysis recurrence free survival rates were calculated. Cox-regression was used to determine the influence of different types of therapy, the use of adjuvants, and various patient and tumour characteristics. Results. The mean local recurrence rate for all patients was 35.2% (n=68, 95%CI: 28.3–42.1). Recurrence rate after wide resection was 0.17 (n=6, 95%CI: 0.04–0.29), after curettage with adjuvants 0.32 (n=42, 95%CI 0.24–0.41) and after curettage alone 0.74 (n=20, 95%CI: 0.57–0.91, p < 0.001). Soft tissue extension (Hazard Ratio: 3.8, p < 0.001), localisation in radius and ulna (HR: 2.6, p=0.013), and surgical experience (HR: 2.2, p=0.022) were identified as significant general risk factors for local recurrence. For intralesional resection, Campanacci grade III (HR: 3.9, p=0.019) and location in axial skeleton (HR: 3.3, p=0.016) additionally significantly increased this risk. Comparing treatments our data showed that curettage followed by adjuvants was superior to curettage alone (p < 0.004), and the application of both phenol and PMMA did not present a significantly better outcome than curettage and PMMA alone (HR: 1.07, p=0.881). Conclusion. Of all possible risk factors only soft tissue extension, localisation in radius and ulna and non-radical resections significantly influenced the risk of local recurrence for all treatments. In addition, we found that high-grade tumours and localisation in the axial skeleton were additional risk factors for local recurrence after intralesional surgery. Although wide resection increases patient morbidity, it can be the therapy of choice in high risk patients. Intralesional therapy can be advised for low recurrence risk patients using curettage and PMMA only, whereas our study could not confirm the predicted effect of phenol as an additional adjuvant

Aim. To present selective arterial embolization with N-2-butyl Cyanoacrylate for the palliative and/or adjuvant treatment of painful bone metastases not primarily amenable to surgery. Material and Methods. From January 2003 to December 2009, 243 patients (148 men and 95 women; age range, 20–87 years) with painful bone metastases were treated with N-2-butyl Cyanoacrylate. Overall, 309 embolizations were performed; 56 patients had more than one embolization. Embolizations were performed in the pelvis (168 procedures), in the spine (83 procedures), in the upper limb (13 procedures), in the lower limb (38 procedures) and in the thoracic cage (21 procedures). Primary cancer included urogenital, breast, gastrointestinal, thyroid, lung, musculoskeletal, skin, nerve and unknown origin. Renal cell carcinoma was the most commonly treated tumor. In all patients, selective embolization was performed by transfemoral catheterization. Results. Complete or significant resolution of pain for more than 6 months was observed in 236 patients (97%), in 56 of them (23%) after repeated embolization; 12 patients had subsequent surgical treatment. Function was restored to normal in the patients with extremity tumors. In 21 cases, after angiography embolization was judged infeasible due to arteriovascular reasons or high risk. Skin and subcutaneous necrosis at the pelvis occurred in one patient after multiple embolizations for a metastatic paraganglioma. Conclusions. Selective embolization of bone metastases with N-2-butyl Cyanoacrylate is safe and effective for the palliative and/or adjuvant management of painful bone metastases. It can be used for surgically inaccessible or irresponsive to radiation therapy lesions, and as an adjuvant to surgical treatment

Background. There is doubt regarding resection compared to curettage for pelvic metastases. Previous studies have reported that curettage is associated with decreased survival compared with wide resection, and have justified a radical surgical approach to achieve pain palliation and tumor control. Aim. To evaluate the role of wide en bloc resection compared to curettage/marginal resection for patients with pelvic metastases. The rationale was that wide resection does not improve survival even in patients with solitary pelvic metastases. Method. Between 1985 and 2009, 21 patients (6 women, 15 men; age, 34–76 years) were treated for pelvic metastases. Histology included thyroid carcinoma in 5 patients, bladder carcinoma in 4 patients, renal and endometrium in 2 cases each and colon, ovarium, cerebral and lung carcinoma in 1 case each; the primary tumor was undiagnosed in 4 patients. Three patients had sacral and 1 patient had sacroiliac joint metastasis. According to Enneking's classification of the anatomical site involved, 5 patients had type I, 1 patient had type II, 6 patients had type III, 1 patient had type I and II, and 4 patients had type II and III pelvic metastasis. Metastatic disease was localized in the pelvic ring in 15 patients and multifocal in 6 patients. Eight patients had surgical treatment only; 13 patients had surgical treatment in addition to radiation therapy (2 patients), chemotherapy (1 patient), embolization (3 patients), or combined adjuvant treatments (7 patients). 21 patients with pelvic metastases were treated with wide resection (12 patients) and curettage/marginal resection (9 patients) and adjuvants. Sixteen patients had solitary pelvic metastases. Reconstruction of the hip joint was performed in three patients. Results. At a mean of 27.6 months (range, 2–152 months), the overall survival to death and local recurrence was 15% at 66 months and 47% at 26 months, respectively. Survival to death of patients treated with wide en bloc resection was 18% at 46 months compared to 62% at 12months of patients treated with curettage/marginal resection; no difference in survival to death between wide en bloc resection and curettage/marginal resection was observed (p=0.570). Survival to local recurrence of patients treated with wide en bloc resection was 67% at 24 months compared to 26% at 24 months of patients treated with curettage/marginal resection; this was also not statistically significant (p=0.0683). One patient treated with wide en bloc resection for a solitary pelvic bone metastasis had a postoperative complication. Conclusion. This series showed that neither the combination of surgical and adjuvant treatments nor the type of surgical resection were statistically significant parameters for local recurrence. We found no difference in survival to death or local recurrence 1 with wide en bloc resection compared to curettage or marginal resection, even in patients with solitary pelvic metastases

Objective. To provide a best estimate of the average treatment effect when microfracture was chosen as the intervention of choice in patients with full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee. Design. We focussed on controlled studies which either referred to microfracture alone or in comparison with any other surgical treatment of articular cartilage of the knee. Papers including patients who had been treated by microfracture and concomitant adjuvant procedures like ACL reconstruction or meniscus repair were accepted too, whereas papers reporting on the microfracture technique combined with the implantation of a scaffold were excluded. To achieve a best estimate of the average, to be expected treatment effect we pooled pooled before–after data of study arms using microfracture. Because cartilage studies employ various scales to measure functional improvements, we standardized treatment effects using Hedges' g. To provide clinically meaningful estimates we converted the pooled summary effect back into the respective scales by multiplying the pooled effect with pooled standard deviations of each included clinical scale. Results. A systematic review of the literature revealed six papers including 200 patients with a mean age of 32 years, a mean defect size of 3 cm. 2. and a follow up period from 2 to 5 years. Four of the studies compared microfracture to autologous chondrocyte implantation and two of them to osteochondral autologous transplantation. All patients were treated by the microfracture technique as described by Steadman and by a similar rehabilitation protocol which only allowed crutch-assisted touchdown weight bearing initially. Referring to the individual studies, a comparison of the pooled estimates of Hedges' g revealed that the two papers which evaluated the youngest patients provided the highest treatment effect. On the contrary, those two papers which focussed on the largest lesions, reported the worst improvement. Finally, the remaining two papers whose patients were characterized by similar age and defect size presented comparable results. The individual standardized effect sizes were combined into an overall best estimate. Its value was 1.678, measured in units of standard deviation, with the 95% confidence interval of [1.016; 2.340] resulting in different values of the average, to be expected treatment effect when it is measured in Lysholm Score (22.1), IKDC Score (26.5) and KOOS (15.2) points. Conclusions. Our results offer a clinically intuitive estimation of the average treatment effects on common clinical scales. Compared to the preoperative situation, a significant clinical improvement can be expected for each patient. Nevertheless, the magnitudes of these treatment effects are an approximation and must be interpreted cautiously. Furthermore, we did not succeed to confirm that young age and small lesion size have a beneficial effect on the clinical outcome

The results of the treatment of 31 open femoral fractures (29 patients) with significant bone loss in a single trauma unit were reviewed. A protocol of early soft-tissue and bony debridement was followed by skeletal stabilisation using a locked intramedullary nail or a dynamic condylar plate for diaphyseal and metaphyseal fractures respectively. Soft-tissue closure was obtained within 48 hours then followed, if required, by elective bone grafting with or without exchange nailing.

The mean time to union was 51 weeks (20 to 156). The time to union and functional outcome were largely dependent upon the location and extent of the bone loss. It was achieved more rapidly in fractures with wedge defects than in those with segmental bone loss. Fractures with metaphyseal defects healed more rapidly than those of comparable size in the diaphysis. Complications were more common in fractures with greater bone loss, and included stiffness of the knee, malunion and limb-length discrepancy.

Based on our findings, we have produced an algorithm for the treatment of these injuries. We conclude that satisfactory results can be achieved in most femoral fractures with bone loss using initial debridement and skeletal stabilisation to maintain length, with further procedures as required.

Fractures and nonunions of the proximal humerus are increasingly treated by open reduction and internal fixation. The extended deltopectoral approach remains the most widely used for this purpose. However, it provides only limited exposure of the lateral and posterior aspects of the proximal humerus. We have previously described the alternative extended deltoid-splitting approach. In this paper we outline variations and extensions of this technique that we have developed in the management of further patients with these fractures.

Endoprosthetic replacement of the proximal femur may be required to treat primary bone tumours or destructive metastases either with impending or established pathological fracture. Modular prostheses are available off the shelf and can be adapted to most reconstructive situations for this purpose. We have assessed the clinical and functional outcome of using the METS (Stanmore Implants Worldwide) modular tumour prosthesis to reconstruct the proximal femur in 100 consecutive patients between 2001 and 2006. We compared the results with the published series for patients managed with modular and custom-made endoprosthetic replacements for the same conditions.

There were 52 males and 48 females with a mean age of 56.3 years (16 to 84) and a mean follow-up of 24.6 months (0 to 60). In 65 patients the procedure was undertaken for metastases, in 25 for a primary bone tumour, and in ten for other malignant conditions. A total of 46 patients presented with a pathological fracture, and 19 presented with failed fixation of a previous pathological fracture. The overall patient survival was 63.6% at one year and 23.1% at five years, and was significantly better for patients with a primary bone tumour than for those with metastatic tumour (82.3% vs 53.3%, respectively at one year (p = 0.003)). There were six early dislocations of which five could be treated by closed reduction. No patient needed revision surgery for dislocation. Revision surgery was required by six (6%) patients, five for pain caused by acetabular wear and one for tumour progression. Amputation was needed in four patients for local recurrence or infection.

The estimated five-year implant survival with revision as the endpoint was 90.7%. The mean Toronto Extremity Salvage score was 61% (51% to 95%). The implant survival and complications resulting from the use of the modular system were comparable to the published series of both custom-made and other modular proximal femoral implants.

We conclude that at intermediate follow-up the modular tumour prosthesis for proximal femur replacement provides versatility, a low incidence of implant-related complications and acceptable function for patients with metastatic tumours, pathological fractures and failed fixation of the proximal femur. It also functions as well as a custom-made endoprosthetic replacement.