We reviewed the impact of the use of routine perioperative counselling on patients outcomes and experience when undergoing operative deformity correction for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Between January 2006 and December 2008, 28 consecutive patients underwent operative deformity correction for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. 26 of these were seen at the initial presentation to clinic by a voluntary counsellor with experience of a family member having undergone scoliosis correction after they had been identified as being likely to require operative intervention. Most patients were only seen once preoperatively by the counsellor but several were seen on multiple occasions. Most patients were offered the opportunity to meet a post-operative patient who had previously had scoliosis correction surgery. SRS 22 questionnaires were completed pre and post-operatively. All curves were classified using the Lenke classification and pre and post operative Cobb angles were recorded. All patients and their parents were followed up at a mean interval of 3 years with a telephone survey regarding how they felt the input from a counsellor impacted on their experience.Objective
Methods
The biological significance of cobalt-chromium wear particles from metal-on-metal hip replacements may be different to the effects of the constituent metal ions in solution. Bacteria may be able to discriminate between particulate and ionic forms of these metals because of a transmembrane nickel/cobalt-permease. It is not known whether wear particles are bacteriocidal. We compared the doubling time of coagulase negative staphylococcus, Doubling time halved in metal-on-metal (p = 0.003) and metal-on-polyethylene (p = 0.131) particulate debris compared with the control. Bacterial nickel/cobalt-transporters allow metal ions but not wear particles to cross bacterial membranes. This may be useful for testing the biological characteristics of different wear debris. This experiment also shows that metal-on-metal hip wear debris is not bacteriocidal.
