We present the outcome of 297 acetabular revisions using bone grafting and cemented acetabular components in 297 patients, with a mean follow-up of 8 years 3 months (5–20 years). All patients underwent acetabular revision with allograft bone grafting and insertion of cemented acetabular components. Of the 297 patients, 134 patients (45%) were male and 163 (55%) were female. The mean age of undergoing revision surgery with bone grafting was 60 years (25–87 years). The mean weight at revision surgery was 71.9 kg (40–128 kg). Post-operatively, all patients were reviewed regularly in out-patients, where they were examined clinically for any complications and their radiographs were examined for evidence of graft union, radiological lucency and cup migration.Introduction
Methods
The C-Stem in its design as a triple tapered stem, is the logical development of the original Charnley flat-back polished stem. The concept, design and the surgical technique cater for a limited slip of the stem within the cement mantle transferring the load more proximally. Five thousand two hundred and thirty three primary procedures using a C-stem have been carried out since 1993. We reviewed all 621 cases that had their total hip arthroplasty before 1998. Sixty nine patients (70 hips) had died and 101 hips had not reached a ten-year clinical and radiological follow-up and had not been revised. Thirty-two hips had been revised before 10 years, none were revised for aseptic stem loosening and no stems. The indications for revision were Infection in 4, dislocation in 3, aseptic cup loosening in 24 and unexplained pain in 1. The remaining 418 hips had a mean follow-up of 12 years (range 10–15 years). There were 216 women and 173 men, and 34 patients had bilateral LFAs. The patients' mean age at surgery was 53 years (range 16–83 years). Thirty four hips had been revised at the time of review. The reasons for revision were infection in 5, dislocation in 2, aseptic cup loosening in 24 and 1 for neuralgia paraesthetica where the stem was well fixed. Two hips were revised for stem fracture. There were no revisions for stem loosening but 2 stems were revised for fracture - both with a defective cement mantle proximally. The clinical results are very encouraging and they support the concept of the Charnley cemented low friction arthroplasty, but place a demand on the understanding of the technique and its execution at surgery.
Compression foot pumps are widely used for the prevention of postoperative venous thrombosis. We tested the efficiency of the pump in ten healthy subjects; the velocity of venous blood flow in the common femoral vein was measured in the horizontal, Trendelenberg (foot-up) and reverse-Trendelenberg (foot-down) positions. Application of the foot pump produced an increase in the venous velocity in all subjects. The mean increase in the horizontal position was 27.2% and in the Trendelenberg position 15.4%. In the reverse-Trendelenberg position, the foot pump produced a mean increase of 102.8%. The efficiency of the compression foot pump in increasing venous return is improved by adopting the reverse-Trendelenberg position. This may increase its thromboprophylactic effect.
