Introduction

Proper cup positioning is a critical component in the success of total hip arthroplasty surgery. A multicenter study has been initiated to study a new type of highly cross-linked polyethylene. This study provides a unique opportunity to a review the acetabular cup placement of over 500 patients implanted in the past 2 years from 13 medical centers from the U.S., Mexico, and Europe.

Introduction

We implemented an exhaustive operative and supervision algorithm for surgical treatment of hip fractures primarily based on own previously published literature. The purpose was to improve supervision and reduce the rate of reoperations.

Introduction: Radial Impaction Grafting (RIG) has been proposed as a method for improving durability and reliability of cementing a collared femoral component in radial compressed bonegraft. In a prospective, baseline-control, multicenter clinical study the clinical and quality of life scores, survival rate, complications and radiographic findings were evaluated. The main objective of this study is to establish and indentify factors that contribute to the fracture rate. We tried to establish a model that represents the simplest combination of factors that predict femur fracture following the RIG technique.

Patients and Methods: Eighty-eight patients enrolled the study: 59 women and 29 men with average age of 74 (38–90) years. The average follow-up was 4 years (2–7.2). The results of 81 patients were evaluated. The Endo-classification (EC) was used for the determination of the pre-operative femoral bone loss; type 1 was noticed in 25 cases, type 2 in 44, type 3 in 17 and type 4 in 1 case.

At 70 patients the femur was augmented (mesh, cerclage(s) and/or plate). A short stem (115–135mm) was used in 48% and a long stem (165–225mm) in 52% of the cases.

Results: The average total HHS increased from a pre-operative score of 44 (median 44) to 91 (median 94) at > 5 years fu and the HHS-pain score from 17 (median 20) respectively to 43 (median 44). The average VAS for pain at > 5 years fu was 2.5 (0–100 scale). Ninety-three percent of the patients were very-extremely satisfied with the result.

Postoperative the femoral stem had a varus position (6 –10°) in 4 cases. In 6 cases the stem was in posterior and 3 cases in anterior position.

Progressive subsidence was demonstrated in 1 patient increasing to 5 mm at 1 year fu. Three patients showed subsidence of 3 mm at 3 months, but were stable afterwards. Slightly increasing radiolucent lines (> 2 mm) were noticed in 2 patients in subcortical areas, but never any signs of osteolysis.

Intra- and postoperative femoral fractures occurred in 12 patients (13,6%). There were 3 dislocations and 1 loosening of a trochanteric osteotomy. Despite the fractures there was no loosening of a stem during follow-up period.

After bivariate multilevel analysis, conducted to determine a relationship between the fracture complication and all other variables, a multivariate model was developed of the most significant variables to determine the predictor factors for femoral fracture. Only the Endo-classification and age are predictors for a fracture following a RIG procedure (p-value 0.003).

Each higher EC type increases the probability of a fracture after RIG 2.01 times and each added year of life 1.07 times. So the risk of getting a femoral fracture increases exponentially with age from 1.7% at 55 years to 15.5% at 90 years in EC type 1. The fracture risk in EC type 4 increases from 4.7% at 40 years to almost 60% at 90 years.

Introduction: The use of intramedullary nailing (IMHS) has increased at the expense of the dynamic hip screw (DHS), although the outcome is not different in the studies of pertrochanteric fractures (PTF), known as AO/OTA type 31A1-2 fractures with a preoperative intact lateral femoral wall. We therefore investigated the two implants in the subgroup of PTF with a fractured greater trochanter.

Materials and Methods: Six hundred thirty-five consecutive patients with PTF fixated by a short IMHS or by a DHS mounted on a four hole lateral plate were prospectively included between 2002 and 2008. The fractures were preoperatively classified according to AO/OTA classification system, including status of the greater and lesser trochanter. The integrity of the lateral femoral wall, fracture reduction and implant positioning were assessed postoperatively. Reoperations due to technical failures were recorded for one year.

Results: Among the 311 patients sustaining a PTF with a fractured greater trochanter, 4% (6/158) operated with an IMHS were reoperated compared to 14% (22/153) with a DHS (p=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis combining demographic and biomechanical parameters showed the IMHS to have a lower rate of reoperation (p=0.002).

During the operative procedure, the lateral femoral wall was fractured in 6% (9/158) of patients, in which an IMHS was performed versus 28% (42/153) operated with a DHS (p< 0.001). Among the DHS, a fractured lateral femoral wall was confirmed to be a predictor of a reoperation (31% (13/42) of patients with a fractured lateral femoral wall versus 8% (9/111) with an intact lateral femoral wall, p< 0.001).

As in other studies, the different reoperation rate would have been overseen in the main group of AO/ OTA type 31A1-2 PTF fractures (4% (6/164) IMHS versus 6% (30/471) DHS, p=0.196).

Conclusion: The IMHS seems to have a lower reoperation rate than the DHS in the subgroup of PTF with a fractured greater trochanter. In contrast to the DHS, the IMHS presumably keeps the integrity of the lateral femoral wall. In future studies, PTF should be divided into subgroups.

Introduction: We derived an exhaustive operative and supervision guideline for the treatment of hip fractures from the current international and own published literature, and implemented the guidelines in our department.

Methods: 1274 unselected consecutive patients admitted with a hip fracture were included, 336 of these prospectively after implementation of the new guideline. Demographic parameters, hospital treatment and re-operations were assessed from patient journals. Re-operations were recorded after six months.

Results: 95% (320/336) of operative procedures were found to have followed the new guideline treatment compared to 78% (733/938) prior to its introduction (p< 0.001 X2). Retrospectively we found that only 12% (121/1053) of operative procedures performed as the new guideline prescribes were re-operated compared to 24% (53/221) of operative procedures performed with other methods (p< 0.001 X2). In logistic regression analysis combining sex, age, ASA score, cognitive function, new mobility score, time from admission to operation and level of surgeon’s experience, not following the guideline was the only significant predictor for re-operation (p< 0.001 log. reg.)

After implementing the guideline, the rate of unsupervised junior registrars performing operations declined from 20% (188/938) to 6% (21/336, p< 0.001 X2). The rate of reoperations declined from 15% (139/938) to 10% (35/336, p=0.044 X2, p=0.043 log.reg.), with a 20% (85/436) to 13% (23/174) decline for intracapsulary and an 11% (54/502) to 7% (12/162) decline for extracapsulary fractures.

Conclusion: An exhaustive operative guideline for hip fracture treatment can be implemented. In our case, the guideline both raised the rate of supervision and reduced the rate of reoperations.

Introduction: Re-operations after intertrochanteric fractures (ITF) are often caused by fracture displacement following postoperative mobilisation. The biomechanical complexity of the fracture, implant position, and the patient’s characteristics are known to influence postoperative outcome significantly. We investigated the importance of an intact lateral femoral wall (LFW) for the postoperative displacement after fixation by a sliding compression hip screw (SHS).

Methods: Two hundred and fourteen consecutive patients with ITF fixated by 135° SHS mounted on four hole lateral plates were included between 2002 and 2004. The fractures were preoperatively classified according to the AO/OTA classification system. The status of the greater and lesser trochanter, the integrity of the LFW and implant positioning were assessed postoperatively. Re-operations due to technical failure were recorded for six months.

Results: Only three percent of patients (5/168) with postoperatively intact LFW’s were re-operated within six months, while twenty-two percent (10/46) of patients with fractured LFW’s had been re-operated (p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analyses combining demographic and biomechanical parameters, a compromised LFW was a significant predictor for reoperation (p = 0.010). Seventy-four percent (34/46) of the LFW fractures occurred during the operative procedure itself. Peri-operative LFW fractures only occurred in three percent (3/103) of the AO/OTA type 31A1–A2.1 ITF fractures, compared to thirty-one percent (31/99) of the AO/OTA type 31A2.2–A2.3 fractures (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: A postoperative fractured LFW was found to be the main predictor for reoperation after ITF. Consequently we conclude that patients with pre- or potential postoperative LFW fractures are not treated adequately by SHS. ITF should therefore be classified according to the integrity of the LFW, especially in regard to randomized trials comparing fracture implants.

Introduction: Rehabilitation of hip fracture patients is often lengthy with bed day consumption accounting for up to 85 % of the total hospitalization cost. Data suggests that patients who suffer surgical complications requiring re-operation have an excessive length of hospitalization, but the overall impact of surgical complications including those not requiring re-operations have not been examined in detail.

Methods: Six hundred consecutive, unselected patients with a primary hip fracture were included between 2002 and 2004. All patients received surgery and a multimodal rehabilitation program. Surgical complications were stratified into those requiring re-operation (< six months) and those not allowed mobilization postoperatively due to instability of the fracture. Surgical complications were audited and classified as being due to a patient fall, infection or due to a suboptimal surgical procedure, specified as suboptimal operation method, fracture reduction or implant position.

Results: 19.3 % (116/600) of the admitted patients were re-operated or immobilized. Assuming that the patients with complications otherwise would have had the same length of stay as the remaining patients, 27.2 % (3814/14038) of total bed day consumption was due to surgical complications. The audit of complications showed that 64 complications (55 %) were due to a suboptimal primary surgical procedure, 18 (16 %) to infections, 6 (5 %) to falls and 28 (24 %) could not be ascribed to an apparent course.

Conclusions: Surgical complications secondary to primary hip fracture surgery accounts for 27.2 % of the total bed consumption if secondary admissions due to re-operations are taken into account. Our audit suggests that as much as half the complications potentially could be spared through optimization of surgical procedures.

In a longitudinal case-control study, we followed 81 subjects with dysplasia of the hip and 136 control subjects without dysplasia for ten years assessing radiological evidence of degeneration of the hip at admission and follow-up. There were no cases of subluxation in the group with dysplasia. Neither subjects with dysplasia nor controls had radiological signs of ongoing degenerative disease at admission. The primary radiological discriminator of degeneration of the hip was a change in the minimum joint space width over time. There were no significant differences between these with dysplasia and controls in regard to age, body mass index or occupational exposure to daily repeated lifting at admission.

We found no significant differences in the reduction of the joint space width at follow-up between subjects with dysplasia and the control subjects nor in self-reported pain in the hip. The association of subluxation and/or associated acetabular labral tears with dysplasia of the hip may be a conditional factor for the development of premature osteoarthritis in mildly to moderately dysplastic hips.

In a prospective study, we randomly allocated 39 patients with isolated fractures of the lower two-thirds of the ulnar shaft to treatment either by a prefabricated functional brace or a long-arm cast. Significantly better wrist function and a higher percentage of satisfied patients were found in the braced group. Thirteen patients returned to employment while still wearing the brace but only one was able to work in a cast.

Leg amputation levels were decided in 24 patients suffering from atherosclerosis, using the conventional techniques of segmental blood pressure and radioisotope skin clearance. The skin microcirculation was measured and recorded before operation with a laser doppler flowmeter. A high correlation was found between the successful amputation levels and the maximal blood perfusion of the skin measured in this way.