Unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) is an established treatment for single compartment end-stage knee arthrosis with good recorded survivorship. Although often used in more active, younger patients, patient selection remains controversial. To identify risk factors for early failure we compared patients with UKR failure requiring revision to total knee replacement (TKR) with a control group.

Between September 2002 and 2008, 812 Oxford Mobile Bearing Medial UKRs were implanted. 21 implants (20 patients) required revision to TKR within 5 years. The leading cause for revision was lateral compartment disease progression (11 patients). In the revision group, 17 patients were female (81%), average age at index surgery was 64.1 (range 48–81) and average BMI 31.8 (range 24.4–41.5).

Our UKR patients with early failure requiring revision were more likely to be female (p=0.0012) whilst age and BMI were similar between groups. Although the change in tibio-femoral valgus angle was similar, control group patients started in varus becoming valgus post-operatively, whereas revision group patients started in valgus and became more valgus post-operatively. This might explain lateral compartment disease progression as our leading cause of early failure. We believe females with medial compartment disease but valgus alignment are at greater risk of early failure and it is particularly important not to overstuff the medial compartment.

The Femoro Patella Vialli (FPV) is indicated for isolated patello-femoral joint replacement (PFJR). It is now the second most commonly used PFJR in the UK, however there are limited studies evaluating its outcome. Key differences include a larger component sulcus angle of 140 degrees which more closely mimics the normal knee.

Between 2006 and 2012, we performed 53 consecutive FPV patellofemoral arthroplasties in 41 patients with isolated patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis. Mean age was 62.2years (39–86) and mean follow-up was 3.5 years. Mean Oxford Knee scores improved from 19.7 to 37.7 at latest follow-up. Ninety four percent of patients were happy or very happy with their knees. Progression of tibiofemoral osteoarthritis was seen 12% of knees. 2 knees required revision to TKR at 7 months post-operatively, which we attribute to poor patient selection. There were no cases of maltracking patella or patella dislocations at final follow-up, which we attribute to the larger sulcus angle. There were no cases of radiological loosening.

Our findings suggest the FPV patellofemoral prosthesis has good mid-term functional outcomes.

Unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) is an established treatment for single compartment end-stage arthrosis with good recorded survivorship. UKRs are often implanted into more active younger patients, but patient selection remains controversial. A recent study, led by the Royal College of Surgeons Clinical Effectiveness Unit, demonstrated that prosthesis revision rates decrease strongly with age (Van Der Meulen et al 2008). It has therefore been suggested that UKR should only be considered in elderly patients. This contrasts our observed experience of early revision cases leading us to compare these patients with a control group.

Between September 2002 and 2008, 812 Oxford Mobile Bearing Medial UKRs were implanted. We compared all patients who underwent UKR revision to Total Knee Replacement (TKR) against a control group of 50 consecutive UKR patients.

20 implants have required revision to TKR in 19 patients since 2002. Median age at index surgery was 68 (range 48-81), median BMI was 31 (range 25-41.5), 17 patients were female (85%), and median implant survival was 25 months (range 6-57). Control group median age at index surgery was 66 (range 46-81), median BMI was 30 (range 22-51), and 27 patients were female (54%). Median Oxford Knee Score recorded in September 2009 was 36 (range 14-54) for revision patients and 21 (range 14-39) for the control group (p=0.021).

Our UKR patients with early failure requiring revision are far more likely to be female (p=0.015), as well as older and with a higher BMI than the control group. We feel this is a subset of patients at high risk of failure, despite meeting all criteria for UKR. The underlying causes are likely to be multifactorial, but a key factor may be that this group has varus tricompartment osteoarthritis rather than classical anteromedial osteoarthritis. Our data counters recent advice based on National Joint Registry data.

Aim

To investigate the effect of Tranexamic acid on blood loss associated with Total Knee Replacement Surgery.

Aim

To assess the efficacy and ease of use of the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) in soft tissue knee pathology.

Purpose of study: With the increasing demand for arthroplasty surgery, it is important to maintain a high quality of care. We describe a clinical governance framework for a simple, easy to implement method of assessing and monitoring radiological outcome following total knee arthroplasty.

Methods: We completed a two-year prospective study (January 2006 to December 2007 inclusive) of all total knee arthroplasty operations. This included 1,295 procedures, the majority of which were undertaken by two Consultant Surgeons and up to eight independent middle grade surgeons. The two Consultant Knee Surgeons assessed component position on standard post-operative weight-bearing antero-posterior and lateral knee radiographs on a weekly basis. They were blinded to both the patient and surgeon details, and used our own simple grading system, whose weighted Kappa variance showed ‘moderate’ interobserver (K = 0.41) and intraobserver reliability (K = 0.51). Our system comprised of only three ordinal scores, which were good (score of 1), acceptable (score of 2) and poor (score of 3).

Results: We provided individual surgeons with their results on a six-monthly basis. The average score for all the surgeons was good. The scores of the independent middle-grade surgeons were analysed by the Consultants, and feedback was provided in the form of formal advice and supervised surgery sessions. Repeat proportional analysis of their radiological scores showed significant improvements for all the individual surgeons (Pearson-Chi Square p value < 0.05).

Conclusions: Clinical governance is an important facet of excellence in medical practice. Our system allows continued prospective assessment of radiological outcome following total knee arthroplasty. By utilising such systems and ensuring an atmosphere of clinical excellence, we are able to employ more surgeons and undertake an increased workload, whilst maintaining high standards. This assessment tool can also be used to assess and appraise trainees during their progression.

Purpose of study: With the increasing demand for arthroplasty surgery, it is important to maintain a high quality of care. We describe a clinical governance framework for a simple, easy to implement method of assessing and monitoring radiological outcome following total knee arthroplasty.

Methods: We completed a two-year prospective study (January 2006 to December 2007 inclusive) of all total knee arthroplasty operations. This included 1,295 procedures, the majority of which were undertaken by two Consultant Surgeons and up to eight independent middle grade surgeons. The two Consultant Knee Surgeons assessed component position on standard post-operative weight-bearing antero-posterior and lateral knee radiographs on a weekly basis. They were blinded to both the patient and surgeon details, and used our own simple grading system, whose weighted Kappa variance showed ‘moderate’ interobserver (K = 0.41) and intraobserver reliability (K = 0.51). Our system comprised of only three ordinal scores, which were good (score of 1), acceptable (score of 2) and poor (score of 3).

Results: We provided individual surgeons with their results on a six-monthly basis. The average score for all the surgeons was good. The scores of the independent middle-grade surgeons were analysed by the Consultants, and feedback was provided in the form of formal advice and supervised surgical sessions. Repeat proportional analysis of their radiological scores showed significant improvements for all the individual surgeons (Pearson-Chi Square p value < 0.05).

Conclusions: Clinical governance is an important facet of excellence in medical practice. Our system allows continued prospective assessment of radiological outcome following total knee arthroplasty. By utilising such systems and ensuring an atmosphere of clinical excellence, we are able to employ more surgeons and undertake an increased workload, whilst maintaining high standards. This assessment tool can also be used to assess and appraise trainees during their progression.

Aim: To assess the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) for the assessment of soft tissue knee pathology?

Method: In a prospective study, we compared the OKS against the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC 2000) and the Lysholm Scores (Lys). We also assessed the OKS with retrograde and antegrade (as currently used in Oxford) numbering. All patients completed 3 questionnaires stating which was the simplest from their perspective. We recruited 73 patients from the orthopaedic and physiotherapy clinics, meeting the following criteria:

Results: Linear regression analysis revealed no significant difference between all 3 scores (R²=0.7823, P< 0.0001). The OKS correlated best with the IKDC (r=0.7483, Fig1), but less so with the Lys (r=0.3278, Fig2). The reversed OKS did not correlate as well (R²= 0.2603) with either the IKDC (r= −0.2978) or the Lys (r= −0.2586). ANOVA showed the OKS to be significantly easier than Lys to complete (p< 0.0001), but not significantly easier than IKDC (p> 0.05).

Conclusion: The OKS is patient friendly and reliable in assessing soft tissue knee injury. This is particularly useful if the OKS is already in use within a department for measurement of severity of degenerative disease.