Developments in adjuvant therapies and surgical techniques have allowed more confident excision of the neoplastic scapula without radical margins. Total scapular excision has been proven to be an effective limb salvage procedure for tumours involving the whole scapula, with or without gleno-humeral extension. The two most common types of excision are the Tikhoff-Linberg procedure or total scapulectomy.

We identified 13 patients who had undergone total scapular excision between 1995 and 2008. Eight patients underwent total scapulectomy and five underwent a Tikhoff-Linberg procedure. All reconstructions were in the form of humeral suspension. There were four females and nine males with a mean age at operation of 47.7 years (range 16-81). Most tumours excised were either Ewing's sarcoma or chondrosarcoma and mean follow-up was 44 months (7-167). Functional outcomes were assessed using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Score (MSTS) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score (DASH). Active flexion and abduction ranges were also assessed.

Of the original 13 patients, five died at a mean of 21 months post-operatively. One patient developed a recurrence after five months, which was successfully excised. The mean forward flexion and abduction following all procedures was 22.5 degrees (0-30) and 22.9 degrees (0-40) respectively. There was no statistical difference between ranges of motion of total scapulectomy and Tikhoff-Linberg procedures. The mean MSTS score for the entire group was 65.8% and there was no statistical difference between total scapulectomy and Tikhoff-Linberg (p = 0.69). The mean DASH score for all patients was 39.7 with no statistically significant difference between the two procedures (p = 0.46).

Both procedures allow successful excision of scapular tumours with an acceptable level of post-operative function. Total scapulectomy and Tikhoff-Linberg procedures followed by humeral suspension compare favourably with forequarter amputation, endoprosthetic reconstruction and allografting.

Background

Treatment of aggressive benign bone lesions with curettage, burring, cementation and plate augmentation is a widely accepted treatment. We have used the above method using a locked plate (rather than conventional), facilitating stability and early mobilisation. We hypothesise that this is an alternative to megaprosthetic joint replacement, and provides acceptable functional outcomes at follow-up.

Background

A commonly held belief amongst surgeons and patients is that progression of disease (arthritis) to other compartments is a major cause of early failure of UKRs.

Medial portal reaming may allow for the creation of a more anatomically positioned femoral tunnel during Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, this technique also results in a shorter tunnel which may make fixation difficult. The purpose of this study is to determine the average length of a femoral tunnel created using a medial portal technique and to correlate this with patient gender, height and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Fifty-four consecutive patients underwent ACL reconstruction with a femoral tunnel created using a medial portal technique. The tunnels were created using a spade tip guide pin (Arthrex, Naples, FL) with the goal of creating the tunnel in the 2-2:30 o'clock position (left knee) or 9:30-10 o'clock position (right knee). The total osseous length of the femur (TOL) was measured using a depth gauge. Descriptive statistics of the TOL were calculated and bivariate correlation coefficients (Pearson r) were calculated to determine the relationship between TOL and patient height and weight.

The mean TOL was found to be 33.77 ± 5.27 mm (24-50 mm). TOL was found to correlate with patient height (r=0.32, r²=0.10, p=0.04) and was not correlated to weight (r=0.24, r²=0.06, p=0.15) or BMI (r=0.06, r²=0.004, p=0.7). Men had a greater TOL (34.91 ± 5.4) than women (32.13 ± 4.80) but this difference was not found to be statistically significant (p=0.10).

ACL reconstruction using a medial portal yields a mean total osseous length of 33.77 mm. This length is significantly correlated with patient height.

ACL reconstruction using a medial portal approach to femoral reaming can lead to tunnels as short as 24 mm. Patient height may be a useful clinical tool to indicate the potential for a short femoral tunnel.

Background

There are different opinions amongst surgeons as to the selection criteria for UKR with regards to age and BMI. Many surgeons perceive higher rates of failure in young or overweight patients or often choose TKR for elderly patients.