Aims

This study aimed to investigate the optimal sagittal positioning of the uncemented femoral component in total knee arthroplasty to minimize the risk of aseptic loosening and periprosthetic fracture.

Finite element analysis (FEA) has been applied for the biomechanical analysis of acetabular dysplasia, but not for biomechanical studies of periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) or those performing analysis taking into consideration the severity of acetabular dysplasia. This study aimed to perform biomechanical evaluation of changes in stress distribution following PAO and to determine the effect of the severity of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) using three-dimensional FEA.

A normal model was designed with a 25° center-edge (CE) angle and a 25° vertical-center-anterior margin (VCA) angle. DDH models were designed with CE and VCA angles each of 10, 0, or −10°. Post-PAO models were created by separating each DDH model and rotating the acetabular bone fragment in the anterolateral direction so that the femoral head was covered by the acetabular bone fragment, with CE and VCA angles each at 25°.

Compared to the normal hip joint model, the DDH models showed stress concentration in the acetabular edge and contacting femoral head, and higher stress values; stress increased with decreasing CE and VCA angles. Compared to the DDH models, the post-PAO models showed near-normal patterns of stress distribution in the acetabulum and femoral head, with stress concentration areas shifted from the lateral to medial sides. Stress dispersion was especially apparent in the severe acetabular dysplasia models. PAO provided greater decreases in the maximum values of von Mises stress in the load-bearing area of the acetabulum and femoral head when applied to the DDH models of higher degrees of severity, although the values increased with increasing severity of DDH. PAO is expected to provide biomechanical improvement of the hip joint, although the results also suggest a limitation in the applicability of PAO for the patients with severe acetabular dysplasia.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of carbazochrome sodium sulfonate (CSS) combined with tranexamic acid (TXA) on blood loss and inflammatory responses after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), and to investigate the influence of different administration methods of CSS on perioperative blood loss during THA.

Objectives

Activation of the leptin pathway is closely correlated with human knee cartilage degeneration. However, the role of the long form of the leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) in cartilage degeneration needs further study. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increasing the expression of Ob-Rb on chondrocytes using a lentiviral vector containing Ob-Rb.

Aim

Previous studies have indicated that TNF-α and lymphotoxin-α (LTA) gene polymorphisms associate with the development of several different inflammatory diseases. However, potential associations of such gene polymorphisms with the susceptibility to extremity chronic osteomyelitis remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate potential links between TNF-α gene polymorphisms (rs1800629, rs361525, rs1799964, rs1800630, rs1799724 and rs1800750) and LTA gene polymorphism (rs909253) and the risk of developing extremity chronic osteomyelitis in Chinese population.

The health of a synovial joint is relied on normal function and coordination of a group of tissues such as articular cartilage (AC), ligaments, tendons and muscles. Osteoarthritis (OA), which is the most common joint disease, is clinically characterised by lesion of AC. Despite this, injury of a ligament or tendon or muscle generates a joint instability, which accelerates deterioration of AC and progression of OA. Traditional histology is often used to study the pathology of biological tissues. It requires tissue biopsy, which traumatises the donor tissues. Therefore, it is not an idea method for assessing AC, ligaments and tendons as the tissues have a poor healing capability. There is a worldwide demand of an imaging technique that diagnoses the microstructural changes of chondral and connective tissues without biopsy. Confocal arthroscopy (Optiscan Pty Ltd, Australia) possesses a Ø 6.3 mm probe and offers a 0.7 µm lateral imaging resolution and 7 µm axial resolution. It has been successfully used for examining the internal microstructural disorders in rotator cuff tendons of human cadavers without tissue biopsy (WU et al., 2015). This study investigates the capability of confocal arthroscopy as optical histology for assessing the internal microstructure of AC, ligaments, tendons and muscles in a knee joint.

Four sheep keen joints were freshly donated by other research unrelated to this study. After 5 ml clinical grade fluorescein solution at 0.05 g/L was injected into the joint cavity of a knee joint, the joint was passively exercising for about 10 minutes. The joint was then open collaterally and washed thoroughly using PBS for acquiring the microstructure of AC, ligaments, tendons and muscles using the confocal arthroscopy.

Results: without biopsy, confocal arthroscopy offers an imaging resolution for onsite distinguishing the subtle microstructural difference of AC in the weight-bearing and non-weight bearing region. It also permitted visualising the hierarchical collagen structure in ligaments and tendons at a fibre level, and characterising the muscle nuclei, motor-neurons, moto-neuron synapse and striates of myofibres.

Confocal arthroscopy showed the early promise to act as optical histology for studying the microstructure of chondral and a range of connective tissues, which allows understand better the health status of a knee joint. Since a sheep knee joint is very small for operating a normal procedure of an arthroscopic examination, an open knee joint surgery was performed in this study to allow imaging the microstructure of AC and a range of connective tissues. This is accounted as a limitation in the study. Nevertheless, this study demonstrated the development of confocal arthroscopy may lead to optical histology of the internal microstructure of AC and a group of connective tissues, which offers understanding more comprehensively the healthy status of a knee joint.

Impact relief ability of Metal-on-Metal artificial hip joint with multi-garter spring using drop impact tester for practical use

Toshiaki Kaneeda, Xinming Zhao and Hiroshi Matsuura

Metal-on-metal (MoM) joints can provide better wear properties than hard-on-polymer joints, leading to reducing osteolysis. However during gait, MoM hip joints have no material to relieve impact. These impacts can cause severe pain in postoperative patients. Kaneeda proposed double-shell MoM artificial hip joints in which multi garter springs were inserted between the inner and outer acetabular shell as an impact relief device. The proposed double-shell metal-on-metal artificial hip joint is composed of two layers, as shown in Fig. 11).

A garter spring is usually used when by loading and a compression stress from the outside to the center axis. In the model testing for garter spring, it is demonstrated that garter spring had impact relief ability, then using dual garter springs could lead to better impact relief ability than single one2).

In this work, the impact relief ability of model hip joint were investigated by using the Instron CEAST 9340 machine as shown in Fig. 2. The machine is a floor standing impact system designed to deliver 0.30–405J of energy and equipped with precise locating system for height. A holding device of double-shell cup was made to fix the right position. A shape of drop impact weight was modified for this experiment. The model hip joint was applied vertical load over 6000N, which is estimated to be equal to maximum vertical load during jumping. The ability in the case of single garter spring and dual garter springs was evaluated in the model hip joint, comparing with UHMWPE liner in the same size of femur head. Each testing was conducted 10 times.

Fig. 3 shows load-time curve detected. From the results, it can be seen that in both case Load L gradually rise with Time T, then reach maximum values, finally L gently drop: maximum impact load as well as maximum impact load arriving time also presented nearly the same values. Much differences in shape of the curve between model hip joint with dual garter springs and UHMWPE liner could not be recognized. The model hip joint with dual garter springs may has enough impact relief ability.

Total hip arthroplasty for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) remains a difficult and challenging problem. How to reconstruct acetabular deficiencies has become increasingly important. One of the major causes inducing loosening of acetabular reinforcement ring with hook (Ganz ring) is insufficient initial stability. In this study, three-dimensional finite element models of the pelvis with different degrees of bone defect and acetabular components were developed to investigate the effects of the number of screws, screw insert position (Fig. 1), and bone graf quality on the initial stability under the peak load during normal walking. The size of pelvic bone defect, the number of screws and the position of screws were varied, according to clinical experience, to assess the change of initial stability of the Ganz ring. The Ganz ring was placed in the true acetabulum and the acetabular cup was cemented into the Ganz ring with 45 degrees abduction and 15 degrees of screws. The Insert position, nodes on the sacroiliac joint and the pubic symphysis were fixed in all degrees of freedom as the boundary condition. The peak load during normal walking condition was applied to the center of the femoral head (Fig. 2). According to the Crowe classification, as the degree of acetabular dysplasia was increased, the relative micromotion between the Ganz ring and pelvis was also increased. The peak micromotion increased as the stiffness of bone graft decreased. Increasing the numbers of screws, the relative micromotion tended to be reduced and varied the screw insertion position that affects the relative micromotion in the Ganz ring-pelvic interface (Fig. 3). This study showed that increasing the number of inserted screws can reduce the relative micromotion. Both the insert position and graft bone property affect the stability of the Ganz ring while the insert position has a greater impact. The current study is designed to lay the foundation for a biomechanical rationale that will support the choice of treatment.

When performing total hip replacement (THR) in high dislocated hips, the presence of soft-tissue contractures means that most surgeons prefer to use a femoral shortening osteotomy in order to avoid the risk of neurovascular damage. However, this technique will sacrifice femoral length and reduce the extent of any leg-length equalisation. We report our experience of 74 THRs performed between 2000 and 2008 in 65 patients with a high dislocated hip without a femoral shortening osteotomy. The mean age of the patients was 55 years (46 to 72) and the mean follow-up was 42 months (12 to 78). All implants were cementless except for one resurfacing hip implant. We attempted to place the acetabular component in the anatomical position in each hip. The mean Harris hip score improved from 53 points (34 to 74) pre-operatively to 86 points (78 to 95) at final follow-up. The mean radiologically determined leg lengthening was 42 mm (30 to 66), and the mean leg-length discrepancy decreased from 36 mm (5 to 56) pre-operatively to 8.5 mm (0 to 18) postoperatively. Although there were four (5%) post-operative femoral nerve palsies, three had fully resolved by six months after the operation. No loosening of the implant was observed, and no dislocations or infections were encountered.

Total hip replacement without a femoral shortening osteotomy proved to be a safe and effective surgical treatment for high dislocated hips.

Introduction: Intervertebral disc degeneration occurs with ageing and is often associated with back pain. During such degeneration, gross morphological differences between the central nucleus pulposus (NP) and outer annulus fibrosus (AF) are lost and the disc loses hydration and height due to decreased proteoglycan content. The cartilage endplate may also become calcified and this blocks the passage of nutrients into the disc, causing cell death and further degeneration. A potential therapy of degeneration is “re-inflation” of the disc with the use of hydrogels seeded with autologous disc cells. In this study, we have assessed the ability of a variety of hydrogels to support intervertebral disc cell growth.

Method: Intervertebral disc cells were isolated enzymatically from bovine tails and cultured as a monolayer in 10% foetal calf serum in DMEM containing antibiotics and ascorbic acid. This stimulates the cells to proliferate and thereby produces increased cell numbers. The cells were then seeded onto various hydrogels including hyaluronic acid (HA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), N’N’ dimethyl methacrylate (NNDMA) and polyacryloyl morpholine (AMO) before harvesting at set time points of 1, 3, 6 and 9 days for hyaluronic acid and 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days for the other hydrogels. Cell number, morphology, viability and adherence to or migration into the hydrogels were assessed. Cell proliferation was also determined by immunostaining for the Ki67 antigen.

Results: Disc cells became incorporated in the HA gel, adopted a spherical morphology and remained viable for up to nine days. However, after a few days, a large proportion of the cells began to migrate through the gel to form a monolayer on the bottom of the tissue culture well. These monolayered cells became fibroblastic and proliferated. NP cells appeared to proliferate to a greater extent than AF cells both in monolayer and in suspension. Ki67 antigen immunostaining confirmed cell proliferation. On the non-porous HEMA, NNDMA and AMO, both cell types adhered and adopted a fibroblast-like morphology. Cell adhesion was greatest to the HEMA. NNDMA and AMO had lower levels of cell adherence. Both cell types became incorporated into the porous materials and adopted a rounded morphology. Cell incorporation appeared to be greatest into porous HEMA.

Conclusion: These initial studies show that intervertebral disc cells will adhere to or migrate into a variety of hydrogels and remain viable. The morphology and proliferative capacity of cells derived from both the AF and NP were responsive to the structure of the hydrogel with which they were cultured. Thus, cells were able to become fibroblastic or chondrocytic. Further analyses will reveal whether matrix synthesis by disc cells is similarly responsive to the hydrogel format. The results of these experiments suggest that the hydrogels tested have potential as support matrices in intervertebral disc repair to provide relief from discogenic low-back pain.