Non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection of the musculoskeletal tissue is a rare disease. An early and accurate diagnosis is often difficult because of the indolent clinical course and difficulty of isolating pathogens. Our goal was to determine the clinical features of musculoskeletal NTM infection and to present the treatment outcomes. A total of 29 patients (nine females, 20 males between 34 and 85 years old, mean age 61.7 years; 34 to 85) with NTM infection of the musculoskeletal system between 1998 to 2011 were identified and their treatment retrospectively analysed. Microbiological studies demonstrated NTM in 29 patients: the isolates were Mycobacterium intracellulare in six patients, M. fortuitum in three, M. abscessus in two and M. marinum in one. In the remaining patients we failed to identify the species. The involved sites were the hand/wrist in nine patients the knee in five patients, spine in four patients, foot in two patients, elbow in two patients, shoulder in one, ankle in two patients, leg in three patients and multiple in one patient. The mean interval between the appearance of symptoms and diagnosis was 20.8 months (1.5 to 180). All patients underwent surgical treatment and antimicrobial medication according to our protocol for chronic musculoskeletal infection: 20 patients had NTM-specific medication and nine had conventional antimicrobial therapy. At the final follow-up 22 patients were cured, three failed to respond to treatment and four were lost to follow-up. Identifying these diseases due the initial non-specific presentation can be difficult. Treatment consists of surgical intervention and adequate antimicrobial therapy, which can result in satisfactory outcomes.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014;96-B:1561–5.

We reviewed 34 hindquarter amputations performed for malignant tumours around the hip from 1971 to 1988, classifying them as palliative or curative according to the resection margins or the presence of disseminated disease at the time of surgery. There were three peri-operative deaths, 12 palliative and 19 curative procedures. Ten patients died of disseminated disease within a year of surgery, eight of whom had had a palliative operation. Three patients died between one and five years after palliative surgery. One died of unrelated disease at nine years. Seventeen patients are disease free an average of 31 months from surgery, 16 after curative procedures. The median survival after palliative amputations was six months and the 5-year survival rate for curative cases was 83%.

Evaluating musculoskeletal conditions of the lower limb and understanding the pathophysiology of complex bone kinematics is challenging. Static images do not take into account the dynamic component of relative bone motion and muscle activation. Fluoroscopy and dynamic MRI have important limitations. Dynamic CT (4D-CT) is an emerging alternative that combines high spatial and temporal resolution, with an increased availability in clinical practice. 4D-CT allows simultaneous visualization of bone morphology and joint kinematics. This unique combination makes it an ideal tool to evaluate functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system. In the lower limb, 4D-CT has been used to diagnose femoroacetabular impingement, patellofemoral, ankle and subtalar joint instability, or reduced range of motion. 4D-CT has also been used to demonstrate the effect of surgery, mainly on patellar instability. 4D-CT will need further research and validation before it can be widely used in clinical practice. We believe, however, it is here to stay, and will become a reference in the diagnosis of lower limb conditions and the evaluation of treatment options. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(5):822–827

Periprosthetic fractures are an increasingly common complication following joint replacement. The principles which underpin their evaluation and treatment are common across the musculoskeletal system. The Unified Classification System proposes a rational approach to treatment, regardless of the bone that is broken or the joint involved. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014;96-B:713–16

Aims

Metal and ceramic humeral head bearing surfaces are available choices in anatomical shoulder arthroplasties. Wear studies have shown superior performance of ceramic heads, however comparison of clinical outcomes according to bearing surface in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) is limited. This study aimed to compare the rates of revision and reoperation following metal and ceramic humeral head TSA and HA using data from the National Joint Registry (NJR), which collects data from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and the States of Guernsey.

Giant cell tumour is the most common aggressive benign tumour of the musculoskeletal system and has a high rate of local recurrence. When it occurs in proximity to the hip, reconstruction of the joint is a challenge. Options for reconstruction after wide resection include the use of a megaprosthesis or an allograft-prosthesis composite. We performed a clinical and radiological study to evaluate the functional results of a proximal femoral allograft-prosthesis composite in the treatment of proximal femoral giant cell tumour after wide resection. This was an observational study, between 2006 and 2012, of 18 patients with a mean age of 32 years (28 to 42) and a mean follow-up of 54 months (18 to 79). We achieved excellent outcomes using Harris Hip Score in 13 patients and a good outcome in five. All allografts united. There were no complications such as infection, failure, fracture or resorption of the graft, or recurrent tumour. Resection and reconstruction of giant cell tumours with proximal femoral allograft–prosthesis composite is a better option than using a prosthesis considering preservation of bone stock and excellent restoration of function. A good result requires demanding bone banking techniques, effective measures to prevent infection and stability at the allograft-host junction. . Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:1106–10

1. The history of microvascular surgery is reviewed; the necessary instruments and the technique of suture are described. 2. Modern trends in the experimental and clinical applications in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology are discussed. 3. The authors emphasise the usefulness of this technique in tissue transplantation and in the reconstruction of microvascular injuries of the musculoskeletal system

We present a new approach for the accurate reconstruction of three-dimensional skeletal positions using roentgen single-plane photogrammetric analysis (RSPA). This technique uses a minimum of three markers embedded in each segment which allow continuous, real-time, internal skeletal movement to be measured from single-plane images, provided that the precise distance between the markers is known. A simulation study indicated that the error propagation in this approach is influenced by focus position, object position, the number of control points, the accuracy of the previous measurement of the distance between markers and the accuracy of image measurement. For reconstruction of normal movement of the knee with an input measurement error of . sd. = 0.02 mm, the rotational and translational differences between reconstructed and original movement were less than 0.27° and 0.9 mm, respectively. Our results showed that the accuracy of RSPA is sufficient for the analysis of most movement of joints. This approach can be applied in combination with force measurements for dynamic studies of the musculoskeletal system

We performed positron emission tomography (PET) with . 18. fluorine-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) on 55 patients with tumours involving the musculoskeletal system in order to evaluate its role in operative planning. The standardised uptake value (SUV) of FDG was calculated and, to distinguish malignancies from benign lesions, the cases were divided into high (≥ 1.9) and low (< 1.9) SUV groups. The sensitivity of PET for correctly diagnosing malignancy was 100% with a specificity of 76.9% and an overall accuracy of 83.0%. The mean SUV for metastatic lesions was twice that for primary sarcomas (p < 0.0015). Our results suggest that the SUV may be useful in differentiating malignant tumours from benign lesions. However, some of the latter, such as schwannomas, had high SUVs so that biopsy or wide resection was selected as the first operation. Thus, some other quantitative analysis may be required for preoperative planning in cases of high-SUV neurogenic benign tumours. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that the RNA message of a key enzyme in glucose metabolism, phosphohexose isomerase (PHI)/autocrine motility factor, was augmented in only high FDG-uptake lesions, suggesting that a high expression of the PHI message may be associated with accumulation of FDG in musculoskeletal tumours

There is a close link between the embryological development of the musculoskeletal system and all other main organ systems. We report a prospective series of 202 patients with congenital vertebral abnormalities and document the associated abnormalities in other systems. There were 100 boys and 102 girls. In 153 there were 460 associated abnormalities, a mean of 2.27 abnormalities for each patient. Intravenous pyelography was carried out on 173 patients (85.6%) and ultrasonography on the remaining 29 (14.4%). Patients with genitourinary anomalies were more likely to have musculoskeletal (p = 0.002), gastrointestinal (p = 0.02) and cardiac abnormalities (p = 0.008) than those without genitourinary involvement. A total of 54 (26.7%) had at least one genitourinary abnormality, the most frequent being unilateral renal agenesis. There was urinary obstruction in six (3%). There was no association between genitourinary abnormality and the place of birth, parental age, birth order, level of spinal curvature, or the number, type and side of spinal anomaly. There was, however, a statistically significant association (p = 0.04) between costal and genitourinary abnormalities. The incidence of genitourinary abnormalities (26.7%) was similar to that of previously reported series. The diagnosis of a congenital vertebral abnormality should alert the clinician to a wide spectrum of possible associated anomalies most of which are of clinical importance

We implanted bone harvest chambers (BHCs) bilaterally in ten mature male New Zealand white rabbits. Polyethylene particles (0.3 ± 0.1 −m in diameter, 6.4×10. 12. particles/ml) were implanted for two, four or six weeks bilaterally in the BHCs, with subsequent removal of the ingrown tissue after each treatment. In addition to the particles, one side also received 1.5 −g of recombinant transforming growth factor ß1 (TGFβ1). At two weeks, the bone area as a percentage of total area was less in chambers containing TGFβ compared with those with particles alone (7.8 ± 1.3% v 16.9 ± 2.7% respectively; 95% confidence interval (CI) for difference -14.0 to -4.30; p = 0.002). At four weeks, the percentage area of bone was greater in chambers containing TGFβ compared with those with particles alone (31.2 ± 3.4% v 22.5 ± 2.0% respectively; 95% CI for difference 1.0 to 16.4; p = 0.03). There were no statistical differences at six weeks, despite a higher mean value with TGFβ treatment (38.2 ± 3.9% v 28.8 ± 3.5%; 95% CI for difference -4.6 to 23.3; p = 0.16). The number of vitronectin-receptor-positive cells (osteoclast-like cells) was greater in the treatment group with TGFβ compared with that with particles alone; most of these positive cells were located in the interstitium, rather than adjacent to bone. TGFβ1 is a pleotropic growth factor which can modulate cellular events in the musculoskeletal system in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Our data suggest that there is an early window at between two and six weeks, in which TGFβ may favourably affect bone ingrowth in the BHC model. Exogenous growth factors such as TGFβ may be a useful adjunct in obtaining osseointegration and bone ingrowth, especially in revisions when there is compromised bone stock and residual particulate debris