Surgical treatment of young femoral neck fractures often requires an open approach to achieve an anatomical reduction. The application of a calcar plate has recently been described to aid in femoral neck fracture reduction and to augment fixation. However, application of a plate may potentially compromise the regional vascularity of the femoral head and neck. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of calcar femoral neck plating on the vascularity of the femoral head and neck. A Hueter approach and capsulotomy were performed bilaterally in six cadaveric hips. In the experimental group, a one-third tubular plate was secured to the inferomedial femoral neck at 6:00 on the clockface. The contralateral hip served as a control with surgical approach and capsulotomy without fixation. Pre- and post-contrast MRI was then performed to quantify signal intensity in the femoral head and neck. Qualitative assessment of the terminal arterial branches to the femoral head, specifically the inferior retinacular artery (IRA), was also performed.Aims
Methods
Asphericity of the femoral head-neck junction is common in cam-type
femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and usually quantified using
the alpha angle on radiographs or MRI. The aim of this study was
to determine the natural alpha angle in a large cohort of patients
by continuous circumferential analysis with CT. CT scans of 1312 femurs of 656 patients were analyzed in this
cross-sectional study. There were 362 men and 294 women. Their mean
age was 61.2 years (18 to 93). All scans had been performed for
reasons other than hip disease. Digital circumferential analysis
allowed continuous determination of the alpha angle around the entire
head-neck junction. All statistical tests were conducted two-sided;
a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Aims
Methods
We aimed to quantify the relative contributions of the medial
femoral circumflex artery (MFCA) and lateral femoral circumflex
artery (LFCA) to the arterial supply of the head and neck of the
femur. We acquired ten cadaveric pelvises. In each of these, one hip
was randomly assigned as experimental and the other as a matched
control. The MFCA and LFCA were cannulated bilaterally. The hips
were designated LFCA-experimental or MFCA-experimental and underwent
quantitative MRI using a 2 mm slice thickness before and after injection
of MRI-contrast diluted 3:1 with saline (15 ml Gd-DTPA) into either
the LFCA or MFCA. The contralateral control hips had 15 ml of contrast
solution injected into the root of each artery. Next, the MFCA and
LFCA were injected with a mixture of polyurethane and barium sulfate
(33%) and their extra-and intra-arterial course identified by CT
imaging and dissection.Aims
Materials and Methods
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the femoral
head–neck contour, characterised by the alpha angle, varies with
the stage of physeal maturation using MRI evaluation of an asymptomatic
paediatric population. Paediatric volunteers with asymptomatic hips were recruited to
undergo MRI of both hips. Femoral head physes were graded from 1
(completely open) to 6 (completely fused). The femoral head–neck
contour was evaluated using the alpha angle, measured at the 3:00
(anterior) and 1:30 (anterosuperior) positions and correlated with
physeal grade, with gender sub-analysis performed.Objectives
Methods
Advanced MRI cartilage imaging such as T1-rho
(T1ρ) for the diagnosis of early cartilage degradation prior to morpholgic
radiological changes may provide prognostic information in the management
of joint disease. This study aimed first to determine the normal
T1ρ profile of cartilage within the hip, and secondly to identify
any differences in T1ρ profile between the normal and symptomatic
femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) hip. Ten patients with cam-type
FAI (seven male and three female, mean age 35.9 years (28 to 48))
and ten control patients (four male and six female, mean age 30.6
years (22 to 35)) underwent 1.5T T1ρ MRI of a single hip. Mean T1ρ relaxation
times for full thickness and each of the three equal cartilage thickness
layers were calculated and compared between the groups. The mean
T1ρ relaxation times for full cartilage thickness of control and
FAI hips were similar (37.17 ms ( These results suggest that 1.5T T1ρ MRI can detect acetabular
hyaline cartilage changes in patients with FAI.
Lately, concerns have arisen following the use of large metal-on-metal bearings in hip replacements owing to reports of catastrophic soft-tissue reactions resulting in implant failure and associated complications. This review examines the literature and contemporary presentations on current clinical dilemmas in metal-on-metal hip replacement.
