This study describes the Osseointegration Group of Australia’s
Accelerated Protocol two-stage strategy (OGAAP-1) for the osseointegrated
reconstruction of amputated limbs. We report clinical outcomes in 50 unilateral trans-femoral amputees
with a mean age of 49.4 years (24 to 73), with a minimum one-year
follow-up. Outcome measures included the Questionnaire for persons
with a Trans-Femoral Amputation, the health assessment questionnaire
Short-Form-36 Health Survey, the Amputation Mobility Predictor scores
presented as K-levels, 6 Minute Walk Test and timed up and go tests.
Adverse events included soft-tissue problems, infection, fractures
and failure of the implant.Aims
Patients and Methods
To conduct a pilot randomised controlled trial to evaluate the
feasibility of conducting a larger trial to evaluate the difference
in Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) scores
at six months between patients with Achilles tendinopathy treated
with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection compared with an eccentric
loading programme. Two groups of patients with mid-substance Achilles tendinopathy
were randomised to receive a PRP injection or an eccentric loading
programme. A total of 20 patients were randomised, with a mean age
of 49 years (35 to 66). All outcome measures were recorded at baseline,
six weeks, three months and six months.Objectives
Methods
The use of autograft bone is the best option
when undertaking a procedure that requires bone graft because it
is osteogenic, osteoconductive and osseo-inductive. Pain, morbidity
and complications associated with harvesting iliac or non-iliac
sites occur in between 6% and 30% of cases. An alternative source
of graft with possibly a lower morbidity is the intramedullary canal.
In this study, 28 patients undergoing 30 arthrodesis procedures
on the hindfoot had a mean of 48 cm3 (43 to 50) of bone
harvested locally from the hindfoot or the tibial shaft by antegrade or
retrograde reaming. No patient sustained a fracture of the calcaneum,
talus or tibia. There was no morbidity except for one complication
when the reamer breached the medial tibial cortex. This healed uneventfully. This method of using the reamer–irrigator–aspirator system is
an extension of the standard technique of intramedullary reaming
of the lower limb: it produces good-quality bone graft with viable
growth factors consistent with that of the iliac crest, and donor
site morbidity is low. This is an efficient method of obtaining
autologous bone for use in arthrodesis of the ankle or hindfoot.
A silver-containing hydroxyapatite (Ag-HA) coating has been developed using thermal spraying technology. We evaluated the osteoconductivity of this coating on titanium (Ti) implants in rat tibiae in relation to bacterial infection in joint replacement. At 12 weeks, the mean affinity indices of bone formation of a Ti, an HA, a 3%Ag-HA and a 50%Ag-HA coating were 97.3%, 84.9%, 81.0% and 40.5%, respectively. The mean affinity indices of bone contact of these four coatings were 18.8%, 83.7%, 77.2% and 40.5%, respectively. The indices of bone formation and bone contact around the implant of the 3%Ag-HA coating were similar to those of the HA coating, and no significant differences were found between them (bone formation, p = 0.99; bone contact, p = 0.957). However, inhibition of bone formation was observed with the 50%Ag-HA coating. These results indicate that the 3%Ag-HA coating has low toxicity and good osteoconductivity, and that the effect of silver toxicity on osteoconductivity depends on the dose.
We have described a method of anatomical reconstruction of the lateral ligaments of the ankles with instability using allogeneic fascia lata
