The aim of this study was to compare early functional and health
related quality of life outcomes (HRQoL) in patients who have undergone
total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a bone conserving short stem
femoral component and those in whom a conventional length uncemented
component was used. Outcome was assessed using a validated performance
based outcome instrument as well as patient reported outcome measures
(PROMs). We prospectively analysed 33 patients whose THA involved a contemporary
proximally porous coated tapered short stem femoral component and
53 patients with a standard conventional femoral component, at a
minimum follow-up of two years. The mean follow-up was 31.4 months
(24 to 39). Patients with poor proximal femoral bone quality were
excluded. The mean age of the patients was 66.6 years (59 to 77)
and the mean body mass index was 30.2 kg/m2 (24.1 to
41.0). Outcome was assessed using the Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and
the University College Hospital (UCH) hip score which is a validated
performance based instrument. HRQoL was assessed using the EuroQol
5D (EQ-5D).Aims
Patients and Methods
To determine the effect of a change in design of a cementless
ceramic acetabular component in fixation and clinical outcome after
total hip arthroplasty We compared 342 hips (302 patients) operated between 1999 and
2005 with a relatively smooth hydroxyapatite coated acetabular component
(group 1), and 337 hips (310 patients) operated between 2006 and
2011 using a similar acetabular component with a macrotexture on
the entire outer surface of the component (group 2). The mean age of
the patients was 53.5 (14 to 70) in group 1 and 53.0 (15 to 70)
in group 2. The mean follow-up was 12.7 years (10 to 17) for group
1 and 7.2 years (4 to 10) for group 2.Aims
Patients and Methods
To determine ten-year failure rates following 36 mm metal-on-metal
(MoM) Pinnacle total hip arthroplasty (THA), and identify predictors
of failure. We retrospectively assessed a single-centre cohort of 569 primary
36 mm MoM Pinnacle THAs (all Corail stems) followed up since 2012
according to Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Agency
recommendations. All-cause failure rates (all-cause revision, and
non-revised cross-sectional imaging failures) were calculated, with predictors
for failure identified using multivariable Cox regression.Aims
Patients and Methods
Computer hexapod assisted orthopaedic surgery (CHAOS), is a method
to achieve the intra-operative correction of long bone deformities
using a hexapod external fixator before definitive internal fixation
with minimally invasive stabilisation techniques. The aims of this study were to determine the reliability of this
method in a consecutive case series of patients undergoing femoral
deformity correction, with a minimum six-month follow-up, to assess
the complications and to define the ideal group of patients for
whom this treatment is appropriate. The medical records and radiographs of all patients who underwent
CHAOS for femoral deformity at our institution between 2005 and
2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Records were available for all
55 consecutive procedures undertaken in 49 patients with a mean
age of 35.6 years (10.9 to 75.3) at the time of surgery.Aims
Patients and Methods
To present our experience of using a combination of intra-articular
osteotomy and external fixation to treat different deformities of
the knee. A total of six patients with a mean age of 26.5 years (15 to
50) with an abnormal hemi-joint line convergence angle (HJLCA) and
mechanical axis deviation (MAD) were included. Elevation of a tibial
hemiplateau or femoral condylar advancement was performed and limb
lengthening with correction of residual deformity using a circular
or monolateral Ilizarov frame.Aims
Patients and Methods
Currently, there is no animal model in which
to evaluate the underlying physiological processes leading to the heterotopic
ossification (HO) which forms in most combat-related and blast wounds.
We sought to reproduce the ossification that forms under these circumstances
in a rat by emulating patterns of injury seen in patients with severe
injuries resulting from blasts. We investigated whether exposure
to blast overpressure increased the prevalence of HO after transfemoral
amputation performed within the zone of injury. We exposed rats
to a blast overpressure alone (BOP-CTL), crush injury and femoral
fracture followed by amputation through the zone of injury (AMP-CTL)
or a combination of these (BOP-AMP). The presence of HO was evaluated
using radiographs, micro-CT and histology. HO developed in none
of nine BOP-CTL, six of nine AMP-CTL, and in all 20 BOP-AMP rats.
Exposure to blast overpressure increased the prevalence of HO. This model may thus be used to elucidate cellular and molecular
pathways of HO, the effect of varying intensities of blast overpressure,
and to evaluate new means of prophylaxis and treatment of heterotopic
ossification. Cite this article:
Excision of the proximal femur for tumour with
prosthetic reconstruction using a bipolar femoral head places a considerable
load on the unreplaced acetabulum. We retrospectively reviewed the changes which occur around the
affected hip joint by evaluating the post-operative radiographs
of 65 consecutive patients who underwent proximal prosthetic arthroplasty
of the femur, and in whom an acetabular component had not been used.
There were 37 men and 28 women with a mean age of 57.3 years (17
to 93). Radiological assessment included the extent of degenerative
change in the acetabulum, heterotopic ossification, and protrusio
acetabuli. The mean follow-up was 9.1 years (2 to 11.8). Degenerative changes
in the acetabulum were seen in three patients (4.6%), Brooker grade
1 or 2 heterotopic ossification in 17 (26%) and protrusion of the
prosthetic head in nine (13.8%). A total of eight patients (12.3%) needed a revision. Five were
revised to the same type of prosthesis and three (4.6%) were converted
to a total hip arthroplasty. We conclude that radiological evidence of degenerative change,
heterotopic ossification and protrusion occur in a few patients
who undergo prosthetic arthroplasty of the proximal femur for tumour.
The limited extent of these changes and the lack of associated symptoms
do not justify the routine arthroplasty of the acetabulum in these patients. Cite this article:
There are many guidelines that help direct the management of
patients with metal-on-metal (MOM) hip arthroplasties. We have undertaken
a study to compare the management of patients with MOM hip arthroplasties in
different countries. Six international tertiary referral orthopaedic centres were
invited to participate by organising a multi-disciplinary team (MDT)
meeting, consisting of two or more revision hip arthroplasty surgeons
and a musculoskeletal radiologist. A full clinical dataset including
history, blood tests and imaging for ten patients was sent to each
unit, for discussion and treatment planning. Differences in the
interpretation of findings, management decisions and rationale for
decisions were compared using quantitative and qualitative methods.Aims
Methods
Many different lengths of stem are available
for use in primary total hip replacement, and the morphology of
the proximal femur varies greatly. The more recently developed shortened
stems provide a distribution of stress which closely mimics that
of the native femur. Shortening the femoral component potentially
comes at the cost of decreased initial stability. Clinical studies
on the performance of shortened cemented and cementless stems are promising,
although long-term follow-up studies are lacking. We provide an
overview of the current literature on the anatomical features of
the proximal femur and the biomechanical aspects and clinical outcomes
associated with the length of the femoral component in primary hip
replacement, and suggest a classification system for the length
of femoral stems. Cite this article:
Ceramic-on-metal (CoM) is a relatively new bearing
combination for total hip arthroplasty (THA) with few reported outcomes.
A total of 287 CoM THAs were carried out in 271 patients (mean age
55.6 years (20 to 77), 150 THAs in female patients, 137 in male)
under the care of a single surgeon between October 2007 and October
2009. With the issues surrounding metal-on-metal bearings the decision
was taken to review these patients between March and November 2011,
at a mean follow-up of 34 months (23 to 45) and to record pain,
outcome scores, radiological analysis and blood ion levels. The
mean Oxford Hip Score was 19.2 (12 to 53), 254 patients with 268
hips (95%) had mild/very mild/no pain, the mean angle of inclination
of the acetabular component was 44.8o (28o to
63o), 82 stems (29%) had evidence of radiolucent lines
of >
1 mm in at least one Gruen zone and the median levels of cobalt
and chromium ions in the blood were 0.83 μg/L (0.24 μg/L to 27.56 μg/L)
and 0.78 μg/L (0.21 μg/L to 8.84 μg/L), respectively. The five-year
survival rate is 96.9% (95% confidence interval 94.7% to 99%). Due to the presence of radiolucent lines and the higher than
expected levels of metal ions in the blood, we would not recommend
the use of CoM THA without further long-term follow-up. We plan
to monitor all these patients regularly. Cite this article:
An atypical femoral fracture (AFF), with a transverse
fracture radiologically through the lateral cortex is a rare but serious
condition. In order to improve our ability to identify patients
with this condition, we retrospectively surveyed all subtrochanteric,
peri-implant and diaphyseal femoral fractures in patients aged ≥ 65
years who underwent surgical treatment at our hospital between 2004
and 2011. We describe the incidence of atypical fractures and their characteristics,
with observational data including a review of the hospital and general
practitioner records. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the
Harris hip score (HHS) and the timed up-and-go (TUG) test. Atypical fractures only occurred in women with an incidence of
9.8 per 100 000 person-years. The incidence in those who were treated
with bisphosphonates was 79.0 per 100 000 person-years; eight of
17 fractures occurred around metal implants. There was a high incidence
of delayed union and revision surgery. A total of nine patients (ten
AFFs) were available for review at a mean follow-up of 36.5 months
(10 to 104). The clinical outcome was poor with a mean HHS of 58.9
(95% CI 47.4 to 70.4) and a mean TUG test of 25.7 s (95% CI 12.7
to 38.8). The delay in diagnosis and treatment of AFF may result from a
lack of knowledge of this condition. Cite this article:
External fixation is widely used in orthopaedic
and trauma surgery. Infections around pin or wire sites, which are usually
localised, non-invasive, and are easily managed, are common. Occasionally,
more serious invasive complications such as necrotising fasciitis
(NF) and toxic shock syndrome (TSS) may occur. We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent external
fixation between 1997 and 2012 in our limb lengthening and reconstruction
programme. A total of eight patients (seven female and one male)
with a mean age of 20 years (5 to 45) in which pin/wire track infections
became limb- or life-threatening were identified. Of these, four
were due to TSS and four to NF. Their management is described. A
satisfactory outcome was obtained with early diagnosis and aggressive
medical and surgical treatment. Clinicians caring for patients who have external fixation and
in whom infection has developed should be aware of the possibility
of these more serious complications. Early diagnosis and aggressive
treatment are required in order to obtain a satisfactory outcome. Cite this article:
Neuropathic changes in the foot are common with
a prevalence of approximately 1%. The diagnosis of neuropathic arthropathy
is often delayed in diabetic patients with harmful consequences
including amputation. The appropriate diagnosis and treatment can
avoid an extensive programme of treatment with significant morbidity
for the patient, high costs and delayed surgery. The pathogenesis
of a Charcot foot involves repetitive micro-trauma in a foot with impaired
sensation and neurovascular changes caused by pathological innervation
of the blood vessels. In most cases, changes are due to a combination
of both pathophysiological factors. The Charcot foot is triggered
by a combination of mechanical, vascular and biological factors
which can lead to late diagnosis and incorrect treatment and eventually
to destruction of the foot. This review aims to raise awareness of the diagnosis of the Charcot
foot (diabetic neuropathic osteoarthropathy and the differential
diagnosis, erysipelas, peripheral arterial occlusive disease) and
describe the ways in which the diagnosis may be made. The clinical
diagnostic pathways based on different classifications are presented. Cite this article:
We reviewed 34 consecutive patients (18 female-16 male) with
isthmic spondylolysis and grade I to II lumbosacral spondylolisthesis
who underwent in situ posterolateral arthodesis between the L5 transverse
processes and the sacral ala with the use of iliac crest autograft.
Ten patients had an associated scoliosis which required surgical correction
at a later stage only in two patients with idiopathic curves unrelated
to the spondylolisthesis. No patient underwent spinal decompression or instrumentation
placement. Mean surgical time was 1.5 hours (1 to 1.8) and intra-operative
blood loss 200 ml (150 to 340). There was one wound infection treated
with antibiotics but no other complication. Radiological assessment
included standing posteroanterior and lateral, Ferguson and lateral flexion/extension
views, as well as CT scans. Aims
Methods
The mainstay of surgical correction of hallux valgus is first
metatarsal osteotomy, either proximally or distally. We present
a technique of combining a distal chevron osteotomy with a proximal
opening wedge osteotomy, for the correction of moderate to severe
hallux valgus. We reviewed 45 patients (49 feet) who had undergone double osteotomy.
Outcome was assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle
Society (AOFAS) and the Short Form (SF) -36 Health Survey scores.
Radiological measurements were undertaken to assess the correction. The mean age of the patients was 60.8 years (44.2 to 75.3). The
mean follow-up was 35.4 months (24 to 51).Aims
Patients and Methods
Periprosthetic femoral fracture (PFF) is a potentially
devastating complication after total hip arthroplasty, with historically
high rates of complication and failure because of the technical
challenges of surgery, as well as the prevalence of advanced age
and comorbidity in the patients at risk. This study describes the short-term outcome after revision arthroplasty
using a modular, titanium, tapered, conical stem for PFF in a series
of 38 fractures in 37 patients. The mean age of the cohort was 77 years (47 to 96). A total of
27 patients had an American Society of Anesthesiologists grade of
at least 3. At a mean follow-up of 35 months (4 to 66) the mean
Oxford Hip Score (OHS) was 35 (15 to 48) and comorbidity was significantly
associated with a poorer OHS. All fractures united and no stem needed
to be revised. Three hips in three patients required further surgery
for infection, recurrent PFF and recurrent dislocation and three
other patients required closed manipulation for a single dislocation.
One stem subsided more than 5 mm but then stabilised and required
no further intervention. In this series, a modular, tapered, conical stem provided a versatile
reconstruction solution with a low rate of complications. Cite this article:
Chronic osteomyelitis may recur if dead space management, after
excision of infected bone, is inadequate. This study describes the
results of a strategy for the management of deep bone infection
and evaluates a new antibiotic-loaded biocomposite in the eradication
of infection from bone defects. We report a prospective study of 100 patients with chronic osteomyelitis,
in 105 bones. Osteomyelitis followed injury or surgery in 81 patients.
Nine had concomitant septic arthritis. 80 patients had comorbidities
(Cierny-Mader (C-M) Class B hosts). Ten had infected nonunions. All patients were treated by a multidisciplinary team with a
single-stage protocol including debridement, multiple sampling,
culture-specific systemic antibiotics, stabilisation, dead space
filling with the biocomposite and primary skin closure. Aims
Patients and Methods
We conducted a retrospective study to assess
the prevalence of adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD) in patients
operated on at our institution with metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip
replacements with 36 mm heads using a Pinnacle acetabular shell.
A total of 326 patients (150 males, 175 hips; 176 females, 203 hips)
with a mean age of 62.7 years (28 to 85) and mean follow-up of 7.5
years (0.1 to 10.8) participating in our in-depth modern MoM follow-up
programme were included in the study, which involved recording whole
blood cobalt and chromium ion measurements, Oxford hip scores (OHS)
and plain radiographs of the hip and targeted cross-sectional imaging. Elevated
blood metal ion levels (>
5 parts per billion) were seen in 32 (16.1%)
of the 199 patients who underwent unilateral replacement. At 23
months after the start of our modern MoM follow-up programme, 29
new cases of ARMD had been revealed. Hence, the nine-year survival
of this cohort declined from 96% (95% CI 95 to 98) with the old
surveillance routine to 86% (95% CI 82 to 90) following the new
protocol. Although ARMD may not be as common in 36 mm MoM THRs as
in those with larger heads, these results support the Medicines
and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency guidelines on regular
reviews and further investigations, and emphasise the need for specific
a follow-up programme for patients with MoM THRs. Cite this article:
In an initial randomised controlled trial (RCT)
we segregated 180 patients to one of two knee positions following total
knee replacement (TKR): six hours of knee flexion using either a
jig or knee extension. Outcome measures included post-operative
blood loss, fall in haemoglobin, blood transfusion requirements,
knee range of movement, limb swelling and functional scores. A second
RCT consisted of 420 TKR patients randomised to one of three post-operative
knee positions: flexion for three or six hours post-operatively,
or knee extension. Positioning of the knee in flexion for six hours immediately
after surgery significantly reduced blood loss (p = 0.002). There
were no significant differences in post-operative range of movement,
swelling, pain or outcome scores between the various knee positions
in either study. Post-operative knee flexion may offer a simple
and cost-effective way to reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements
following TKR. We also report a cautionary note regarding the potential risks
of prolonged knee flexion for more than six hours observed during
clinical practice in the intervening period between the two trials,
with 14 of 289 patients (4.7%) reporting lower limb sensory neuropathy
at their three-month review. Cite this article:
The objective of this study was to determine if the use of fascia lata as a tendon regeneration guide (placed into the tendon canal following harvesting the semitendinosus tendon) would improve the incidence of tissue regeneration and prevent fatty degeneration of the semitendinosus muscle. Bilateral semitendinosus tendons were harvested from rabbits using a tendon stripper. On the inducing graft (IG) side, the tendon canal and semitendinosus tibial attachment site were connected by the fascia lata, which was harvested at the same width as the semitendinosus tendon. On the control side, no special procedures were performed. Two groups of six rabbits were killed at post-operative weeks 4 and 8, respectively. In addition, three healthy rabbits were killed to obtain normal tissue. We evaluated the incidence of tendon tissue regeneration, cross-sectional area of the regenerated tendon tissue and proportion of fatty tissue in the semitendinosus muscle.Objectives
Materials and Methods
