Patients with transfemoral amputation (TFA) often
experience problems related to the use of socket-suspended prostheses.
The clinical development of osseointegrated percutaneous prostheses
for patients with a TFA started in 1990, based on the long-term
successful results of osseointegrated dental implants. Between1999 and 2007, 51 patients with 55 TFAs were consecutively
enrolled in a prospective, single-centre non-randomised study and
followed for two years. The indication for amputation was trauma
in 33 patients (65%) and tumour in 12 (24%). A two-stage surgical
procedure was used to introduce a percutaneous implant to which
an external amputation prosthesis was attached. The assessment of
outcome included the use of two self-report questionnaires, the
Questionnaire for Persons with a Transfemoral Amputation (Q-TFA)
and the Short-Form (SF)-36. The cumulative survival at two years’ follow-up was 92%. The
Q-TFA showed improved prosthetic use, mobility, global situation
and fewer problems (all p <
0.001). The physical function SF-36
scores were also improved (p <
0.001). Superficial infection
was the most frequent complication, occurring 41 times in 28 patients
(rate of infection 54.9%). Most were treated effectively with oral
antibiotics. The implant was removed in four patients because of loosening
(three aseptic, one infection). Osseointegrated percutaneous implants constitute a novel form
of treatment for patients with TFA. The high cumulative survival
rate at two years (92%) combined with enhanced prosthetic use and
mobility, fewer problems and improved quality of life, supports
the ‘revolutionary change’ that patients with TFA have reported
following treatment with osseointegrated percutaneous prostheses. Cite this article:
The primary aim of this study was to develop
a patient-reported Activity &
Participation Questionnaire (the
OKS-APQ) to supplement the Oxford knee score, in order to assess
higher levels of activity and participation. The generation of items
for the questionnaire involved interviews with 26 patients. Psychometric
analysis (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch
analysis) guided the reduction of items and the generation of a
scale within a prospective study of 122 relatively young patients
(mean age 61.5 years (42 to 71)) prior to knee replacement. A total
of 99, completed pre-operative and six month post-operative assessments
(new items, OKS, Short-Form 36 and American Knee Society Score). The eight-item OKS-APQ scale is unidimensional, reliable (Cronbach’s
alpha 0.85; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.79; or 0.92
when one outlier was excluded), valid (r >
0.5 with related scales)
and responsive (effect size 4.16). We recommend that it is used with the OKS with adults of all
ages when further detail regarding the levels of activity and participation
of a patient is required. Cite this article:
A total of 30 patients with lateral compression fractures of the pelvis with intra-articular extension into the anterior column were followed for a mean of 4.2 years (2 to 6), using the validated functional outcome tools of the musculoskeletal function assessment and the short-form health survey (SF-36). The functional outcome was compared with that of a series of patients who had sustained type-B1 and type-C pelvic fractures. The lateral-compression group included 20 men and ten women with a mean age of 42.7 years (13 to 84) at the time of injury. Functional deficits were noted for the mental component summary score (p = 0.008) and in the social function domain (p <
0.05) of the SF-36. There was no evidence of degenerative arthritis in the lateral-compression group. However, they had high functional morbidity including greater emotional and psychological distress.
Seligman’s theory of causal attribution predicts that patients with a pessimistic explanatory style will have less favourable health outcomes. We identified 702 patients who had undergone 894 primary total knee replacements between 1993 and 2005, who responded to follow-up surveys at two (n = 783 knee replacements) and/or five years (n = 443 knee replacements) and had also completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory long before the joint replacement (median = 16.6 and 14.5 years for two- and five-year cohorts, respectively). Scores from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Optimism-Pessimism scale were used to categorise patients as pessimistic (t-score >
60) or non-pessimistic (t-score ≤ 60). Multivariate logistic regression models assessing the effect of pessimistic explanatory style on pain or improvement in knee function were adjusted for gender, age, distance from the place of treatment and depression score. Pessimists reported (a) significantly more moderate or severe pain at two years with odds ratio 2.21 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12 to 4.35; p = 0.02), but not at five years when the odds ratio was 1.21 (95% CI 0.51 to 2.83; p = 0.67); and (b) less improvement in knee function at two years when the odds ratio was 0.53 (95% CI 0.30 to 0.96; p = 0.04), but not at five years when the odds ratio was 1.26 (95% CI 0.57 to 2.77; p = 0.57). No significant associations with moderate or severe limitation of activity were seen at two or five years. We conclude that a pessimistic explanatory style is associated with worse pain and functional outcomes two years after total knee replacement.
A prospective cohort of 222 patients who underwent revision hip replacement between April 2001 and March 2004 was evaluated to determine predictors of function, pain and activity level between one and two years post-operatively, and to define quality of life outcomes using validated patient reported outcome tools. Predictive models were developed and proportional odds regression analyses were performed to identify factors that predict quality of life outcomes at one and two years post-operatively. The dependent outcome variables were the Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) function and pain scores, and University of California Los Angeles activity scores. The independent variables included patient demographics, operative factors, and objective quality of life parameters, including pre-operative WOMAC, and the Short Form-12 mental component score. There was a significant improvement ( Predictors of quality of life outcomes after revision hip replacement were established. Although some patient-specific and surgery-specific variables were important, age, gender, Charnley class and pre-operative WOMAC function score had the most robust associations with outcome.
We evaluated the long-term functional outcome in 118 patients treated for osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma in the extremities a minimum of five years after treatment. We also examined if impaired function influenced their quality of life and ability to work. The function was evaluated according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS). Quality of life was assessed by using the Short Form-36 (SF-36). The mean age at follow-up was 31 years (15 to 57) and the mean follow-up was for 13 years (6 to 22). A total of 67 patients (57%) initially had limb-sparing surgery, but four had a secondary amputation. The median MSTS score was 70% (17% to 100%) and the median TESS was 89% (43% to 100%). The amputees had a significantly lower MSTS score than those with limb-sparing surgery (p <
0.001), but there was no difference for the TESS. Tumour localisation above knee level resulted in significantly lower MSTS scores and TESS (p = 0.003 and p = 0.02, respectively). There were no significant differences in quality of life between amputees and those with limb-sparing surgery except in physical functioning. Of the patients 11% (13) did not work or study. In multivariate analysis, amputation, tumour location above the knee and having muscular pain were associated with low physical function. We conclude that most of the bone tumour survivors managed well after adjustment to their physical limitations. A total of 105 are able to work and have an overall good quality of life.
Our aim was to determine if the height of the cup, lateralisation or the abduction angle correlated with functional outcome or survivorship in revision total hip replacement in patients with a previous diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip. A retrospective investigation of 51 patients (63 hips) who had undergone revision total hip replacement was performed. The mean duration of follow-up was 119 months. Forty-one patients (52 hips) were available for both determination of functional outcome and survivorship analysis. Ten patients (11 hips) were only available for survivorship analysis. The height of the cup was found to have a statistically significant correlation with functional outcome and a high hip centre correlated with a worse outcome score. Patients with a hip centre of less than 3.5 cm above the anatomical level had a statistically better survivorship of the cup than those with centres higher than this. Restoration of the height of the centre of the hip to as near the anatomical position as possible improved functional outcome and survivorship of the cup.
