Aims

This study aimed to compare the effect of antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) versus plain bone cement (PBC) on revision rates for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and all-cause revisions following primary elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

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

Aims

This study aimed to identify patients receiving total hip arthroplasty (THA) for trauma during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and quantify the risks of contracting SARS-CoV-2 virus, the proportion of patients requiring treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU), and rate of complications including mortality.

Aims. 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). Patients and Methods. 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/m. 2. (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). Results. There were no major peri-operative complications. There was no difference in the mean post-operative OHS, EQ-5D or function subscale of the UCH hip scores between the two groups. The mean pre-operative OHS and EQ-5D scores improved significantly (all p <  0.001). The mean functional component of the UCH hip score at final follow-up was 42.5 and 40.6 in the short stem and conventional stem groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.42). A total of seven patients (21.2%) in the short stem group and nine (16.98%) in the conventional group achieved a ceiling effect using the OHS; none did using the function subscale of the UCH hip score. Conclusion. The proximally porous coated tapered short stem femoral component achieves comparable short-term functional outcomes when compared with a conventional longer stem uncemented femoral component when THA is undertaken in patients with good bone quality. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B(4 Supple B):49–55

After implementation of a ‘fast-track’ rehabilitation protocol in our hospital, mean length of hospital stay for primary total hip arthroplasty decreased from 4.6 to 2.9 nights for unselected patients. However, despite this reduction there was still a wide range across the patients’ hospital duration. The purpose of this study was to identify which specific patient characteristics influence length of stay after successful implementation of a ‘fast-track’ rehabilitation protocol. A total of 477 patients (317 female and 160 male, mean age 71.0 years; 39.3 to 92.6, mean BMI 27.0 kg/m. 2. ;18.8 to 45.2) who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty between 1 February 2011 and 31 January 2013, were included in this retrospective cohort study. A length of stay greater than the median was considered as an increased duration. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify potential factors associated with increased durations. Median length of stay was two nights (interquartile range 1), and the mean length of stay 2.9 nights (1 to 75). In all, 266 patients had a length of stay ≤ two nights. Age (odds ratio (OR) 2.46; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.72 to 3.51; p <  0.001), living situation (alone vs living together with cohabitants, OR 2.09; 95% CI 1.33 to 3.30; p = 0.002) and approach (anterior approach vs lateral, OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.19 to 0.46; p <  0.001) (posterolateral approach vs lateral, OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.55; p < 0.001) were factors that were significantly associated with increased length of stay in the multivariable logistic regression model. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:19–23

Aims

As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began to dip, restarting elective orthopaedics became a challenge. Protocols including surgery at ‘green’ sites, self-isolation for 14 days, and COVID-19 testing were developed to minimize the risk of transmission. In this study, we look at risk effects of 14-day self-isolation on the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in our green site hospital among patients undergoing total joint replacement (TJR).

Large-head metal-on-metal total hip replacement has a failure rate of almost 8% at five years, three times the revision rate of conventional hip replacement. Unexplained pain remains a feature of this type of arthroplasty. All designs of the femoral component of large-head metal-on-metal total hip replacements share a unique characteristic: a subtended angle of 120° defining the proportion of a sphere that the head represents. Using MRI, we measured the contact area of the iliopsoas tendon on the femoral head in sagittal reconstruction of 20 hips of patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement. We also measured the articular extent of the femoral head on 40 normal hips and ten with cam-type deformities. Finally, we performed virtual hip resurfacing on normal and cam-type hips, avoiding overhang of the metal rim inferomedially. The articular surface of the femoral head has a subtended angle of 120° anteriorly and posteriorly, but only 100° medially. Virtual surgery in a normally shaped femoral head showed a 20° skirt of metal protruding medially where iliopsoas articulates. The excessive extent of the large-diameter femoral components may cause iliopsoas impingement independently of the acetabular component. This may be the cause of postoperative pain with these implants

Aseptic loosening of the acetabular component continues to be the most common indication for revision of total hip replacements in younger patients. Early in the evolution of the cemented hip, arthroplasty surgeons switched from removal to retention of the acetabular subchondral bone plate, theorising that unfavourable mechanical forces were the cause of loosening at the bone-cement interface. It is now known that the cause of aseptic loosening is probably biological rather than mechanical and removing the subchondral bone plate may enhance biological fixation of cement to bone. With this in mind, perhaps it is time to revive removal of the subchondral bone as a standard part of acetabular preparation

Aims. Heterotopic ossification (HO) occurs after arthroplasty, especially total hip arthroplasty. In this study we describe the incidence, evolution, morphology and clinical consequences of HO following reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Patients and Methods. This is a single-centre retrospective study of 132 consecutive patients who received a Delta III or Delta Xtend reverse total shoulder arthroplasty between 2006 and 2013 for the treatment of cuff tear arthropathy. There were 96 women and 36 men. Their mean age at the time of surgery was 69 years (49 to 89) and the mean follow-up was 36 months (12 to 84). The incidence, evolution, morphology and clinical consequences of HO using the Constant-Murley score (CS) were analysed. A modified Brooker classification of HO of the hip was used. Results. HO was seen in 39 patients (29.5%). A total of 31 of these patients (81.6%) began to develop HO by three months post-operatively. According to the Hamada classification, 11 patients had grade 1a, eight had grade 1b, six had grade 1c and 14 had grade 2 HO. The HO evolved over a mean of 8.3 months (3 to 21). Patients with HO had a lower mean CS at three (p = 0.017), six (p < 0.001) and 12 months (p < 0.001) post-operatively. HO was not associated with notching (p = 0.675). Conclusion. HO after reverse shoulder arthroplasty is a non-progressive condition without long-term clinical consequences. Only grade 2 HO is clinically relevant with a negative effect on the function of the shoulder during its development. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:1215–21

Concerns have been reported to the United Kingdom National Patient Safety Agency, warning that cementing the femoral component during hip replacement surgery for fracture of the proximal femur may increase peri-operative mortality. . The National Hip Fracture Database collects demographic and outcome data about patients with a fracture of the proximal femur from over 100 participating hospitals in the United Kingdom. We conducted a mixed effects logistic regression analysis of this dataset to determine whether peri-operative mortality was increased in patients who had undergone either hemiarthroplasty or total hip replacement using a cemented femoral component. A total of 16 496 patients from 129 hospitals were included in the analysis, which showed a small but significant adjusted survival benefit associated with cementing (odds ratio 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.96). Other statistically significant variables in predicting death at discharge, listed in order of magnitude of effect, were gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, age, walking accompanied outdoors and arthroplasty. Interaction terms between cementing and these other variables were sequentially added to, but did not improve, the model. . This study has not shown an increase in peri-operative mortality as a result of cementing the femoral component in patients requiring hip replacement following fracture of the proximal femur

Aims

To assess how the cost-effectiveness of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) varies with age, sex, and preoperative Oxford Hip or Knee Score (OHS/OKS); and to identify the patient groups for whom THA/TKA is cost-effective.

Aims

Vitamin E-infused highly crosslinked polyethylene (VEPE) has been introduced into total hip arthroplasty (THA) with the aim of further improving the wear characteristics of moderately and highly crosslinked polyethylenes (ModXLPE and HXLPE). There are few studies analyzing the outcomes of vitamin E-infused components in cemented arthroplasty, though early acetabular component migration has been reported. The aim of this study was to measure five-year polyethylene wear and acetabular component stability of a cemented VEPE acetabular component compared with a ModXLPE cemented acetabular component.

As our understanding of hip function and disease improves, it is evident that the acetabular fossa has received little attention, despite it comprising over half of the acetabulum’s surface area and showing the first signs of degeneration. The fossa’s function is expected to be more than augmenting static stability with the ligamentum teres and being a templating landmark in arthroplasty. Indeed, the fossa, which is almost mature at 16 weeks of intrauterine development, plays a key role in hip development, enabling its nutrition through vascularization and synovial fluid, as well as the influx of chondrogenic stem/progenitor cells that build articular cartilage. The pulvinar, a fibrofatty tissue in the fossa, has the same developmental origin as the synovium and articular cartilage and is a biologically active area. Its unique anatomy allows for homogeneous distribution of the axial loads into the joint. It is composed of intra-articular adipose tissue (IAAT), which has adipocytes, fibroblasts, leucocytes, and abundant mast cells, which participate in the inflammatory cascade after an insult to the joint. Hence, the fossa and pulvinar should be considered in decision-making and surgical outcomes in hip preservation surgery, not only for their size, shape, and extent, but also for their biological capacity as a source of cytokines, immune cells, and chondrogenic stem cells.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2020;9(12):857–869.

Aims. Hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) is an alternative to conventional total hip arthroplasty for patients with osteonecrosis (ON) of the femoral head. Our aim was to report the long-term outcome of HRA, which is not currently known. Patients and Methods. Long-term survivorship, clinical scores and radiographic results for 82 patients (99 hips) treated with HRA for ON over a period of 18 years were reviewed retrospectively. The mean age of the 67 men and 15 women at the time of surgery was 40.8 years (14 to 64). Patients were resurfaced regardless of the size of the osteonecrotic lesion. Results. The mean clinical follow-up was 10.8 years (2 to 18). The mean University of California, Los Angeles hip scores at the last follow-up were 9.3, 9.4, 9.2 and 6.8 for pain, walking, function and activity, respectively. A total of six hips underwent revision surgery, four for loosening of the femoral component and two for loosening of the acetabular component. Using any revision as an end point, the 15-year Kaplan-Meier survivorship was 90.3%. There were no wear-related failures. There were no femoral failures among the hips reconstructed with a cemented metaphyseal stem. A total of five hips showed narrowing of the femoral neck; all stabilised and remain asymptomatic, 21 showed signs of femoral neck impingement. Conclusion. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a series of HRA performed for ON with 15-year survivorship. Our data confirm that patients with advanced stages of ON of the femoral head are excellent candidates for HRA. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:901–9

We examined the relationships between the serum levels of chromium and cobalt ions and the inclination angle of the acetabular component and the level of activity in 214 patients implanted with a metal-on-metal resurfacing hip replacement. Each patient had a single resurfacing and no other metal in their body. All serum measurements were performed at a minimum of one year after operation. The inclination of the acetabular component was considered to be steep if the abduction angle was greater than 55°. There were significantly higher levels of metal ions in patients with steeply-inclined components (p = 0.002 for chromium, p = 0.003 for cobalt), but no correlation was found between the level of activity and the concentration of metal ions. A highly significant (p < 0.001) correlation with the arc of cover was found. Arcs of cover of less than 10 mm were correlated with a greater risk of high concentrations of serum metal ions. The arc of coverage was also related to the design of the component and to size as well as to the abduction angle of the acetabular component. Steeply-inclined acetabular components, with abduction angles greater than 55°, combined with a small size of component are likely to give rise to higher serum levels of cobalt and chromium ions. This is probably due to a greater risk of edge-loading

We present a series of 35 patients (19 men and 16 women) with a mean age of 64 years (36.7 to 75.9), who underwent total hip replacement using the ESKA dual-modular short stem with metal on-polyethylene bearing surfaces. This implant has a modular neck section in addition to the modular head. Of these patients, three presented with increasing post-operative pain due to pseudotumour formation that resulted from corrosion at the modular neck-stem junction. These patients underwent further surgery and aseptic lymphocytic vaculitis associated lesions were demonstrated on histological analysis. Retrieval analysis of two modular necks showed corrosion at the neck-stem taper. Blood cobalt and chromium levels were measured at a mean of nine months (3 to 28) following surgery. These were compared with the levels in seven control patients (three men and four women) with a mean age of 53.4 years (32.1 to 64.1), who had an identical prosthesis and articulation but with a prosthesis that had no modularity at neck-stem junction. The mean blood levels of cobalt in the study group were raised at 50.75 nmol/l (5 to 145) compared with 5.6 nmol/l (2 to 13) in control patients. Corrosion at neck-stem tapers has been identified as an important source of metal ion release and pseudotumour formation requiring revision surgery. Finite element modelling of the dual modular stem demonstrated high stresses at the modular stem-neck junction. Dual modular cobalt-chrome hip prostheses should be used with caution due to these concerns

Aims

To evaluate the rate of dislocation following dual mobility total hip arthroplasty (DM-THA) in patients with displaced femoral neck fractures, and to compare rates of dislocation, surgical-site infection, reoperation, and one-year mortality between DM-THA and bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BHA).

The ideal bearing surface for young patients undergoing total hip replacement (THR) remains controversial. We report the five-year results of a randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and radiological outcomes of 102 THRs in 91 patients who were <  65 years of age. These patients were randomised to receive a cobalt–chrome on ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, cobalt–chrome on highly cross-linked polyethylene, or a ceramic-on-ceramic bearing. In all, 97 hip replacements in 87 patients were available for review at five years. Two hips had been revised, one for infection and one for peri-prosthetic fracture. At the final follow-up there were no significant differences between the groups for the mean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (pain, p = 0.543; function, p = 0.10; stiffness, p = 0.99), Short Form-12 (physical component, p = 0.878; mental component, p = 0.818) or Harris hip scores (p = 0.22). Radiological outcomes revealed no significant wear in the ceramic group. Comparison of standard and highly cross-linked polyethylene, however, revealed an almost threefold difference in the mean annual linear wear rates (0.151 mm/year versus 0.059 mm/year, respectively) (p < 0.001)

Aims

Complex total hip arthroplasty (THA) with subtrochanteric shortening osteotomy is necessary in conditions other than developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and septic arthritis sequelae with significant proximal femur migration. Our aim was to evaluate the hip centre restoration with THAs in these hips.