Our aim was to compare the degree of patellar descent and alteration in angle of the inclination of the tibial plateau in lateral closing-wedge and medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) in 51 consecutive patients with osteoarthritis of the medial compartment and varus malalignment. Patellar height was measured by the Insall-Salvati (IS) and the Blackburne-Peel (BP) ratios. The tibial inclination was determined by the Moore-Harvey (MH) method. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine the influence of the type of HTO (closing vs opening wedge) on the post-operative patellar height or tibial inclination. The intra- and interobserver variability of these methods was determined before operation and at follow-up at one year.

After an opening-wedge HTO the patellar height was significantly more decreased (mean post-operative difference: IS = 0.15; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 0.23; BP = 0.11; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.18) compared with a closing-wedge HTO.

The angle of tibial inclination differed significantly (mean post-operative difference MH = −6.40°; 95% CI −8.74 to −4.02) between the two HTO techniques, increasing after opening-wedge HTO and decreasing after closing-wedge HTO.

There was no clinically-relevant difference in the intra- and interobserver variability of measurements of patellar height either before or after HTO.

We investigated the safety and efficacy of treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with an intravertebral cleft by balloon kyphoplasty. Our study included 27 patients who were treated in this way. The mean follow-up was 38.2 months (24 to 54). The anterior and middle heights of the vertebral body and the kyphotic angle were measured on standing lateral radiographs before surgery, one day after surgery, and at final follow-up. Leakage of cement was determined by CT scans. A visual analogue scale and the Oswestry disability index were chosen to evaluate pain and functional activity. Statistically significant improvements were found between the pre- and post-operative assessments (p < 0.05) but not between the post-operative and final follow-up assessments (p > 0.05). Asymptomatic leakage of cement into the paravertebral vein occurred in one patient, as did leakage into the intervertebral disc in another patient.

We suggest that balloon kyphoplasty is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with an intravertebral cleft.

This prospective study describes the complications and survival of the first 688 Phase 3 Oxford medial unicompartmental knee replacements implanted using a minimally-invasive technique by two surgeons and followed up independently. None was lost to follow-up. We had carried out 132 of the procedures more than five years ago. The clinical assessment of 101 of these which were available for review at five years is also presented.

Nine of the 688 knees were revised: four for infection, three for dislocation of the bearing and two for unexplained pain. A further seven knees (1%) required other procedures: four had a manipulation under anaesthesia, two an arthroscopy and one a debridement for superficial infection. The survival rate at seven years was 97.3% (95% confidence interval 5.3). At five years, 96% of the patients had a good or excellent American Knee Society score, the mean Oxford knee score was 39 and the mean flexion was 133°. This study demonstrates that the minimally-invasive Oxford unicompartmental knee replacement is a reliable and effective procedure.

The Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) hip resurfacing arthroplasty has a failure rate of 12.0% at five years, compared with 4.3% for the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR). We analysed 66 ASR and 64 BHR explanted metal-on-metal hip replacements with the aim of understanding their mechanisms of failure. We measured the linear wear rates of the acetabular and femoral components and analysed the clinical cause of failure, pre-revision blood metal ion levels and orientation of the acetabular component.

There was no significant difference in metal ion levels (chromium, p = 0.82; cobalt, p = 0.40) or head wear rate (p = 0.14) between the two groups. The ASR had a significantly increased rate of wear of the acetabular component (p = 0.03) and a significantly increased occurrence of edge loading (p < 0.005), which can be attributed to differences in design between the ASR and BHR. The effects of differences in design on the in vivo wear rates are discussed: these may provide an explanation as to why the ASR is more sensitive to suboptimal positioning than the BHR.

Orthopaedic surgeons use a variety of instruments to help correct, treat, and heal bone disease. The development of these instruments mirrors the history of orthopaedic surgery. The history of bonesetting, the treatment and replacement of joints, and of those who performed these techniques, appears to originate deep in antiquity. Changing ideas within medicine and surgery over the last 200 years have shaped the discovery and evolution of orthopaedic instruments and of the bonesetters themselves. Advances have led to the use of computers as instruments in the navigational guidance of arthroplasty surgery, the use of robotics, the development of cordless drills and improvements in the design of blades to cut bone. Yet some of the old instruments remain; plaster of Paris bandages, the Thomas Splint, Liston’s bonecutter, Gigli’s saw, bone nibblers and Macewan’s osteotomes are still in use.

This paper presents a historical review of bonesetters and examines how orthopaedic instruments have evolved from antiquity to the 21st century.

We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the effect of femoral bowing on the placement of components in total knee replacement (TKR), with regard to its effect on reestablishing the correct mechanical axis, as we hypothesised that computer-assisted total knee replacement (CAS-TKR) would produce more accurate alignment than conventional TKR. Between January 2006 and December 2009, 212 patients (306 knees) underwent TKR. The conventional TKR was compared with CAS-TKR for accuracy of placement of the components and post-operative alignment, as determined by five radiological measurements. There were significant differences in the reconstructed mechanical axes between the bowed and the non-bowed group after conventional TKR (176.2° (sd 3.4) vs 179.3° (sd 2.1), p < 0.001).

For patients with significant femoral bowing, the reconstructed mechanical axes were significantly closer to normal in the CAS group than in the conventional group (179.2° (sd 1.9) vs 176.2° (sd 3.4), p < 0.001). Femoral bowing resulted in inaccuracy when a conventional technique was used. CAS-TKR provides an effective method of restoring the mechanical axis in the presence of significant femoral bowing.

We present the case of an 83-year-old man who developed quadriparesis and respiratory embarrassment following osteomyelitis at the occipito-atlantoaxial junction. He had developed an abscess at this site after an earlier urinary infection with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. Stabilisation of the neck and antibiotic therapy led to an almost complete neurological recovery without recourse to anterior surgery.

There are few reports of the surgical treatment for late stage Freiburg’s disease with flattening of the metatarsal head and osteoarthritis. We describe the results of the surgical treatment of ten consecutive patients with advanced stage Freiburg’s disease (Smillie’s stage V), using a technique that has not been published previously.

The purpose of this study was to assess the stability of a developmental pelvic reconstruction system which extends the concept of triangular osteosynthesis with fixation anterior to the lumbosacral pivot point. An unstable Tile type-C fracture, associated with a sacral transforaminal fracture, was created in synthetic pelves. The new concept was compared with three other constructs, including bilateral iliosacral screws, a tension band plate and a combined plate with screws. The pubic symphysis was plated in all cases. The pelvic ring was loaded to simulate single-stance posture in a cyclical manner until failure, defined as a displacement of 2 mm or 2°. The screws were the weakest construct, failing with a load of 50 N after 400 cycles, with maximal translation in the craniocaudal axis of 12 mm. A tension band plate resisted greater load but failure occurred at 100 N, with maximal rotational displacement around the mediolateral axis of 2.3°.

The combination of a plate and screws led to an improvement in stability at the 100 N load level, but rotational failure still occurred around the mediolateral axis. The pelvic reconstruction system was the most stable construct, with a maximal displacement of 2.1° of rotation around the mediolateral axis at a load of 500 N.

We evaluated two reconstruction techniques for a simulated posterolateral corner injury on ten pairs of cadaver knees. Specimens were mounted at 30° and 90° of knee flexion to record external rotation and varus movement. Instability was created by transversely sectioning the lateral collateral ligament at its midpoint and the popliteus tendon was released at the lateral femoral condyle. The left knee was randomly assigned for reconstruction using either a combined or fibula-based treatment with the right knee receiving the other. After sectioning, laxity increased in all the specimens. Each technique restored external rotatory and varus stability at both flexion angles to levels similar to the intact condition. For the fibula-based reconstruction method, varus laxity at 30° of knee flexion did not differ from the intact state, but was significantly less than after the combined method.

Both the fibula-based and combined posterolateral reconstruction techniques are equally effective in restoring stability following the simulated injury.

We reviewed the outcome of a retrospective case series of eight patients with atlantoaxial instability who had been treated by percutaneous anterior transarticular screw fixation and grafting under image-intensifier guidance between December 2005 and June 2008.

The mean follow-up was 19 months (8 to 27). All eight patients had a solid C1–2 fusion. There were no breakages or displacement of screws. All the patients with pre-operative neck pain had immediate relief from their symptoms or considerable improvement. There were no major complications. Our preliminary clinical results suggest that percutaneous anterior transarticulation screw fixation is technically feasible, safe, useful and minimally invasive when using the appropriate instruments allied to intra-operative image intensification, and by selecting the correct puncture point, angle and depth of insertion.

We have evaluated the difference in the migration patterns over two years of two cementless stems in a randomised, controlled trial using radiostereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA). The implants studied were the Furlong HAC stem, which has good long-term results and the Furlong Active stem, which is a modified version of the former designed to minimise stress concentrations between the implant and bone, and thus to improve fixation.

A total of 23 Furlong HAC and 20 Furlong Active stems were implanted in 43 patients. RSA examinations were carried out immediately post-operatively and at six, 12 and 24 months post-operatively.

The subsidence during the first year in the Furlong HAC stem, was approximately one-third that of the Furlong Active stem, the measured mean subsidence of the femoral head at six months being 0.27 mm (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03 to 0.51) and 0.99 mm (95% CI 0.38 to 1.60), respectively (p = 0.03). One Active stem continued to subside during the second year. All hips, regardless of the type of stem were clinically successful as judged by the Oxford hip score and a derived pain score without any distinction between the two types of stem.

The initial stability of the Furlong Active stem was not as good as the established stem which might compromise osseo-integration to the detriment of long-term success. The changes in the geometry of the stem, to minimise stress have affected the attainment of initial stability.

The optimal method for the management of neglected traumatic bifacetal dislocation of the subaxial cervical spine has not been established. We treated four patients in whom the mean delay between injury and presentation was four months (1 to 5). There were two dislocations at the C5-6 level and one each at C4-5 and C3-4. The mean age of the patients was 48.2 years (27 to 60). Each patient presented with neck pain and restricted movement of the cervical spine. Three of the four had a myelopathy.

We carried out a two-stage procedure under the same anaesthetic. First, a posterior soft-tissue release and partial facetectomy were undertaken. This allowed partial reduction of the dislocation which was then supplemented by interspinous wiring and corticocancellous graft. Next, through an anterior approach, discectomy, tricortical bone grafting and anterior cervical plating were carried out.

All the patients achieved a nearly anatomical reduction and sagittal alignment. The mean follow-up was 2.6 years (1 to 4). The myelopathy settled completely in the three patients who had a pre-operative neurological deficit. There was no graft dislodgement or graft-related problems. Bony fusion occurred in all patients and a satisfactory reduction was maintained.

The posteroanterior procedure for neglected traumatic bifacetal dislocation of the subaxial cervical spine is a good method of achieving sagittal alignment with less risk of iatrogenic neurological injury, a reduced operating time, decreased blood loss, and a shorter hospital stay compared with other procedures.

This study evaluates the outcome of arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty for cam lesions of the hip in the absence of additional pathology other than acetabular chondral lesions. We retrospectively reviewed 166 patients (170 hips) who were categorised according to three different grades of chondral damage. The outcome was assessed in each grade using the modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) and the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS).

Overall, at the last follow-up (mean 22 months, 12 to 72), the mean MHHS had improved by 15.3 points (95% confidence interval (CI), 8.9 to 21.7) and the mean NAHS by 15 points (95% CI, 9.4 to 20.5). Significantly better results were observed in hips with less severe chondral damage. Microfracture in limited chondral lesions showed superior results.

Arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty for cam impingement with microfracture in selected cases is beneficial. The outcome correlates with the severity of acetabular chondral damage.

A 66-year-old man presented with an infected resurfacing hip replacement in the immediate post-operative period following an uneventful transurethral resection of the prostate. Prophylactic antibiotics had been administered on induction of anaesthesia. The hip prosthesis had been inserted seven years previously and had been hitherto asymptomatic. The hip was washed out and microbiological examination identified Enterococcus faecalis as the infecting micro-organism.

Despite current recommendations, clinicians undertaking invasive procedures which can lead to bacteraemia in patients with prosthetic joint replacements should be aware of the risk of haematogenous seeding in such prostheses, which although low, has potentially disastrous consequences.

This prospective study describes the outcome of the first 1000 phase 3 Oxford medial unicompartmental knee replacements (UKRs) implanted using a minimally invasive surgical approach for the recommended indications by two surgeons and followed up independently. The mean follow-up was 5.6 years (1 to 11) with 547 knees having a minimum follow-up of five years. At five years their mean Oxford knee score was 41.3 (sd 7.2), the mean American Knee Society Objective Score 86.4 (sd 13.4), mean American Knee Society Functional Score 86.1 (sd 16.6), mean Tegner activity score 2.8 (sd 1.1). For the entire cohort, the mean maximum flexion was 130° at the time of final review.

The incidence of implant-related re-operations was 2.9%; of these 29 re-operations two were revisions requiring revision knee replacement components with stems and wedges, 17 were conversions to a primary total knee replacement, six were open reductions for dislocation of the bearing, three were secondary lateral UKRs and one was revision of a tibial component. The most common reason for further surgical intervention was progression of arthritis in the lateral compartment (0.9%), followed by dislocation of the bearing (0.6%) and revision for unexplained pain (0.6%). If all implant-related re-operations are considered failures, the ten-year survival rate was 96% (95% confidence interval, 92.5 to 99.5). If only revisions requiring revision components are considered failures the ten-year survival rate is 99.8% (confidence interval 99 to 100).

This is the largest published series of UKRs implanted through a minimally invasive surgical approach and with ten-year survival data. The survival rates are similar to those obtained with a standard open approach whereas the function is better. This demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of a minimally invasive surgical approach for implanting the Oxford UKR.

A total of 25 children (37 legs and 51 segments) with coronal plane deformities around the knee were treated with the extraperiosteal application of a flexible two-hole plate and screws. The mean age was 11.6 years (5.5 to 14.9), the median angle of deformity treated was 8.3° and mean time for correction was 16.1 months (7 to 37.3). There was a mean rate of correction of 0.7° per month in the femur (0.3° to 1.5°), 0.5° per month in the tibia (0.1° to 0.9°) and 1.2° per month (0.1° to 2.2°) if femur and tibia were treated concurrently. Correction was faster if the child was under 10 years of age (p = 0.05). The patients were reviewed between six and 32 months after plate removal. One child had a rebound deformity but no permanent physeal tethers were encountered.

The guided growth technique, as performed using a flexible titanium plate, is simple and safe for treating periarticular deformities of the leg.

We describe a modified technique of micro-decompression of the lumbar spine involving the use of an operating microscope, a malleable retractor and a high-speed burr, which allows decompression to be performed on both sides of the spine through a unilateral, hemi-laminectomy approach. The first 100 patients to be treated with this technique have been evaluated prospectively using a visual analogue score for sciatica and back pain, the MacNab criteria for patient satisfaction, and functional assessment with the Oswestry Disability Index.

After a period of follow-up from 12 months to six years and four months, sciatica had improved in 90 patients and back pain in 84 patients. Their result was graded as good or excellent by 82 patients according to the MacNab criteria, and 75 patients had subjective improvement in their walking distance. Late instability developed in four patients.

Lumbar micro-decompression has proved to be safe, with few complications. Postoperative instability requiring fusion was uncommon, and less than using traditional approaches in published series.

Metastatic epidural compression of the spinal cord is a significant source of morbidity in patients with systemic cancer. With improved oncological treatment, survival in these patients is improving and metastatic cord compression is encountered increasingly often. The treatment is mostly palliative. Surgical management involves early circumferential decompression of the cord with concomitant stabilisation of the spine. Patients with radiosensitive tumours without cord compression benefit from radiotherapy. Spinal stereotactic radiosurgery and minimally invasive techniques, such as vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, with or without radiofrequency ablation, are promising options for treatment and are beginning to be used in selected patients with spinal metastases.

In this paper we review the surgical management of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression.