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The aim of this study was to estimate the incremental use of resources, costs, and quality of life outcomes associated with surgical reconstruction compared to rehabilitation for long-standing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the NHS, and to estimate its cost-effectiveness.

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To map the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and High Activity Arthroplasty Score (HAAS) items to a common scale, and to investigate the psychometric properties of this new scale for the measurement of knee health.

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Serum inflammatory parameters are widely used to aid in diagnosing a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Due to their limited performances in the literature, novel and more accurate biomarkers are needed. Serum albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) and serum CRP-to-albumin ratio (CAR) have previously been proposed as potential new parameters, but results were mixed. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of AGR and CAR in diagnosing PJI and to compare them to the established and widely used marker CRP.

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As has been shown in larger animal models, knee immobilization can lead to arthrofibrotic phenotypes. Our study included 168 C57BL/6J female mice, with 24 serving as controls, and 144 undergoing a knee procedure to induce a contracture without osteoarthritis (OA).

Aims. The aim of this study was to determine whether closed suction drain (CSD) use influences recovery of quadriceps strength and to examine the effects of drain use on secondary outcomes: quadriceps activation, intra-articular effusion, bioelectrical measure of swelling, range of movement (ROM), pain, and wound healing complications. Patients and Methods. A total of 29 patients undergoing simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were enrolled in a prospective, randomized blinded study. Patients were randomized to receive a CSD in one limb while the contralateral limb had the use of a subcutaneous drain (SCDRN) without the use of suction (‘sham drain’). Isometric quadriceps strength was collected as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes consisted of quadriceps activation, intra-articular effusion measured via ultrasound, lower limb swelling measured with bioelectrical impendence and limb girth, knee ROM, and pain. Outcomes were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at day two, two and six weeks, and three months. Differences between limbs were determined using paired Student’s t-tests or Wilcoxon’s signed-rank tests. Results. No significant differences were identified between limbs prior to surgery for the primary or secondary outcomes. No significant differences in quadriceps strength were seen between CSD and SCDRN limbs at postoperative day two (p = 0.09), two weeks (primary endpoint) (p = 0.7), six weeks (p = 0.3), or three months (p = 0.5). The secondary outcome of knee extension ROM was significantly greater in the CSD limb compared with the SCDRN (p = 0.01) at two weeks following surgery, but this difference was absent at all other intervals. Secondary outcomes of quadriceps activation, intra-articular effusion, lower limb swelling, and pain were not found to differ significantly at any timepoint following surgery. Conclusion. The use of CSD during TKA did not influence quadriceps strength, quadriceps activation, intra-articular effusion, lower limb swelling, ROM, or pain. These results have limited drain use by the authors in primary uncomplicated TKA. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B (7 Supple C):84–90

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains an extremely challenging complication. We have focused on this issue more over the last decade than previously, but there are still many unanswered questions. We now have a workable definition that everyone should align to, but we need to continue to focus on identifying the organisms involved. Surgical strategies are evolving and care is becoming more patient-centred. There are some good studies under way. There are, however, still numerous problems to resolve, and the challenge of PJI remains a major one for the orthopaedic community. This annotation provides some up-to-date thoughts about where we are, and the way forward. There is still scope for plenty of research in this area.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2022;104-B(11):1193–1195.

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Adenosine, lidocaine, and Mg²⁺ (ALM) therapy exerts differential immuno-inflammatory responses in males and females early after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR). Our aim was to investigate sex-specific effects of ALM therapy on joint tissue repair and recovery 28 days after surgery.

Aims. There has been a recent resurgence in interest in combined partial knee arthroplasty (PKA) as an alternative to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The varied terminology used to describe these procedures leads to confusion and ambiguity in communication between surgeons, allied health professionals, and patients. A standardized classification system is required for patient safety, accurate clinical record-keeping, clear communication, correct coding for appropriate remuneration, and joint registry data collection. Materials and Methods. An advanced PubMed search was conducted, using medical subject headings (MeSH) to identify terms and abbreviations used to describe knee arthroplasty procedures. The search related to TKA, unicompartmental (UKA), patellofemoral (PFA), and combined PKA procedures. Surveys were conducted of orthopaedic surgeons, trainees, and biomechanical engineers, who were asked which of the descriptive terms and abbreviations identified from the literature search they found most intuitive and appropriate to describe each procedure. The results were used to determine a popular consensus. Results. Survey participants preferred “bi-unicondylar arthroplasty” (Bi-UKA) to describe ipsilateral medial and lateral unicompartmental arthroplasty; “medial bi-compartmental arthroplasty” (BCA-M) to describe ipsilateral medial unicompartmental arthroplasty with patellofemoral arthroplasty; “lateral bi-compartmental arthroplasty” (BCA-L) to describe ipsilateral lateral unicompartmental arthroplasty with patellofemoral arthroplasty; and tri-compartmental arthroplasty (TCA) to describe ipsilateral patellofemoral and medial and lateral unicompartmental arthroplasties. “Combined partial knee arthroplasty” (CPKA) was the favoured umbrella term. Conclusion. We recommend bi-unicondylar arthroplasty (Bi-UKA), medial bicompartmental arthroplasty (BCA-M), lateral bicompartmental arthroplasty (BCA-L), and tricompartmental arthroplasty (TCA) as the preferred terms to classify CPKA procedures. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:922–928

Aims. Little is known about employment following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study aims to identify factors which predict return to work following TKA in patients of working age in the United Kingdom. Patients & Methods. We prospectively assessed 289 patients (289 TKAs) aged ≤ 65 years who underwent TKA between 2010 and 2013. There were 148 women. The following were recorded pre-operatively: age, gender, body mass index, social deprivation, comorbidities, indication for surgery, work status and nature of employment, activity level as assessed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score and Oxford Knee Score (OKS). The intention of patients to return to work or to retire was not assessed pre-operatively. At a mean of 3.4 years (2 to 4) post-operatively, the return to work status, OKS, the EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) score, UCLA activity score and Work, Osteoarthritis and joint-Replacement (WORQ) score were obtained. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results. Of 261 patients (90%) who were working before TKA, 105 (40%) returned to any job, including 89 (34%) who returned to the same job at a mean of 13.5 weeks (2 to 104) post-operatively. A total of 108 (41%) retired following TKA and 18 remained on welfare. Patients not working before the operation did not return to work. Median UCLA scores improved in 125 patients (58%) from 4 (mild activity) to 6 (moderate activity) (p < 0.001). Significant (p < 0.05) factors which were predictive of return to any work included age, heavy or moderate manual work, better post-operative UCLA, OKS and EQ-5D general health scores. Significant predictive factors of return to the same work included age, heavy or moderate manual work and post-operative OKS. Multivariate analysis confirmed heavy or moderate manual work and age to independently predict a return to either any or the same work. All patients aged < 50 years who were working pre-operatively returned to any work as did 60% of those aged between 50 and 54 years, 50% of those aged between 55 and 59 years and 24% those aged between 60 and 65 years. . Conclusion. If working pre-operatively, patients aged < 50 years invariably returned to work following TKA, but only half of those aged between 50 to 60 years returned. High post-operative activity levels and patient reported outcome measures do not predict return to work following TKA. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:1037–46

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Although readmission has historically been of primary interest, emergency department (ED) visits are increasingly a point of focus and can serve as a potentially unnecessary gateway to readmission. This study aims to analyze the difference between primary and revision total joint arthroplasty (TJA) cases in terms of the rate and reasons associated with 90-day ED visits.

Aims. The aims of this study were to characterize antibiotic choices for perioperative total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) prophylaxis, assess antibiotic allergy testing efficacy, and determine rates of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) based on perioperative antibiotic regimen. Patients and Methods. We evaluated all patients undergoing primary TKA or THA at a single academic institution between January 2004 and May 2017, yielding 29 695 arthroplasties (22 705 patients), with 3411 arthroplasties in 2576 patients (11.5%) having undergone preoperative allergy testing. A series of institutional databases were combined to identify allergy consultation outcomes, perioperative antibiotic regimen, and infection-free survivorship until final follow-up. Results. Among 2576 allergy-tested patients, 2493 patients (97%) were cleared to use cephalosporins. For the entire cohort, 28 174 arthroplasties (94.9%) received cefazolin and 1521 (5.1%) received non-cefazolin antibiotics. Infection-free survivorship was significantly higher among arthroplasties receiving cefazolin compared with non-cefazolin antibiotics, with 0.06% higher survival free of infection at one month, 0.56% at two months, 0.61% at one year, and 1.19% at ten years (p < 0.001). Overall, the risk of PJI was 32% lower in patients treated with cefazolin after adjusting for the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, joint arthroplasty (TKA or THA), and body mass index (BMI; p < 0.001). The number needed to treat with cefazolin to prevent one PJI was 164 patients at one year and 84 patients at ten years. Therefore, potentially 6098 PJIs could be prevented by one year and 11 905 by ten years in a cohort of 1 000 000 primary TKA and THA patients. Conclusion. PJI rates are significantly higher when non-cefazolin antibiotics are used for perioperative TKA and THA prophylaxis, highlighting the positive impact of preoperative antibiotic allergy testing to increase cefazolin usage. Given the low rate of true penicillin allergy positivity, and the readily modifiable risk factor that antibiotic choice provides, we recommend perioperative testing and clearance for all patients presenting with penicillin and cephalosporin allergies. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B(6 Supple B):9–15

Aims. To compare time dependent functional improvement for patients with medial, respectively lateral knee osteoarthritis (OA) after treatment with opening wedge osteotomy relieving the pressure on the osteoarthritic part of the knee. Methods. In all, 49 patients (52 knees) with a mean age of 47 years (31 to 64) underwent high tibial osteotomies (HTO), and 24 patients with a mean age of 48 years (31 to 62) low femoral osteotomies (LFO) with opening wedge technique due to medial, respectively lateral knee OA with malalignment. All osteotomies were stabilized with a Puddu plate and bone grafting performed in the same time period (2000 to 2008). The patients were evaluated by the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pre-operatively and at six months, and at one, two, five, and ten years postoperatively. The knee OA was graded according to the Ahlbäck and Kellgren-Lawrence radiological scoring systems. Results. The mean angular corrections were 8.0° (4° to 12°) for the HTO and 9.6° (4° to 20°) for the LFO. Both the pre-operative KOOS and the osteoarthritic gradings were similar for the two patient groups. The five subscores of KOOS increased significantly during the postoperative period (p < 0.001 to 0.029) levelling out after one year in both groups. The KOOS subscore symptoms was significantly higher for patients with HTO than those with LFO at all follow-up times, for sport and recreation in the period one to five years, and for pain and quality of life at two to five years (p < 0.001 to 0.009). Eight HTOs (15%) and five LFOs (21%) were converted to total knee arthroplasty after mean 6.7 years (2.0 to 9.8) and 5.4 years (4.0 to 8.0) respectively. The ten-year osteotomy survival rates were 88% for the HTO and 79% for the LFO (p = 0.745). Conclusion. Patients with unicompartmental knee OA improved after a corrective opening wedge osteotomy, but four of the five subscores of KOOS were significantly higher for those with medial than those with lateral OA in most of the ten-year follow-up period. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-7:346–354

Aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a machine-learning algorithm to diagnose prosthetic loosening from preoperative radiographs and to investigate the inputs that might improve its performance. Methods. A group of 697 patients underwent a first-time revision of a total hip (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at our institution between 2012 and 2018. Preoperative anteroposterior (AP) and lateral radiographs, and historical and comorbidity information were collected from their electronic records. Each patient was defined as having loose or fixed components based on the operation notes. We trained a series of convolutional neural network (CNN) models to predict a diagnosis of loosening at the time of surgery from the preoperative radiographs. We then added historical data about the patients to the best performing model to create a final model and tested it on an independent dataset. Results. The convolutional neural network we built performed well when detecting loosening from radiographs alone. The first model built de novo with only the radiological image as input had an accuracy of 70%. The final model, which was built by fine-tuning a publicly available model named DenseNet, combining the AP and lateral radiographs, and incorporating information from the patient’s history, had an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 88.3%, 70.2%, and 95.6% on the independent test dataset. It performed better for cases of revision THA with an accuracy of 90.1%, than for cases of revision TKA with an accuracy of 85.8%. Conclusion. This study showed that machine learning can detect prosthetic loosening from radiographs. Its accuracy is enhanced when using highly trained public algorithms, and when adding clinical data to the algorithm. While this algorithm may not be sufficient in its present state of development as a standalone metric of loosening, it is currently a useful augment for clinical decision making. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(6 Supple A):101–106

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This study evaluated the definitions developed by the European Bone and Joint Infection Society (EBJIS) 2021, the International Consensus Meeting (ICM) 2018, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) 2013, for the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).

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The primary aim of our study was to assess the influence of age on hip-specific outcome following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Secondary aims were to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and level of activity according to age.

Aims. The primary aim of this paper was to outline the processes involved in building the Partners Arthroplasty Registry (PAR), established in April 2016 to capture baseline and outcome data for patients undergoing arthroplasty in a regional healthcare system. A secondary aim was to determine the quality of PAR’s data. A tertiary aim was to report preliminary findings from the registry and contributions to quality improvement initiatives and research up to March 2019. Methods. Structured Query Language was used to obtain data relating to patients who underwent total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA) from the hospital network’s electronic medical record (EMR) system to be included in the PAR. Data were stored in a secure database and visualized in dashboards. Quality assurance of PAR data was performed by review of the medical records. Capture rate was determined by comparing two months of PAR data with operating room schedules. Linear and binary logistic regression models were constructed to determine if length of stay (LOS), discharge to a care home, and readmission rates improved between 2016 and 2019. Results. The PAR captured 16,163 THAs and TKAs between April 2016 and March 2019, performed in seven hospitals by 110 surgeons. Manual comparison to operating schedules showed a 100% capture rate. Review of the records was performed for 2,603 random operations; 2,298 (88.3%) had complete and accurate data. The PAR provided the data for three abstracts presented at international conferences and has led to preoperative mental health treatment as a quality improvement initiative in the participating institutions. For primary THA and TKA surgeries, the LOS decreased significantly (p < 0.001) and the rate of home discharge increased significantly (p < 0.001) between 2016 and 2019. Readmission rates did not correlated with the date of surgery (p = 0.953). Conclusion. The PAR has high rates of coverage (the number of patients treated within the Partners healthcare network) and data completion and can be used for both research purposes and quality improvement. The same method of creating a registry that was used in the PAR can be applied to hospitals using similar EMR systems. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(7 Supple B):90–98

Aims. This study aims to determine the proportion of patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis (OA) possibly suitable for partial (PKA) or combined partial knee arthroplasty (CPKA) according to patterns of full-thickness cartilage loss and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) status. Methods. A cross-sectional analysis of 300 consecutive patients (mean age 69 years (SD 9.5, 44 to 91), mean body mass index (BMI) 30.6 (SD 5.5, 20 to 53), 178 female (59.3%)) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥ 3 knee OA was conducted. The point of maximal tibial bone loss on preoperative lateral radiographs was determined as a percentage of the tibial diameter. At surgery, Lachman’s test and ACL status were recorded. The presence of full-thickness cartilage loss within 16 articular surface regions (two patella, eight femoral, six tibial) was recorded. Results. According to articular cartilage loss and ACL status, 195/293 (67%) were suitable for PKA or CPKA: medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) 97/293 (33%); lateral UKA 25 (9%); medial bicompartmental arthroplasty 31 (11%); lateral bicompartmental arthroplasty 12 (4%); bicondylar-UKA 23 (8%); and patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) seven (2%). The ACL was intact in 166 (55%), frayed in 82 (27%), disrupted in 12 (4%), and absent in 33 (11%). Lachman testing was specific (97%) but poorly sensitive (38%) for disrupted/absent ACLs. The point of maximal tibial bone loss showed good interclass correlation (ICC 0.797, 0.73 to 0.85 95% confidence interval (CI); p < 0.001) and was more posterior when the ACL was absent. Maximum tibial bone loss occurring at > 55% of the anterior to posterior distance predicted ACL absence with 93% sensitivity and 91% specificity (area under the curve 0.97 (0.94 to 0.99 95% CI; p < 0.001). Conclusion. ACL status can be reliably determined from a lateral radiograph using the location of maximal tibial bone loss. According to regions of cartilage loss and ACL status, two-thirds of patients with end-stage knee OA could potentially be treated with PKA or CPKA. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(6):716–726

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Osteoarticular reconstruction of the distal femur in childhood has the advantage of preserving the tibial physis. However, due to the small size of the distal femur, matching the host bone with an osteoarticular allograft is challenging. In this study, we compared the outcomes and complications of a resurfaced allograft-prosthesis composite (rAPC) with those of an osteoarticular allograft to reconstruct the distal femur in children.

Aims. Two-stage exchange arthroplasty is the most common definitive treatment for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) in the USA. Complications that occur during treatment are often not considered. The purpose of this study was to analyze complications in patients undergoing two-stage exchange for infected total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and determine when they occur. Methods. We analyzed all patients that underwent two-stage exchange arthroplasty for treatment of PJI of the knee from January 2010 to December 2018 at a single institution. We categorized complications as medical versus surgical. The intervals for complications were divided into: interstage; early post-reimplantation (three months); and late post-reimplantation (three months to minimum one year). Minimum follow-up was one year. In total, 134 patients underwent a first stage of a two-stage exchange. There were 69 males and 65 females with an mean age at first stage surgery of 67 years (37 to 89). Success was based on the new Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) definition of success reporting. Results. Overall, 70 (52%) patients experienced a complication during the planned two-stage treatment, 36 patients (27%) experienced a medical complication and 47 (41%) patients experienced a surgical complication. There was an 18% mortality rate (24/134) at a mean of 3.7 years (0.09 to 8.3). During the inter-stage period, 28% (37/134) of patients experienced a total of 50 complications at a median of 47 days (interquartile range (IQR) 18 to 139). Of these 50 complications, 22 were medical and 28 required surgery. During this inter-stage period, four patients died (3%) and an additional five patients (4%) failed to progress to the second stage. While 93% of patients (125/134) were reimplanted, only 56% (77/134) of the patients were successfully treated without antibiotic suppression (36%, 28/77) or with antibiotic suppression (19%, 15/77) at one year. Conclusion. Reported rates of success of two stage exchanges for PJI have not traditionally considered complications in the definition of success. In our series, significant numbers of patients experienced complications, more often after reimplantation, highlighting the morbidity of this method of treatment. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(6 Supple A):145–150