The Sliding Hip Screw (SHS) is commonly used to treat trochanteric hip fractures. Fixation failure is a devastating complication requiring complex revision surgery. One mode of fixation failure is lag screw cut-out which is greatest in unstable fracture patterns and when the tip-apex distance of the lag screw is > 25 mm. The X-Bolt Dynamic Hip Plating System (X-Bolt Orthopaedics, Dublin, Ireland) is a new device which aims to reduce this risk of cut-out. However, some surgeons have reported difficulty minimising the tip-apex distance with subsequent concerns that this may lead to an increased risk of cut-out. We measured the tip-apex distance from the intra-operative radiographs of 93 unstable trochanteric hip fractures enrolled in a randomised controlled trial (Warwick Hip Trauma Evaluation, WHiTE One trial). Participants were treated with either the sliding hip screw or the X-Bolt dynamic hip plating system. We also recorded the incidence of cut-out in both groups, at a median follow-up time of 17 months.Objectives
Patients and Methods
We conducted a prospective study of a delta ceramic total hip
arthroplasty (THA) to determine the rate of ceramic fracture, to
characterise post-operative noise, and to evaluate the mid-term
results and survivorship. Between March 2009 and March 2011, 274 patients (310 hips) underwent
cementless THA using a delta ceramic femoral head and liner. At
each follow-up, clinical and radiological outcomes were recorded.
A Kaplan-Meier analysis was undertaken to estimate survival.Aims
Patients and Methods
We present the clinical and radiological results at a minimum
follow-up of five years for patients who have undergone multiple
cement-in-cement revisions of their femoral component at revision
total hip arthroplasty (THA). We reviewed the outcome on a consecutive series of 24 patients
(10 men, 14 women) (51Â procedures) who underwent more than one cement-in-cement
revision of the same femoral component. The mean age of the patients was
67.5 years (36 to 92) at final follow-up. Function was assessed using the original Harris hip score (HHS),
Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and the Merle D’Aubigné Postel score (MDP).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
The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical and radiological
outcomes of the Universal-2 total wrist arthroplasty (TWA) in patients
with rheumatoid arthritis. This was a retrospective review of all 95 Universal-2 TWAs which
were performed in our institution between 2003 to 2012 in patients
with rheumatoid arthritis. A total of six patients were lost to
follow-up and two died of unrelated causes. A total of ten patients
had bilateral procedures. Accordingly, 75 patients (85 TWAs) were
included in the study. There were 59 women and 16 men with a mean
age of 59 years (26 to 86). The mean follow-up was 53 months (24
to 120). Clinical assessment involved recording pain on a visual
analogue score, range of movement, grip strength, the Quick Disabilities
of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and Wrightington wrist scores.
Any adverse effects were documented with particular emphasis on
residual pain, limitation of movement, infection, dislocation and
the need for revision surgery. Radiographic assessment was performed pre-operatively and at
three, six and 12 months post-operatively, and annually thereafter.
Arthroplasties were assessed for distal row intercarpal fusion and
loosening. Radiolucent zones around the components were documented
according to a system developed at our institution.Aims
Patients and Methods
We report on the outcome of the Synergy cementless femoral stem
with a minimum follow-up of 15 years (15 to 17). A retrospective review was undertaken of a consecutive series
of 112 routine primary cementless total hip arthroplasties (THAs)
in 102 patients (112 hips). There were 60 female and 42 male patients
with a mean age of 61 years (18 to 82) at the time of surgery. A
total of 78 hips in the 69 patients remain Aims
Patients and Methods
Extendible endoprostheses have been available for more than 30
years and have become more sophisticated with time. The latest generation
is ‘non-invasive’ and can be lengthened with an external magnetic
force. Early results have shown a worryingly high rate of complications
such as infection. This study investigates the incidence of complications
and the need for further surgery in a cohort of patients with a
non-invasive growing endoprosthesis. Between 2003 and June 2014, 50 children (51 prostheses) had a
non-invasive growing prosthesis implanted for a primary bone sarcoma.
The minimum follow-up was 24 months for those who survived. Their
mean age was 10.4 years (6 to 14). The incidence of complications
and further surgery was documented.Aims
Patients and Methods
Our aim was to report survivorship data and lessons learned with
the Corail/Pinnacle cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA) system. Between August 2005 and March 2015, a total of 4802 primary cementless
Corail/Pinnacle THAs were performed in 4309 patients. In March 2016,
we reviewed these hips from a prospectively maintained database.Aims
Patients and Methods
We retrospectively reviewed 101 consecutive patients
with 114 femoral tumours treated by massive bone allograft at our
institution between 1986 and 2005. There were 49 females and 52
males with a mean age of 20 years (4 to 74). At a median follow-up
of 9.3 years (2 to 19.8), 36 reconstructions (31.5%) had failed.
The allograft itself failed in 27 reconstructions (24%). Mechanical complications such as delayed union, fracture and
failure of fixation were studied. The most adverse factor on the
outcome was the use of intramedullary nails, followed by post-operative
chemotherapy, resection length >
17 cm and age >
18 years at the
time of intervention. The simultaneous use of a vascularised fibular
graft to protect the allograft from mechanical complications improved
the outcome, but the use of intramedullary cementing was not as
successful. In order to improve the strength of the reconstruction and to
advance the biology of host–graft integration, we suggest avoiding
the use of intramedullary nails and titanium plates, but instead
using stainless steel plates, as these gave better results. The
use of a supplementary vascularised fibular graft should be strongly
considered in adult patients with resection >
17 cm and in those
who require post-operative chemotherapy.
To investigate the longevity of uncemented fixation of a femoral
component in total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with Dorr
type C proximal femoral morphology. A total of 350 consecutive uncemented THA in 320 patients were
performed between 1983 and 1987, by a single surgeon using the Taperloc
femoral component. The 63 patients (68 hips) with Dorr type C proximal
femoral morphology were the focus of this review. The mean age of
the patients was 69 years (24 to 88) and mean follow-up was 16.6
years (ten to 29). Survival analysis included eight patients (eight
hips) who died without undergoing revision surgery prior to obtaining
ten years follow-up. All 55 surviving patients (60 hips) were available
for clinical assessment and radiographic review. As a comparator
group, the survival and implant fixation in the remaining 282 THAs
(257 patients) with Dorr type A and B morphology were evaluated.
The mean age of these patients was 52 years (20 to 82).Aims
Patients and Methods
The October 2015 Wrist &
Hand Roundup360 looks at: Base of thumb arthritis – steroids not a waste of time; De Quervain’s tenosynovitis and steroids; Use your therapy time wisely!; Excision osteotomy for the carpometacarpal joint?; CORDLESS at five years?; Arthroscopy again of no benefit?; Distal radius stirring up trouble again!; Scaphoid arthroscopy under the spotlight
The April 2015 Oncology Roundup360 looks at: New hope for skull base tumours; Survival but at what cost?; Synovial sarcoma beginning to be cracked?; Wound complications facing soft-tissue sarcoma surgeons; Amputation may offer no survival benefit over reconstruction; Giant cell tumour in the longer term; Intralesional treatment comparable with excision in GCT of the radius?; Imaging prior to oncological referral; And finally…
Between January 1990 and December 2000 we carried out 226 SB Charité III disc replacements for lumbar disc degeneration in 160 patients. They were reviewed at a mean follow-up of 79 months (31 to 161) to determine the clinical and radiological outcome. The clinical results were collected by an independent observer, who was not involved in patient selection, treatment or follow-up, using a combination of outcome measures, including the Oswestry Disability Index. Pain was recorded using a visual analogue score, and the most recent radiographs were reviewed. Survival of the device was analysed by the Kaplan-Meier method and showed a cumulative survival of 35% at 156 months when radiological failure was taken as the endpoint. The mean improvement in the Oswestry disability index scores after disc replacement was 14% (6% to 21%) and the mean improvement in the pain score was 1.6 (0.46 to 2.73), both falling below the clinically significant threshold. Removal of the implant was required in 12 patients, four because of implant failure. These poor results indicate that further use of this implant is not justified.
The inherent challenges of total hip replacement
(THR) in children include the choice of implant for the often atypical
anatomical morphology, its fixation to an immature growing skeleton
and the bearing surface employed to achieve a successful long-term
result. We report the medium-term results of 52 consecutive uncemented
THRs undertaken in
35 paediatric patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The mean
age at the time of surgery was 14.4 years (10 to 16). The median
follow-up was 10.5 years (6 to 15). During the study period 13 THRs
underwent revision surgery. With revision as an endpoint, subgroup
analysis revealed 100% survival of the 23 ceramic-on-ceramic THRs
and 55% (16 of 29) of the metal- or ceramic-on-polyethylene. This
resulted in 94% (95% CI 77.8 to 98.4) survivorship of the femoral
component and 62% (95% CI 41.0 to 78.0) of the acetabular component.
Revision of the acetabular component for wear and osteolysis were
the most common reasons for failure accounting for 11 of the 13
revisions. The success seen in patients with a ceramic-on-ceramic articulation
seems to indicate that this implant strategy has the potential to
make a major difference to the long-term outcome in this difficult
group of patients.
The December 2014 Oncology Roundup360 looks at: metaphyseal and diaphyseal osteosarcoma subtly different beasts; sports and endoprosthetic reconstruction of the knee; is curettage without tissue diagnosis sensible in cartilaginous tumours?; autoclaved autograft in bone tumour reconstruction; vascularised graft a step too far in bone defects?; interdigitated neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in high-grade sarcoma; predicting life expectancy in patients with painful metastasis; and osteolytic lesions of the hands and feet.
We evaluated the use of a stemmed acetabular component in the treatment of severe acetabular deficiency during revision and complex primary total hip arthroplasty. There were 31 hips of which 24 were revisions (20 for aseptic loosening, four for infection) and the remainder were complex primary arthroplasties. At a mean follow-up of 10.7 years (6 to 12.8), no component had been revised for aseptic loosening; one patient had undergone a revision of the polyethylene liner for wear. There was one failure because of infection. At the latest follow-up, the cumulative survival rate for aseptic loosening, with revision being the end-point, was 100%; for radiographic loosening it was 92% and for infection and radiographic loosening it was 88%. These results justify the continued use of this stemmed component for the reconstruction of severe acetabular deficiency.
We describe a cohort of patients with a high rate of mid-term failure following Kinemax Plus total knee replacement inserted between 1998 and 2001. This implant has been recorded as having a survival rate of 96% at ten years. However, in our series the survival rate was 75% at nine years. This was also significantly lower than that of subsequent consecutive series of PFC Sigma knee replacements performed by the same surgeon. No differences were found in the clinical and radiological parameters between the two groups. At revision the most striking finding was polyethylene wear. An independent analysis of the polyethylene components was therefore undertaken. Scanning electron microscopy revealed type 2 fusion defects in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which indicated incomplete boundary fusion. Other abnormalities consistent with weak UHMWPE particle interface strength were present in both the explanted inserts and in unused inserts from the same period. We consider that these type 2 fusion defects are the cause of the early failure of the Kinemax implants. This may represent a manufacturing defect resulting in a form of programmed polyethylene failure.
We investigated the fracture-free survival of long bones stabilised by a telescopic intramedullary rod (TIMR) in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta with respect to the remodelling status of fracture or osteotomy sites and TIMR regions, in order to identify risk factors for fracture. A total of 44 femora and 28 tibiae in 25 patients with a mean age of 5.0 years (1.9 to 10.5) at presentation were studied. There were six patients with Sillence type I, five with type III, 13 with type IV and one with type V osteogenesis imperfecta. All received bisphosphonate treatment at the same stage during the mean follow-up of 7.3 years (0.5 to 18.1). The fracture-free survival was estimated at 6.2 years (95% confidence interval 5.1 to 7.3) by Kaplan-Meier analysis. More than half the fracture or osteotomy sites remained in a less-remodelled state at the latest follow-up or time of fracture. Of the 33 fractures, 29 (87.9%) occurred in long bones containing a less-remodelled site, and these fractures were located at this site. The relative fracture risk at the rod tip was significantly greater than in any other TIMR region (p <
0.001), and this was higher in bone segments having a less-remodelled site. This study shows a persistent fracture risk in TIMR-stabilised long bones, especially at less-remodelled fracture or osteotomy sites and at the rod tip.
The low contact stress patellofemoral replacement consists of a trochlear component and a modular patellar component which has a metal-backed mobile polyethylene bearing. We present the early results of the use of this prosthesis for established isolated patellofemoral arthritis in 51 consecutive patellofemoral replacements in 35 patients. The mean follow-up was 25 months (5 to 60). The estimated survival rate at three years was 63% (95% confidence interval 47 to 80) with revision as the endpoint and 46% (95% confidence interval 30 to 63) with revision and ongoing moderate or severe pain as the endpoint. The early results of the use of the low contact stress patellofemoral replacement are disappointing with a high rate of revision. We cannot therefore recommend its use.
There have been comparatively few studies of the incidence of osteolysis and the survival of hybrid and cementless total hip replacements (THRs) in patients younger than 50 years of age. We prospectively reviewed 78 patients (109 hips) with a hybrid THR having a mean age of 43.4 years (21 to 50) and 79 patients (110 hips) with a cementless THR with a mean age of 46.8 years (21 to 49). The patients were evaluated clinically using the Harris hip score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis score and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score. Radiographs and CT scans were assessed for loosening and osteolysis. The mean follow-up was for 18.4 years (16 to 19) in both groups. The mean post-operative Harris hip scores (91 points Although the long-term fixation of the acetabular metallic shell and the cemented and cementless femoral components was outstanding, wear and peri-acetabular osteolysis constitute the major challenges of THR in young patients.