We investigated the functional outcome in patients who underwent reverse shoulder replacement (RSR) after removal of a tumour of the proximal humerus. A total of 16 patients (ten women and six men) underwent this procedure between 1998 and 2011 in our hospital. Five patients died and one was lost to follow-up. Ten patients were available for review at a mean follow-up of 46 months (12 to 136). Eight patients had a primary and two patients a secondary bone tumour.

At final follow up the mean range of active movement was: abduction 78° (30° to 150°); flexion 98° (45° to 180°); external rotation 32° (10° to 60°); internal rotation 51° (10° to 80°). The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 77% (60% to 90%) and the mean Toronto Extremity Salvage Score was 70% (30% to 91%). Two patients had a superficial infection and one had a deep infection and underwent a two-stage revision procedure. In two patients there was loosening of the RSR; one dislocated twice. All patients had some degree of atrophy or pseudo-atrophy of the deltoid muscle.

Use of a RSR in patients with a tumour of the proximal humerus gives acceptable results.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1551–5.

In this paper, we will consider the current role of simultaneous-bilateral TKA. Based on available evidence, it is our opinion that simultaneous bilateral TKA carries a higher risk of morbidity and mortality and should be reserved for select few.

Vertebral haemangiomas are usually asymptomatic and discovered fortuitously during imaging. A small proportion may develop variable degrees of pain and neurological deficit. We prospectively studied six patients who underwent eight surgical procedures on 11 vertebral bodies. There were 11 balloon kyphoplasties, six lumbar and five thoracic. The mean follow-up was 22.3 months (12 to 36). The indications for operation were pain in four patients, severe back pain with Frankel grade C paraplegia from cord compression caused by soft-tissue extension from a thoracic vertebral haemangioma in one patient, and acute bleeding causing Frankel grade B paraplegia from an asymptomatic vascular haemangioma in one patient. In four patients the exhibited aggressive vascular features, and two showed lipomatous, non-aggressive, characteristics. One patient who underwent a unilateral balloon kyphoplasty developed a recurrence of symptoms from the non-treated side of the vertebral body which was managed by a further similar procedure.

Balloon kyphoplasty was carried out successfully and safely in all patients; four became asymptomatic and two showed considerable improvement. Neurological recovery occurred in all cases but bleeding was greater than normal. To avoid recurrence, complete obliteration of the lesion with bone cement is indicated. For acute bleeding balloon kyphoplasty should be combined with emergency decompressive laminectomy. For intraspinal extension with serious neurological deficit, a combination of balloon kyphoplasty with intralesional alcohol injection is effective.

Over a two-year period, 265 Norwegian orthopaedic surgeons working at 71 institutions performed 63 484 operations under a tourniquet. Their replies to a questionnaire revealed that they mostly followed modern guidelines in their use of the tourniquet. Most felt that the tourniquet could be left on for two hours, and that it could be re-applied after 15 minutes. A total of 26 complications (one in 2442 operations) that might have been due to the tourniquet were reported, of which 15 were neurological. Three were in the upper limb (one in 6155 operations) and 12 in the lower limb (one in 3752 operations). Two were permanent (one in 31742 operations), but the remainder resolved within six months. One permanent and one transient complication occurred after tourniquet times of three hours. The incidence of tourniquet complications is still at least as high as that estimated in the 1970s.

The aim of this study was first, to determine whether CT scans undertaken to identify serious injury to the viscera were of use in detecting clinically unrecognised fractures of the thoracolumbar vertebrae, and second, to identify patients at risk of ‘missed injury’.

We retrospectively analysed CT scans of the chest and abdomen performed for blunt injury to the torso in 303 patients. These proved to be positive for thoracic and intra-abdominal injuries in only 2% and 1.3% of cases, respectively. However, 51 (16.8%) showed a fracture of the thoracolumbar vertebrae and these constituted our subset for study. There were eight women and 43 men with mean age of 45.2 years (15 to 94). There were 29 (57%) stable and 22 (43%) unstable fractures. Only 17 fractures (33.3%) had been anticipated after clinical examination. Of the 22 unstable fractures, 11 (50%) were anticipated. Thus, within the whole group of 303 patients, an unstable spinal injury was missed in 11 patients (3.6%); no harm resulted as they were all protected until the spine had been cleared. A subset analysis revealed that patients with a high Injury Severity Score, a low Glasgow Coma Scale and haemodynamic instability were most likely to have a significant fracture in the absence of positive clinical findings. This is the group at greatest risk.

Clinical examination alone cannot detect significant fractures of the thoracolumbar spine. It should be combined with CT imaging to reduce the risk of missed injury.

We reviewed 212 consecutive patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who underwent posterior spinal arthrodesis using all pedicle screw instrumentation in terms of clinical, radiological and Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 outcomes. In Group 1 (51 patients), the correction was performed over two rods using bilateral segmental pedicle screws. In Group 2 (161 patients), the correction was performed over one rod using unilateral segmental pedicle screws with the second ^{rod providing stability of the construct through two-level screw fixation at proximal and distal ends. The mean age at surgery was 14.8 years in both groups. Comparison between groups showed no significant differences with regard to age and Risser grade at surgery, pre- and post-operative scoliosis angle, coronal Cobb correction, length of hospital stay and SRS scores. Correction of upper thoracic curves was significantly better in Group 1 (p = 0.02). Increased surgical time and intra-operative blood loss was recorded in Group 1 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively). The implant cost was reduced by mean 35% in Group 2 due to the lesser number of pedicle screws.}

Unilateral and bilateral pedicle screw techniques have both achieved excellent deformity correction in adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis, which was maintained at two-year follow-up. This has been associated with high patient satisfaction and low complication rates.

We reviewed 31 consecutive patients with Friedreich’s ataxia and scoliosis. There were 24 males and seven females with a mean age at presentation of 15.5 years (8.6 to 30.8) and a mean curve of 51° (13° to 140°). A total of 12 patients had thoracic curvatures, 11 had thoracolumbar and eight had double thoracic/lumbar. Two patients had long thoracolumbar collapsing scoliosis with pelvic obliquity and four had hyperkyphosis. Left-sided thoracic curves in nine patients (45%) and increased thoracic kyphosis differentiated these deformities from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. There were 17 patients who underwent a posterior instrumented spinal fusion at mean age of 13.35 years, which achieved and maintained good correction of the deformity. Post-operative complications included one death due to cardiorespiratory failure, one revision to address nonunion and four patients with proximal junctional kyphosis who did not need extension of the fusion. There were no neurological complications and no wound infections. The rate of progression of the scoliosis in children kept under simple observation and those treated with bracing was less for lumbar curves during bracing and similar for thoracic curves. The scoliosis progressed in seven of nine children initially treated with a brace who later required surgery. Two patients presented after skeletal maturity with balanced curves not requiring correction. Three patients with severe deformities who would benefit from corrective surgery had significant cardiac co-morbidities.

Recurrence of back or leg pain after discectomy is a well-recognised problem with an incidence of up to 28%. Once conservative measures have failed, several surgical options are available and have been tried with varying degrees of success. In this study, 42 patients with recurrent symptoms after discectomy underwent less invasive posterior lumbar interbody fusion (LI-PLIF). Clinical outcome was measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires and visual analogue scales for back (VAS-BP) and leg pain (VAS-LP). There was a statistically significant improvement in all outcome measures (p < 0.001). The debate around which procedure is the most effective for these patients remains controversial.

Our results show that LI-PLIF is as effective as any other surgical procedure. However, given that it is less invasive, we feel that it should be considered as the preferred option.

Using a computer-based quality assurance program, we analysed peri-operative data on 160 patients undergoing one-stage bilateral hip or knee arthroplasties under regional anaesthesia with routine anaesthetic monitoring and only using peripheral intravenous access for peri-operative safety. We monitored defined intra-operative adverse events such as hypotension, myocardial ischaemia, arrhythmias, hypovolaemia, hypertension and early post-operative complications. We also determined post-operative hip and knee function, and patient satisfaction with different aspects of the anaesthetic management. Those patients undergoing one-stage bilateral arthroplasties were matched according to a cross-stratification which used three variables (American Society of Anesthesiologists’ physical status scoring system, age and joint replaced) to patients undergoing unilateral hip or knee arthroplasties. Serious intra-operative adverse events were, with the exception of intra-operative hypotension, very infrequent in patients undergoing bilateral (nine adverse events) as well as unilateral arthroplasties (five adverse events). Early post-operative complications were also infrequent in both groups. However, the risks of receiving a heterologous blood transfusion (odds ratio 2.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 to 5.0, estimated by exact conditional logistic regression) or vasoactive drugs (odds ratio 3.9; 95% CI 2.0 to 7.8) were significantly greater for patients undergoing bilateral operations. Patient satisfaction with anaesthesia was high; all patients who underwent the one-stage bilateral operation would choose the same anaesthetic technique again.

We report the long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of the Aequalis total shoulder replacement with a cemented all-polyethylene flat-back keeled glenoid component implanted for primary osteoarthritis between 1991 and 2003 in nine European centres. A total of 226 shoulders in 210 patients were retrospectively reviewed at a mean of 122.7 months (61 to 219) or at revision. Clinical outcome was assessed using the Constant score, patient satisfaction score and range of movement. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed with glenoid revision for loosening and radiological glenoid loosening (sd) as endpoints. The Constant score was found to improve from a mean of 26.8 (sd 10.3) pre-operatively to 57.6 (sd 20.0) post-operatively (p < 0.001). Active forward flexion improved from a mean of 85.3° (sd 27.4) pre-operatively to 125° (sd 37.3) postoperatively (p < 0.001). External rotation improved from a mean of 7° (sd 6.5) pre-operatively to 30.3° (sd 21.8°) post-operatively (p < 0.001). Survivorship with revision of the glenoid component as the endpoint was 99.1% at five years, 94.5% at ten years and 79.4% at 15 years. Survivorship with radiological loosening as the endpoint was 99.1% at five years, 80.3% at ten years and 33.6% at 15 years.

Younger patient age and the curettage technique for glenoid preparation correlated with loosening. The rate of glenoid revision and radiological loosening increased with duration of follow-up, but not until a follow-up of five years. Therefore, we recommend that future studies reporting radiological outcomes of new glenoid designs should report follow-up of at least five to ten years.

We report five children who presented at the mean age of 1.5 years (1.1 to 1.9) with a progressive thoracolumbar kyphosis associated with segmental instability and subluxation of the spine at the level above an anteriorly-wedged hypoplastic vertebra at L1 or L2. The spinal deformity appeared to be developmental and not congenital in origin. The anterior wedging of the vertebra may have been secondary to localised segmental instability and subsequent kyphotic deformity.

We suggest the term ‘infantile developmental thoracolumbar kyphosis with segmental subluxation of the spine’ to differentiate this type of deformity from congenital displacement of the spine in which the congenital vertebral anomaly does not resolve. Infantile developmental kyphosis with segmental subluxation of the spine, if progressive, may carry the risk of neurological compromise. In all of our patients the kyphotic deformity progressed over a period of three months and all were treated by localised posterior spinal fusion. At a mean follow-up of 6.6 years (5.0 to 9.0), gradual correction of the kyphosis was seen on serial radiographs as well as reconstitution of the hypoplastic wedged vertebra to normality. Exploration of the arthrodesis was necessary at nine months in one patient who developed a pseudarthrosis.

A 20-year-old man sustained an open medial dislocation of the ankle without an associated fracture after a low-energy inversion injury. Prompt debridement and reduction with primary wound closure of the skin were performed without suture of the capsule. Immobilisation in a non-weight-bearing cast for 30 days followed by ankle bracing for two weeks and subsequent physiotherapy, produced full functional recovery by three months. At follow-up at one year there was a full range of pain-free movement, although the radiographs and MR scan showed early post-traumatic degenerative change at the medial aspect of the tibiotalar and the calcaneocuboid joints.

Total hip replacement for high dislocation of the hip joint remains technically difficult in terms of preparation of the true acetabulum and restoration of leg length. We describe our experience of cementless total hip replacement combined with a subtrochanteric femoral shortening osteotomy in 20 hips with Crowe grade IV dislocation with a mean follow-up of 8.1 years (4 to 11.5). There was one man and 17 women with a mean age of 55 years (44 to 69) at the time of the operation.

After placment of the acetabular component at the site of the natural acetabulum, a cementless porous-coated cylindrical femoral component was implanted following a subtrochanteric femoral shortening osteotomy.

The mean Japanese Orthopedic Association hip score improved from a mean of 38 (22 to 62) to a mean of 83 points (55 to 98) at the final follow-up. The mean lengthening of the leg was 14.8 mm (−9 to 34) in patients with iliofemoral osteoarthritis and 35.3 mm (15 to 51) in patients with no arthritic changes. No nerve palsy was observed.

Total hip replacement combined with subtrochanteric shortening femoral osteotomy in this situation is beneficial in avoiding nerve injury and still permits valuable improvement in inequality of leg length.

The dismal outcome of tuberculosis of the spine in the pre-antibiotic era has improved significantly because of the use of potent antitubercular drugs, modern diagnostic aids and advances in surgical management. MRI allows the diagnosis of a tuberculous lesion, with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 88%, well before deformity develops. Neurological deficit and deformity are the worst complications of spinal tuberculosis. Patients treated conservatively show an increase in deformity of about 15°. In children, a kyphosis continues to increase with growth even after the lesion has healed. Tuberculosis of the spine is a medical disease which is not primarily treated surgically, but operation is required to prevent and treat the complications. Panvertebral lesions, therapeutically refractory disease, severe kyphosis, a developing neurological deficit, lack of improvement or deterioration are indications for surgery. Patients who present with a kyphosis of 60° or more, or one which is likely to progress, require anterior decompression, posterior shortening, posterior instrumented stabilisation and anterior and posterior bone grafting in the active stage of the disease. Late-onset paraplegia is best prevented rather than treated. The awareness and suspicion of an atypical presentation of spinal tuberculosis should be high in order to obtain a good outcome. Therapeutically refractory cases of tuberculosis of the spine are increasing in association with the presence of HIV and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Delayed sciatic nerve palsy is uncommon after primary hip replacement. Two kinds of sciatic palsy have been reported with regard to the time of onset: early palsy related to wound haematoma or lumbosacral nerve elongation which occurs between surgery and 18 days, is more frequent than delayed palsy, occurring between 10 and 32 months, which is usually caused by cement extrusion or heat produced by cement polymerisation.

We present two cases of delayed, transient sciatic nerve palsy arising at three weeks and four months after primary cementless arthroplasty, respectively, without haematoma and with a normal lumbar spine. These palsies were possibly caused by excessive tension from minor limb lengthening of 2 cm to 4 cm required to achieve leg-length equality. As the initial symptoms were limited to calf pain and mild numbness in the foot, surgeons should be aware of this mode of onset, particularly when it is delayed after hip replacement. Both patients recovered fully by 12 months after surgery so we did not undertake surgical exploration of the nerve in either patient.

Nonunion of the humerus with bone loss and shortening due to osteomyelitis is rare but difficult to treat. We describe our experience with a callus distraction technique using a monolateral external fixator for the treatment of this condition.

Between October 1994 and January 2004, 11 patients were treated. There were seven males and four females, with a mean age of 14 years (10 to 17). The mean bone loss was 1.9 cm (1 to 2.7) and the mean length discrepancy in the upper limb was 5.6 cm (3.5 to 8.0).

The mean follow-up was for 106 months (54 to 166). The mean external fixation index was 34.8 days/cm (29.8 to 40.5). The mean lengthening was 9.5 cm (5.5 to 13.4). There were seven excellent results, three good and one poor. There were nine excellent functional results and two good.

The treatment of humeral nonunion with bone loss and shortening due to osteomyelitis by callus distraction is a safe and effective means of improving function and cosmesis.

A clinical and radiological study was conducted on 97 total hip replacements performed for congenital hip dislocation in 79 patients between 1989 and 1998 using a three-dimensional custom-made cementless stem. The mean age at operation was 48 years (17 to 72) and the mean follow-up was for 123 months (83 to 182).

According to the Crowe classification, there were 37 class I, 28 class II, 13 class III and 19 class IV hips. The mean leg lengthening was 25 mm (5 to 58), the mean pre-operative femoral anteversion was 38.6° (2° to 86°) and the mean correction in the prosthetic neck was −23.6° (−71° to 13°). The mean Harris hip score improved from 58 (15 to 84) to 93 (40 to 100) points. A revision was required in six hips (6.2%). The overall survival rate was 89.5% (95% confidence interval 89.2 to 89.8) at 13 years when two hips were at risk.

This custom-made cementless femoral component, which can be accommodated in the abnormal proximal femur and will correct the anteversion and frontal offset, provided good results without recourse to proximal femoral corrective osteotomy.

Although supracondylar fracture is a very common elbow injury in childhood, there is no consensus on the timing of surgery, approach for open reduction and positioning of fixation wires. We report our ten-year experience between 1993 and 2003 in 291 children.

Most fractures (285; 98%) were extension injuries, mainly Gartland types II (73; 25%) and III (163; 56%). Six (2%) were open fractures and a neurovascular deficit was seen in 12 (4%) patients. Of the 236 children (81%) who required an operation, 181 (77%) were taken to theatre on the day of admission. Most (177; 75%) of the operations were performed by specialist registrars. Fixation was by crossed Kirschner wires in 158 of 186 (85%) patients and open reduction was necessary in 52 (22%).

A post-operative neurological deficit was seen in nine patients (4%) and three (1%) required exploration of the ulnar nerve. Only 22 (4%) patients had a long-term deformity, nine (3%) from malreduction and three (1%) because of growth arrest, but corrective surgery for functional limitation was required in only three (1%) patients.