The December 2013 Foot & Ankle Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Maisonneuve fractures in the long term; Not all gastrocnemius lengthening equal; Those pesky os fibulare; First tarsometatarsal arthrosis; Juvenile osteochondral lesions; Calcanei and infections; Clinical outcomes of Weber B ankle fractures; and rheumatologists have no impact on ankle rheumatoid arthritis.

The medial approach for the treatment of children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in whom closed reduction has failed requires minimal access with negligible blood loss. In the United Kingdom, there is a preference for these children to be treated using an anterolateral approach after the appearance of the ossific nucleus. In this study we compared these two protocols, primarily for the risk of osteonecrosis.

Data were gathered prospectively for protocols involving the medial approach (26 hips in 22 children) and the anterolateral approach (22 hips in 21 children) in children aged <  24 months at the time of surgery. Osteonecrosis of the femoral head was assessed with validated scores. The acetabular index (AI) and centre–edge angle (CEA) were also measured.

The mean age of the children at the time of surgery was 11 months (3 to 24) for the medial approach group and 18 months (12 to 24) for the anterolateral group, and the combined mean follow-up was 70 months (26 to 228). Osteonecrosis of the femoral head was evident or asphericity predicted in three of 26 hips (12%) in the medial approach group and four of 22 (18%) in the anterolateral group (p = 0.52). The mean improvement in AI was 8.8° (4° to 12°) and 7.9° (6° to 10°), respectively, at two years post-operatively (p = 0.18). There was no significant difference in CEA values of affected hips between the two groups.

Children treated using an early medial approach did not have a higher risk of developing osteonecrosis at early to mid-term follow-up than those treated using a delayed anterolateral approach. The rates of acetabular remodelling were similar for both protocols.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014;96-B:406–13.

Young adults with hip pain secondary to femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) are rapidly being recognised as an important cohort of orthopaedic patients. Interest in FAI has intensified over the last decade since its recognition as a precursor to arthritis of the hip and the number of publications related to the topic has increased exponentially in the last decade. Although not all patients with abnormal hip morphology develop osteoarthritis (OA), those with FAI-related joint damage rapidly develop premature OA. There are no explicit diagnostic criteria or definitive indications for surgical intervention in FAI. Surgery for symptomatic FAI appears to be most effective in younger individuals who have not yet developed irreversible OA. The difficulty in predicting prognosis in FAI means that avoiding unnecessary surgery in asymptomatic individuals, while undertaking intervention in those that are likely to develop premature OA poses a considerable dilemma. FAI treatment in the past has focused on open procedures that carry a potential risk of complications.

Recent developments in hip arthroscopy have facilitated a minimally invasive approach to the management of FAI with few complications in expert hands. Acetabular labral preservation and repair appears to provide superior results when compared with debridement alone. Arthroscopic correction of structural abnormalities is increasingly becoming the standard treatment for FAI, however there is a paucity of high-level evidence comparing open and arthroscopic techniques in patients with similar FAI morphology and degree of associated articular cartilage damage. Further research is needed to develop an understanding of the natural course of FAI, the definitive indications for surgery and the long-term outcomes.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B, Supple A:26–30.

Surgical reconstruction of articular surfaces by transplantation of osteochondral autografts has shown considerable promise in the treatment of focal articular lesions. During mosaicplasty, each cylindrical osteochondral graft is centred over the recipient hole and delivered by impacting the articular surface. Impact loading of articular cartilage has been associated with structural damage, loss of the viability of chondrocytes and subsequent degeneration of the articular cartilage. We have examined the relationship between single-impact loading and chondrocyte death for the specific confined-compression boundary conditions of mosaicplasty and the effect of repetitive impact loading which occurs during implantation of the graft on the resulting viability of the chondrocytes.

Fresh bovine and porcine femoral condyles were used in this experiment. The percentage of chondrocyte death was found to vary logarithmically with single-impact energy and was predicted more strongly by the mean force of the impact rather than by the number of impacts required during placement of the graft. The significance of these results in regard to the surgical technique and design features of instruments for osteochondral transplantation is discussed.

Mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee replacements (UKRs) with a flat tibial plateau have not performed well in the lateral compartment, owing to a high dislocation rate. This led to the development of the Domed Lateral Oxford UKR (Domed OUKR) with a biconcave bearing. The aim of this study was to assess the survival and clinical outcomes of the Domed OUKR in a large patient cohort in the medium term.

We prospectively evaluated 265 consecutive knees with isolated disease of the lateral compartment and a mean age at surgery of 64 years (32 to 90). At a mean follow-up of four years (sd 2.2, (0.5 to 8.3)) the mean Oxford knee score was 40 out of 48 (sd 7.4). A total of 12 knees (4.5%) had re-operations, of which four (1.5%) were for dislocation. All dislocations occurred in the first two years. Two (0.8%) were secondary to significant trauma that resulted in ruptured ligaments, and two (0.8%) were spontaneous. In four patients (1.5%) the UKR was converted to a primary TKR. Survival at eight years, with failure defined as any revision, was 92.1% (95% confidence interval 81.3 to 100).

The Domed Lateral OUKR gives good clinical outcomes, low re-operation and revision rates and a low dislocation rate in patients with isolated lateral compartmental disease, in the hands of the designer surgeons.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014;96-B:59–64.

Satisfaction is increasingly employed as an outcome measure for a successful total knee replacement (TKR). Satisfaction as an outcome measure encompasses many different intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to a person’s experience before and after TKR. The Swedish Knee Arthroplasty Registry has previously demonstrated on a large population study that 17% of TKR recipients are not satisfied with their TKR outcome. This finding has been replicated in other countries. Similar significant factors emerged from these registry studies that are related to satisfaction. It would appear that satisfaction is better after more chronic diseases and whether the TKR results in pain relief or improved function. Importantly, unmet pre-operative expectations are a significant predictor for dissatisfaction following a TKR. It may be possible to improve rates by addressing the issues surrounding pain, function and expectation before embarking on surgery.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B, Supple A:148–52.

The December 2013 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Long term-changes in hip morphology following osteotomy; Arthrogrypotic wrist contractures are surgically amenable; Paediatric femoral lengthening over a nail; Current management of paediatric supracondylar fractures; MRI perfusion index predictive of Perthes’ progression; Abduction bracing effective in residual acetabular deformity; Hurler syndrome in the spotlight; and the Pavlik works for femoral fractures too!

Total hip replacement (THR) after acetabular fracture presents unique challenges to the orthopaedic surgeon. The majority of patients can be treated with a standard THR, resulting in a very reasonable outcome. Technical challenges however include infection, residual pelvic deformity, acetabular bone loss with ununited fractures, osteonecrosis of bone fragments, retained metalwork, heterotopic ossification, dealing with the sciatic nerve, and the difficulties of obtaining long-term acetabular component fixation. Indications for an acute THR include young patients with both femoral head and acetabular involvement with severe comminution that cannot be reconstructed, and the elderly, with severe bony comminution. The outcomes of THR for established post-traumatic arthritis include excellent pain relief and functional improvements. The use of modern implants and alternative bearing surfaces should improve outcomes further.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B, Supple A:11–16.

In late developmental dysplasia of the hip in childhood, the deformed dysplastic acetabulum is malaligned and has lost its shape due to pressure from the subluxed femoral head. The outer part of the acetabulum involves the upper part of the original acetabulum, thereby giving a bipartite appearance. A clear edge separates the outer from inner part which represents the lower part of the original acetabulum and has no direct contact with the femoral head.

Combined pelvic osteotomy (CPO) using a Lance acetabuloplasty with either a Salter or a Pemberton procedure restores the original shape and realigns the acetabulum. A total of 20 children (22 hips), with a mean age of 46 months (28 to 94) at primary operation underwent CPO with follow-up for between 12 and 132 months.

In each case concentric stable reduction with good acetabular cover was achieved and maintained throughout the period of follow-up.

In the majority of patients with slipped upper femoral epiphysis only one hip is involved at primary diagnosis. However, the contralateral hip often becomes involved over time. There are no reliable factors predicting a contralateral slip. Whether or not the contralateral hip should undergo prophylactic fixation is a matter of controversy. We present a number of essential points that have to be considered both when choosing to fix the contralateral hip prophylactically as well as when refraining from surgery and instead following the patients with repeat radiographs.

We report the case of an 82-year-old man who underwent fasciectomy for a severe Dupuytren’s contracture, during which an ossified lesion was encountered within the contracture and surrounding the neurovascular bundle. The abnormal tissue was removed with difficulty and heterotopic ossification was confirmed histologically. We believe this is the first report of heterotopic ossification in Dupuytren’s disease.

We studied the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and zoledronic acid (ZA) on posterior lumbar fusion using a validated animal model. A total of 40 New Zealand white rabbits underwent posterior lumbar fusion at L5–6 with autogenous iliac bone grafting. They were divided randomly into four groups as follows: group 1, control; group 2, HBO (2.4 atm for two hours daily); group 3, local ZA (20 μg of ZA mixed with bone graft); and group 4, combined HBO and local ZA. All the animals were killed six weeks after surgery and the fusion segments were subjected to radiological analysis, manual palpation, biomechanical testing and histological examination.

Five rabbits died within two weeks of operation. Thus, 35 rabbits (eight in group 1 and nine in groups 2, 3 and 4) completed the study. The rates of fusion in groups 3 and 4 (p = 0.015) were higher than in group 1 (p < 0.001) in terms of radiological analysis and in group 4 was higher than in group 1 with regard to manual palpation (p = 0.015). We found a statistically significant difference in the biomechanical analysis between groups 1 and 4 (p = 0.024). Histological examination also showed a statistically significant difference between groups 1 and 4 (p = 0.036).

Our results suggest that local ZA combined with HBO may improve the success rate in posterior lumbar spinal fusion.

Impaction bone grafting for the reconstitution of bone stock in revision hip surgery has been used for nearly 30 years. Between 1995 and 2001 we used this technique in acetabular reconstruction, in combination with a cemented component, in 304 hips in 292 patients revised for aseptic loosening. The only additional supports used were stainless steel meshes placed against the medial wall or laterally around the acetabular rim to contain the graft. All Paprosky grades of defect were included. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were collected in surviving patients at a minimum of ten years after the index operation. Mean follow-up was 12.4 years (sd 1.5) (10.0 to 16.0). Kaplan–Meier survival with revision for aseptic loosening as the endpoint was 85.9% (95% CI 81.0 to 90.8) at 13.5 years. Clinical scores for pain relief remained satisfactory, and there was no difference in clinical scores between cups that appeared stable and those that appeared radiologically loose.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014;96-B:188–94.

We examined the reliability of radiological findings in predicting segmental instability in 112 patients (56 men, 56 women) with a mean age of 66.5 years (27 to 84) who had degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. They underwent intra-operative biomechanical evaluation using a new measurement system. Biomechanical instability was defined as a segment with a neutral zone > 2 mm/N. Risk factor analysis to predict instability was performed on radiographs (range of segmental movement, disc height), MRI (Thompson grade, Modic type), and on the axial CT appearance of the facet (type, opening, vacuum and the presence of osteophytes, subchondral erosion, cysts and sclerosis) using multivariate logistic regression analysis with a forward stepwise procedure. The facet type was classified as sagittally orientated, coronally orientated, anisotropic or wrapped.

Stepwise multivariate regression analysis revealed that facet opening was the strongest predictor for instability (odds ratio 5.022, p = 0.009) followed by spondylolisthesis, MRI grade and subchondral sclerosis. Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression indicated that spondylolisthesis, MRI grade, facet opening and subchondral sclerosis of the facet were risk factors. Symptoms evaluated by the Short-Form 36 and visual analogue scale showed that patients with an unstable segment were in significantly more pain than those without. Furthermore, the surgical procedures determined using the intra-operative measurement system were effective, suggesting that segmental instability influences the symptoms of lumbar degenerative disease.

We reviewed the clinical outcome of arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty for cam femoroacetabular impingement performed between August 2005 and March 2009 in a series of 40 patients over 60 years of age. The group comprised 26 men and 14 women with a mean age of 65 years (60 to 82). The mean follow-up was 30 months (12 to 54).

The mean modified Harris hip score improved by 19.2 points (95% confidence interval 13.6 to 24.9; p < 0.001) while the mean non-arthritic hip score improved by 15.0 points (95% confidence interval 10.9 to 19.1, p < 0.001). Seven patients underwent total hip replacement after a mean interval of 12 months (6 to 24 months) at a mean age of 63 years (60 to 70). The overall level of satisfaction was high with most patients indicating that they would undergo similar surgery in the future to the contralateral hip, if indicated. No serious complications occurred.

Arthroscopic femoral osteochondroplasty performed in selected patients over 60 years of age, who have hip pain and mechanical symptoms resulting from cam femoroacetabular impingement, is beneficial with a minimal risk of complications at a mean follow-up of 30 months.

The radiological evaluation of the anterolateral femoral head is an essential tool for the assessment of the cam type of femoroacetabular impingement. CT, MRI and frog lateral plain radiographs have all been suggested as imaging options for this type of lesion. The alpha angle is accepted as a reliable indicator of the cam type of impingement and may also be used as an assessment for the successful operative correction of the cam lesion.

We studied the alpha angles of 32 consecutive patients with femoroacetabular impingement. The angle measured on frog lateral radiographs using templating tools was compared with that measured on CT scans in order to assess the reliability of the frog lateral view in analysing the alpha angle in cam impingement.

A high interobserver reliability was noted for the assessment of the alpha angle on the frog lateral view with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.83. The mean alpha angle measured on the frog lateral view was 58.71° (32° to 83.3°) and that by CT was 65.11° (30° to 102°). A poor intraclass correlation coefficient (0.08) was noted between the measurements using the two systems.

The frog lateral plain radiograph is not reliable for measuring the alpha angle. Various factors may be responsible for this such as the projection of the radiograph, the positioning of the patient and the quality of the image. CT may be necessary for accurate measurement of the alpha angle.

Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most devastating and frequent injuries of the knee. Surgical reconstruction is the current standard of care for treatment of ACL injuries in active patients. The widespread adoption of ACL reconstruction over primary repair was based on early perception of the limited healing capacity of the ACL. Although the majority of ACL reconstruction surgeries successfully restore gross joint stability, post-traumatic osteoarthritis is commonplace following these injuries, even with ACL reconstruction. The development of new techniques to limit the long-term clinical sequelae associated with ACL reconstruction has been the main focus of research over the past decades. The improved knowledge of healing, along with recent advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, has resulted in the discovery of novel biologically augmented ACL-repair techniques that have satisfactory outcomes in preclinical studies. This instructional review provides a summary of the latest advances made in ACL repair.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2014;3:20–31.

For the treatment of ununited fractures, we developed a system of delivering magnetic labelled mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) using an extracorporeal magnetic device. In this study, we transplanted ferucarbotran-labelled and luciferase-positive bone marrow-derived MSCs into a non-healing femoral fracture rat model in the presence of a magnetic field. The biological fate of the transplanted MSCs was observed using luciferase-based bioluminescence imaging and we found that the number of MSC derived photons increased from day one to day three and thereafter decreased over time. The magnetic cell delivery system induced the accumulation of photons at the fracture site, while also retaining higher photon intensity from day three to week four. Furthermore, radiological and histological findings suggested improved callus formation and endochondral ossification. We therefore believe that this delivery system may be a promising option for bone regeneration.