Aims

This study aims to assess the relationship between history of pseudotumour formation secondary to metal-on-metal (MoM) implants and periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) rate, as well as establish ESR and CRP thresholds that are suggestive of infection in these patients. We hypothesized that patients with a pseudotumour were at increased risk of infection.

The aim of this study was to define return to theatre (RTT) rates for elective hip and knee replacement (HR and KR), to describe the predictors and to show the variations in risk-adjusted rates by surgical team and hospital using national English hospital administrative data. . We examined information on 260 206 HRs and 315 249 KRs undertaken between April 2007 and March 2012. The 90-day RTT rates were 2.1% for HR and 1.8% for KR. Male gender, obesity, diabetes and several other comorbidities were associated with higher odds for both index procedures. For HR, hip resurfacing had half the odds of cement fixation (OR = 0.58, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.47 to 0.71). For KR, unicondylar KR had half the odds of total replacement (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.56), and younger ages had higher odds (OR = 2.23, 95% CI 1.65 to 3.01) for ages < 40 years compared with ages 60 to 69 years). There were more funnel plot outliers at three standard deviations than would be expected if variation occurred on a random basis. . Hierarchical modelling showed that three-quarters of the variation between surgeons for HR and over half the variation between surgeons for KR are not explained by the hospital they operated at or by available patient factors. We conclude that 90-day RTT rate may be a useful quality indicator for orthopaedics. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:1663–8

The December 2013 Hip & Pelvis Roundup. 360 . looks at: Enhanced recovery works; Acetabular placement; Exercise better than rest in osteoarthritis patients; if Birmingham hip resurfacing is immune from pseudotumour; HIV and arthroplasty; Labral tears revisited; Prophylactic surgery for FAI; and Ceramics and impaction grafting

The Oxford hip and knee scores (OHS and OKS) are validated patient-reported outcome measures used in patients undergoing total hip replacement (THR), hip resurfacing (HR), total knee replacement (TKR) and unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR). We analysed the absolute OHS and OKS and change in scores following THR, HR, TKR, and UKR performed at one specialist centre. All patients undergoing and completing at least one Oxford score were eligible for inclusion in the study which included 27 950 OHS and 19 750 OKS in 13 682 patients. Data were analysed using non-linear quantile regression. The median absolute Oxford scores for THR, HR, TKR and UKR were pre-operative 68.8% (15.0/48), 58.3% (20.0/48), 66.7% (16.0/48), 60.4% (19.0/48) respectively: and post-operative asymptote was 14.6% (41.0/48), 5.8% (45.2/48), 31.2% (33.0/48), 29.2% (34.0/48). The median asymptotic change from the pre-operative score for THR, HR, TKR and UKR were 47.9% (23.0/48), 47.9% (23.0/48), 33.3% (16.0/48) and 32.4% (15.5/48), respectively. The median time at which no further appreciable change in score was achieved post-operatively was 0.7 years for THR, 1.1 years for HR, 0.9 years for TKR and 1.1 years for UKR. The curves produced from this analysis could be used to educate patients, and to audit the performance of a surgeon and an institution. The time to achieve a stable improvement in outcome varied between different types of joint replacement, which may have implications for the timing of post-operative review. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:928–35

Aims

To establish the survivorship, function, and metal ion levels in an unselected series of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasties (HRAs) performed by a non-designer surgeon.

Aims

Our main aim was to describe the trend in the comorbidities of patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasties (THAs) and knee arthroplasties (KAs) between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2018 in England.

We report serum metal ion level data in patients with unilateral and bilateral hip resurfacing over a ten-year period. In these patients there is an increase in both cobalt and chromium levels above the accepted reference ranges during the first 18 months after operation. Metal ion levels remain elevated, but decline slowly for up to five years. However, the levels then appear to start rising again in some patients up to the ten-year mark. There was no significant difference in cobalt or chromium levels between men and women. These findings appear to differ from much of the current literature. The clinical significance of a raised metal ion level remains under investigation

We have investigated the accuracy of placement of the femoral component using imageless navigation in 100 consecutive Birmingham Hip Resurfacings. Pre-operative templating determined the native neck-shaft angle and planned stem-shaft angle of the implant. The latter were verified post-operatively using digital anteroposterior unilateral radiographs of the hip. The mean neck-shaft angle determined before operation was 132.7° (118° to 160°). The mean planned stem-shaft angle was a relative valgus alignment of 9.7° (. sd. 2.6). The stem-shaft angle after operation differed from that planned by a mean of 2.8° (. sd. 2.0) and in 86% of cases the final angle measured within ± 5° of that planned. We had no instances of notching of the neck or varus alignment of the implant in our series. A learning curve was observed in the time taken for navigation, but not for accurate placement of the implant. Navigation in hip resurfacing may afford the surgeon a reliable and accurate method of placement of the femoral component

The recent resurgence in the use of metal-on-metal bearings has led to fresh concerns over metal wear and elevated systemic levels of metal ions. In order to establish if bearing diameter influences the release of metal ions, we compared the whole blood levels of cobalt and chromium (at one year) and the urinary cobalt and chromium output (at one to three and four to six years) following either a 50 mm or 54 mm Birmingham hip resurfacing or a 28 mm Metasul total hip replacement. The whole blood concentrations and daily output of cobalt and chromium in these time periods for both bearings were in the same range and without significant difference

Our aim was to determine the pre-operative sporting profiles of patients undergoing primary joint replacement and to establish if they were able to return to sport after surgery. A postal survey was completed by 2085 patients between one and three years after operation. They had undergone one of five operations, namely total hip replacement, hip resurfacing, total knee replacement, unicompartmental knee replacement or patellar resurfacing. In the three years before operation 726 (34.8%) patients were participating in sport, the most common being swimming, walking and golf. A total of 446 (61.4%) had returned to their sporting activities by one to three years after operation and 192 (26.4%) were unable to do so because of their joint replacement, with the most common reason being pain. The largest decline was in high-impact sports including badminton, tennis and dancing. After controlling for the influence of age and gender, there was no significant difference in the rate of return to sport according to the type of operation

A cadaver study using six pairs of lower limbs was conducted to investigate the accuracy of computer navigation and standard instrumentation for the placement of the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing femoral component. The aim was to place all the femoral components with a stem-shaft angle of 135°. The mean stem-shaft angle obtained in the standard instrumentation group was 127.7° (120° to 132°), compared with 133.3° (131° to 139°) in the computer navigation group (p = 0.03). The scatter obtained with computer-assisted navigation was approximately half that found using the conventional jig. Computer navigation was more accurate and more consistent in its placement of the femoral component than standard instrumentation. We suggest that image-free computer-assisted navigation may have an application in aligning the femoral component during hip resurfacing

Aims. We wished to investigate the influence of metal debris exposure on the subsequent immune response and resulting soft-tissue injury following metal-on-metal (MoM) hip arthroplasty. Some reports have suggested that debris generated from the head-neck taper junction is more destructive than equivalent doses from metal bearing surfaces. . Patients and Methods. We investigated the influence of the source and volume of metal debris on chromium (Cr) and cobalt (Co) concentrations in corresponding blood and hip synovial fluid samples and the observed agglomerated particle sizes in excised tissues using multiple regression analysis of prospectively collected data. A total of 199 explanted MoM hips (177 patients; 132 hips female) were analysed to determine rates of volumetric wear at the bearing surfaces and taper junctions. . Results. The statistical modelling suggested that a greater source contribution of metal debris from the taper junction was associated with smaller aggregated particle sizes in the local tissues and a relative reduction of Cr ion concentrations in the corresponding synovial fluid and blood samples. Metal debris generated from taper junctions appears to be of a different morphology, composition and therefore, potentially, immunogenicity to that generated from bearing surfaces. Conclusion. The differences in debris arising from the taper and the articulating surfaces may provide some understanding of the increased incidence of soft-tissue reactions reported in patients implanted with MoM total hip arthroplasties compared with patients with hip resurfacings. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:925–33

Objectives. The aims of this piece of work were to: 1) record the background concentrations of blood chromium (Cr) and cobalt (Co) concentrations in a large group of subjects; 2) to compare blood/serum Cr and Co concentrations with retrieved metal-on-metal (MoM) hip resurfacings; 3) to examine the distribution of Co and Cr in the serum and whole blood of patients with MoM hip arthroplasties; and 4) to further understand the partitioning of metal ions between the serum and whole blood fractions. Methods. A total of 3042 blood samples donated to the local transfusion centre were analysed to record Co and Cr concentrations. Also, 91 hip resurfacing devices from patients who had given pre-revision blood/serum samples for metal ion analysis underwent volumetric wear assessment using a coordinate measuring machine. Linear regression analysis was carried out and receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to assess the reliability of metal ions to identify abnormally wearing implants. The relationship between serum and whole blood concentrations of Cr and Co in 1048 patients was analysed using Bland-Altman charts. This relationship was further investigated in an in vitro study during which human blood was spiked with trivalent and hexavalent Cr, the serum then separated and the fractions analysed. Results. Only one patient in the transfusion group was found to have a blood Co > 2 µg/l. Blood/Serum Cr and Co concentrations were reliable indicators of abnormal wear. Blood Co appeared to be the most useful clinical test, with a concentration of 4.5 µg/l showing sensitivity and specificity for the detection of abnormal wear of 94% and 95%, respectively. Generated metal ions tended to fill the serum compartment preferentially in vivo and this was replicated in the in vitro study when blood was spiked with trivalent Cr and bivalent Co. Conclusions. Blood/serum metal ion concentrations are reliable indicators of abnormal wear processes. Important differences exist however between elements and the blood fraction under study. Future guidelines must take these differences into account

We systematically reviewed the peer-reviewed literature to relate the survival of hybrid metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty devices to a National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) benchmark for choosing a primary total hip replacement, which is a survival rate of 90% at a follow-up of ten years. A total of 29 articles (10 621 resurfaced hips) met the inclusion criteria. The mean follow-up ranged from 0.6 to 10.5 years and the survival of the implant ranged from 84% to 100%. Of the 10 621 hips, 370 were revised (3.5%), with aseptic loosening as the most frequent mode of failure. None of the hip resurfacing arthroplasty implants used to date met the full ten-year NICE benchmark of survival. A total of 13 studies showed satisfactory survival compared with the three-year NICE benchmark

Aims

Head-taper corrosion is a cause of failure in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Recent reports have described an increasing number of V40 taper failures with adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR). However, the real incidence of V40 taper damage and its cause remain unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term incidence of ALTR in a consecutive series of THAs using a V40 taper and identify potentially related factors.

Wear of metal-on-metal bearings causes elevated levels of cobalt and chromium in blood and body fluids. Metal-on-metal bearings have two distinct wear phases. In the early phase, the wear rate is high. Later, it decreases and the bearing enters a steady-state phase. It is expected that as the wear rates decline, the level of cobalt detected in plasma will also decrease. We studied the baseline and exercise-related cobalt rise in 21 patients (13 men and eight women) with a mean age of 54 years (38 to 80) who had undergone successful hip resurfacing at a mean of 44 months (10 to 96) earlier. Our results showed that circulating baseline cobalt levels were not significantly correlated with the time since implantation (r = 0.08, p = 0.650). By contrast, the exercise-related cobalt rise was directly correlated with the inclination angle of the acetabular component (r = 0.47, p = 0.032) and inversely correlated with the time since implantation (r = −0.5, p = 0.020). Inclination of the acetabular component should be kept less than 40° to decrease the production of wear debris

Large-head metal-on-metal total hip replacement has a failure rate of almost 8% at five years, three times the revision rate of conventional hip replacement. Unexplained pain remains a feature of this type of arthroplasty. All designs of the femoral component of large-head metal-on-metal total hip replacements share a unique characteristic: a subtended angle of 120° defining the proportion of a sphere that the head represents. Using MRI, we measured the contact area of the iliopsoas tendon on the femoral head in sagittal reconstruction of 20 hips of patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement. We also measured the articular extent of the femoral head on 40 normal hips and ten with cam-type deformities. Finally, we performed virtual hip resurfacing on normal and cam-type hips, avoiding overhang of the metal rim inferomedially. The articular surface of the femoral head has a subtended angle of 120° anteriorly and posteriorly, but only 100° medially. Virtual surgery in a normally shaped femoral head showed a 20° skirt of metal protruding medially where iliopsoas articulates. The excessive extent of the large-diameter femoral components may cause iliopsoas impingement independently of the acetabular component. This may be the cause of postoperative pain with these implants

Aims

Due to the opioid epidemic in the USA, our service progressively decreased the number of opioid tablets prescribed at discharge after primary hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasty. The goal of this study was to analyze the effect on total morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) prescribed and post-discharge opioid repeat prescriptions.

Total hip replacement in patients with advanced osteonecrosis of the femoral head is often complicated by early loosening of the femoral component. Recent evidence has suggested that abnormal bone extending into the proximal femur may be responsible for the early failure of the femoral component. We aimed to identify which patients were at high risk of early failure by evaluating gadolinium-enhanced MR images of histologically-confirmed osteonecrotic lesions beyond the femoral head. Although the MR signal intensity has been shown to correlate well with osteonecrosis in the femoral head, it was found to be relatively insensitive at identifying lesions below the head, with a sensitivity of only 51% and a predictive value of a negative result of only 48%. However, the specificity was 90%, with the predictive value of a positive MRI finding being 86%. Only those patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head secondary to sickle-cell disease, who are known to be at high risk of early loosening, had changes in the MR signal in the greater trochanter and the femoral shaft. This observation suggests that changes in the MR signal beyond the femoral head may represent osteonecrotic lesions in areas essential for the fixation of the femoral component. Pre-operative identification of such lesions in the neck of the femur may be important when considering hip resurfacing for osteonecrosis of the femoral head, following which early loosening of the femoral component and fracture of the neck are possible complications

The purpose of this study was to compare the amount of acetabular bone removed during hip resurfacing (HR) and cementless total hip replacement (THR), after controlling for the diameter of the patient’s native femoral head. Based on a power analysis, 64 consecutive patients (68 hips) undergoing HR or THR were prospectively enrolled in the study. The following data were recorded intra-operatively: the diameter of the native femoral head, the largest reamer used, the final size of the acetabular component, the size of the prosthetic femoral head and whether a decision was made to increase the size of the acetabular component in order to accommodate a larger prosthetic femoral head. Results were compared using two-sided, independent samples Student’s t-tests. A statistically significant difference was seen in the mean ratio of the size of the acetabular component to the diameter of the native femoral head (HR: 1.05 (. sd. 0.04) versus THR: 1.09 (. sd. 0.05); p <  0.001) and largest acetabular reamer used to the diameter of the native femoral head (HR: 1.03 (. sd. 0.04) versus THR: 1.09 (. sd. 0.05); p < 0.001). The ratios varied minimally when the groups were subdivided by gender, age and obesity. The decision to increase the size of the acetabular component to accommodate a larger femoral head occurred more often in the THR group (27% versus 9%). Despite the emphasis on avoiding damage to the femoral neck during HR, the ratio of the size of the acetabular component to the diameter of the native femoral head was larger in cementless THR than in HR