The best treatment for the active and lucid elderly patient with a displaced intracapsular fracture of the femoral neck is still controversial. Randomised controlled trials have shown that a primary total hip replacement is superior to internal fixation as regards the need for secondary surgery, hip function and health-related quality of life. Despite good results achieved with total hip replacement in this group, most orthopaedic surgeons still advocate hemiarthroplasty for this injury. We studied 120 patients with a mean age of 81 years (70 to 90) with an acute displaced intracapsular fracture of the femoral neck. They were randomly allocated to be treated with either a bipolar hemiarthroplasty or total hip replacement. Outcome measurements included peri-operative data, general and hip-specific complications, hip function and health-related quality of life. The patients were reviewed at four and 12 months. The duration of surgery was longer in the total hip replacement group (102 minutes (70 to 151)) versus 78 minutes (43 to 131) (p < 0.001), and the intra-operative blood loss was increased 460 ml (100 to 1100) versus 320 ml (50 to 850) (p < 0.001), but there were no differences between the groups regarding any complications or mortality. There were no dislocations in either group. Hip function measured by the Harris hip score was significantly better in the total hip replacement group at both follow-up periods (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). The health-related quality of life measure was in favour of the total hip replacement group but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.818 at four months and p = 0.636 at 12 months). These results indicate that a total hip replacement provides better function than a bipolar hemiarthroplasty as soon as one year post-operatively, without increasing the complication rate. We recommend total hip replacement as the primary treatment for this group of patients

We present the outcome of 47 Souter-Strathclyde replacements of the elbow with a mean follow-up of 82 months (12 to 129). The clinical results were assessed using a condition-specific outcome measure. The mean total score (maximum 100) before the operation was 47.21 and improved to 79.92 (p < 0.001). The mean pain score (maximum 50) improved from 21.41 to 46.70 (p < 0.001) and the mean functional component of the score (maximum 30) from 11.19 to 18.65 (p < 0.001). There was negligible change in the score for the range of movement although a significant improvement in mean flexion from 124° to 136° was noted (p < 0.001). Revision surgery was required in four patients, for dislocation, wound dehiscence and early infection in one, late infection in two and aseptic loosening in one. The cumulative survival was 75% at nine years for all causes of failure and 97% at ten years for aseptic loosening alone. Our study demonstrates the value of the Souter-Strathclyde total elbow arthroplasty in providing relief from pain and functional improvement in rheumatoid patients

We have followed the natural progress of newborn infants in whom ultrasound examination showed abnormalities in hips which appeared to be clinically normal. Over six years we saw 306 such children out of 9952 examined (31 per 1000 live births). The examination was repeated at two to three months and those who still showed an abnormality were followed up further. At four to five months a standard radiograph was obtained, and treatment began if this and another ultrasound scan were both abnormal. At this stage, 291 infants had normal hips. In the 15 infants with abnormal hips there was no pronounced deterioration, none developed a frank dislocation, and all became normal after treatment in an abduction splint. Newborn infants with abnormal and suspicious ultrasound findings who are normal on clinical examination do not need treatment from birth; most of these hips will settle spontaneously. Treatment can be postponed until the age of four to five months unless clinical instability develops or ultrasound shows dislocation. The criteria for treatment should be based on measurements by both ultrasound and radiography: both should show an abnormality before intervention is considered necessary

One thousand and forty-two McKee-Farrar prostheses of the present design inserted in Norwich from January 1965 to December 1972 have been reviewed retrospectively to determine the incidence of complications needing revision. Of prostheses implanted for more than two years, 6.6 per cent needed revision for loosening (cup 35 per cent; stem 2.2 per cent; both components 0.9 per cent). Of the total number, 2.3 per cent became infected and 1.9 per cent dislocated. Most dislocations needed only a single closed reduction but 08 per cent were revised. The outcome of revision operations was also assessed. Of revisions for loosening, 40 per cent needed no further operation but 23 per cent required excision; pelvic fracture or bone destruction around the components made success unlikely. Revisions for dislocation were disappointing. Of all revisions 17 per cent became infected. Excision arthroplasty is better than a series of failed revisions in an elderly patient

Over the past 40 years, the management of displaced fractures of the acetabulum has changed from conservative to operative. We have undertaken a meta-analysis to evaluate the classification, the incidence of complications and the functional outcome of patients who had undergone operative treatment of such injuries. We analysed a total of 3670 fractures. The most common long-term complication was osteoarthritis which occurred in approximately 20% of the patients. Other late complications, including heterotopic ossification and avascular necrosis of the femoral head, were present in less than 10%. However, only 8% of patients who were treated surgically needed a further operation, usually a hip arthroplasty, and between 75% and 80% of patients gained an excellent or good result at a mean of five years after injury. Factors influencing the functional outcome included the type of fracture and/or dislocation, damage to the femoral head, associated injuries and co-morbidity which can be considered to be non-controllable, and the timing of the operation, the surgical approach, the quality of reduction and local complications which are all controllable. The treatment of these injuries is challenging. Tertiary referrals need to be undertaken as early as possible, since the timing of surgery is of the utmost importance. It is important, at operation, to obtain the most accurate reduction of the fracture which is possible, with a minimal surgical approach, as both are related to improved outcome

We have reviewed 66 consecutive Souter-Strathclyde arthroplasties of the elbow implanted in 59 patients between 1982 and 1993. Thirteen patients (15 elbows) (19.6%) died. Sixteen elbows (24.2%) were revised, six for aseptic loosening (9%), four (6%) because of fracture or loosening after a fracture, three (4.5%) for infection and three (4.5%) for dislocation. Four patients refused to attend for review. In 33 elbows with a follow-up of 93 months (60 to 167) complete relief of pain was achieved in 22 (67%) when seen at one year. After ten years or more 36% of the elbows were painfree and 64% had occasional slight pain especially under loading or stress. The mean gain in the arc of movement was 16°, but a mean flexion contracture of 33° remained. The main early complications were intraoperative fractures of the epicondyles (9%), postoperative dislocation (4.5%) and ulnar neuropathy. The incidence of ulnar neuropathy before operation was 19%. After operation 20 patients (33%) had an ulnar neuropathy, in seven of which it had been present before operation, and of these weakness of the hypothenar muscle occurred in two. The probability of survival of the Souter-Strathclyde elbow prosthesis based on the Kaplan-Meier calculation is 69% at ten years

The medial rotation contracture caused by weak external rotation secondary to obstetric brachial plexus injury leads to deformation of the bones of the shoulder. Scapular hypoplasia, elevation and rotation deformity are accompanied by progressive dislocation of the humeral head. Between February and August 2005, 44 children underwent a new surgical procedure called the ‘triangle tilt’ operation to correct this bony shoulder deformity. Surgical levelling of the distal acromioclavicular triangle combined with tightening of the posterior glenohumeral capsule (capsulorrhaphy) improved shoulder function and corrected the glenohumeral axis in these patients. The posture of the arm at rest was improved and active external rotation increased by a mean of 53° (0° to 115°) in the 40 children who were followed up for more than one year. There was a mean improvement of 4.9 points (1.7 to 8.3) of the Mallet shoulder function score after surgical correction of the bony deformity

We reviewed 188 patients at one to 20 years (mean 9.5) after surgery for anterior shoulder instability. Twenty-one had shown bilateral instability at the time of surgery, and 26 of the remaining 167 subsequently developed instability of the contralateral shoulder, giving an overall incidence of 24% bilateral involvement. Fourteen of these patients ultimately required bilateral surgery. The onset of contralateral instability was at one month to 15 years (mean 5.7 years) after anterior repair of the operated shoulder, the cumulative incidence increasing with time (p less than 0.01). The incidence was significantly higher in those under 15 years at the time of initial dislocation or under 18 at the time of surgery. One-half of the patients with contralateral instability had signs of posterior instability at follow-up. Other predisposing factors included having sustained the initial injury to the operated shoulder as a result of minimal trauma, and persistence of a sensation of instability in the operated shoulder. Factors which were not statistically significant included sex, dominant side, athletic activity, work history, and whether the initial surgery was for recurrent subluxations or dislocations. The high prevalence of bilateral shoulder instability suggests an intrinsic abnormality such as capsular and ligamentous laxity or muscle imbalance and warrants further investigations

Aims

The treatment of patients with allergies to metal in total joint arthroplasty is an ongoing debate. Possibilities include the use of hypoallergenic prostheses, as well as the use of standard cobalt-chromium (CoCr) alloy. This non-designer study was performed to evaluate the clinical outcome and survival rates of unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) using a standard CoCr alloy in patients reporting signs of a hypersensitivity to metal.

We describe the survivorship of the Exeter femoral component in a District General Hospital. Between 1994 and 1996, 230 Exeter Universal cemented femoral components were implanted in 215 patients who were reviewed at a mean of 11.2 years (10 to 13). We used one acetabular implant, the Elite Ogee component, in 218 of the 230 hips. During the period of this study 76 patients (79 hips) died. Of the remaining 139 patients (151 hips), 121 were able to attend for radiological analysis at a minimum of ten years. One patient was lost to follow-up. No femoral component was revised for aseptic loosening. Three hips were revised for deep infection and six acetabular components required revision, four for loosening and two for recurrent dislocation. Taking the ‘worst-case scenario’ including the one patient lost to follow-up, the overall survival rate was 94.4% at 13 years. Our results confirm excellent medium-term results for the Exeter Universal femoral component, implanted in a general setting. The excellent survival of this femoral component, when used in combination with the Ogee acetabular component, suggests that this is a successful pairing

1. A study of 2,200 patients receiving electro-convulsive therapy showed that fifty-three sustained fractures or dislocations—an incidence of 2·4 per cent. Of the fifty-three injuries, twenty-one occurred in the spine, fifteen in the neck of femur, fifteen in the upper end of humerus, one in the coracoid process; one dislocated jaw required anaesthesia for its reduction (other cases of transient dislocation of the jaw are excluded). 2. The incidence, site, and type of spinal fractures are recorded, and the relation of the fracture to the first convulsion is noted. No late changes were found in the spines of patients examined two years or more after treatment. A neutral position of the spine during the convulsion is believed to diminish the risk of fracture. 3. Fracture of the neck of the femur is a serious injury in these patients. In one case the injury was bilateral. 4. The fifteen cases of fracture-dislocation of the upper humerus are analysed. They included two cases of posterior dislocation of the humeral head; the possible mechanism of this is explained and a method of prevention suggested. 5. Fifty-three patients with chronic epilepsy with psychosis were examined. Four cases of fractured spine were discovered. The site of fracture was different from that of fractures caused by convulsive therapy and a reason for this is suggested. The type and mechanism of the fracture are similar in the two groups

Bone allografts can store and release high levels of vancomycin. We present our results of a two-stage treatment for infected hip arthroplasty with acetabular and femoral impaction grafting using vancomycin-loaded allografts. We treated 29 patients (30 hips) by removal of the implants, meticulous debridement, parenteral antibiotic therapy and second-stage reconstruction using vancomycin-supplemented impacted bone allografts and a standard cemented Charnley femoral component. The mean follow-up was 32.4 months (24 to 60). Infection control was obtained in 29 cases (re-infection rate of 3.3%; 95% confidence interval 0.08 to 17) without evidence of progressive radiolucent lines, demarcation or graft resorption. One patient had a further infection ten months after revision caused by a different pathogen. Associated post-operative complications were one traumatic periprosthetic fracture at 14 months, a single dislocation in two hips and four displacements of the greater trochanter. Vancomycin-supplemented allografts restored bone stock and provided sound fixation with a low incidence of further infection

We reviewed 25 patients in whom a MUTARS megaprosthesis with a conical fluted stem had been implanted. There were three types of stem: a standard stem was used in 17 cases (three in the proximal femur, nine in the distal femur and five proximal tibia), a custom-made proximal femoral stem in four cases and a custom-made distal femoral stem in four cases. The mean age of the patients was 40.1 years (17 to 70) and the mean follow-up was for 2.5 years (0.9 to 7.4). At follow-up two patients had died from their disease: one was alive with disease and 22 were disease-free. One of 23 prostheses had been removed for infection and another revised to a cemented stem. The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 24.9 (12 to 30) and the mean Karnofsky index was 82% (60% to 100%). There was no radiological evidence of loosening or subsidence. Stem stress shielding was seen in 11 patients and was marked in five of these. There were five complications, rupture of the extensor mechanism of the knee after extra-articular resection in two patients, deep venous thrombosis in one, septic loosening in one, and dislocation of the hip in one. The survival rate after seven years was 87% (95% confidence interval (CI) 83 to 91) for the patients and 95% (95% CI 91 to 99) for the megaprosthesis. A longer follow-up is needed to confirm these encouraging results

We describe 20 patients, aged between 43 and 88 years, with delayed nerve palsy or deepening of an initial palsy caused by arterial injury from low-energy injuries to the shoulder. The onset of palsy ranged from immediately after the injury to four months later. There was progression in all the patients with an initial partial nerve palsy. Pain was severe in 18 patients, in 16 of whom it presented as neurostenalgia and in two as causalgia. Dislocation of the shoulder or fracture of the proximal humerus occurred in 16 patients. There was soft-tissue crushing in two and prolonged unconsciousness from alcoholic intoxication in another two. Decompression of the plexus and repair of the arterial injury brought swift relief from pain in all the patients. Nerve recovery was generally good, but less so in neglected cases. The interval from injury to the repair of the vessels ranged from immediately afterwards to 120 days. Delayed onset of nerve palsy or deepening of a nerve lesion is caused by bleeding and/or impending critical ischaemia and is an overwhelming indication for urgent surgery. There is almost always severe neuropathic pain

Aims

The hypothesis of this study was that thigh circumference, distinct from body mass index (BMI), may be associated with the positioning of components when undertaking total hip arthroplasty (THA) using the direct anterior approach (DAA), and that an increased circumference might increase the technical difficulty.