Changes in the knee joint after meniscectomy include ridge formation, narrowing of the joint space, and flattening of the femoral condyle. Investigations suggest that these changes are due to loss of the weight-bearing function of the meniscus. Meniscectomy is not wholly innocuous; it interferes, at least temporarily, with the mechanics of the joint. It seems likely that narrowing of the joint space will predispose to early degenerative changes, but a connection between these appearances and later osteoarthritis is not yet established and is too indefinite to justify clinical deductions

We reviewed seven patients with coronal fractures of the lateral femoral condyle and studied the mechanism of injury and the radiological features. The influence of soft tissue attachments on the displacement and the blood supply were investigated by clinical and cadaveric studies. All three fractures which were initially undisplaced lost position early during conservative management. Internal fixation gave good results at review, and is recommended to avoid the risk of malunion and possible secondary osteoarthritis

We studied 16 patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip who had had Perthes’ disease during childhood. They were compared clinically and radiologically with a control group who had not had Perthes’ disease, in order to assess whether a generalised, pre-existing constitutional disorder was present. Nine patients with a previous history of Perthes’ disease had some other skeletal abnormality, but only three presented with clinical symptoms. Only one patient in the control group was found to have an abnormality but was symptom-free. Our findings provide further evidence that patients with Perthes’ disease may have a generalised abnormality related to chondrogenesis which can produce other skeletal anomalies that persist into adult life

One hundred shoulders were assessed in 50 patients with multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, of which one-third were found to have bilateral symptoms. Two distinct clinical and radiological groups emerged. Those with minor epiphyseal abnormalities developed painful osteoarthritis in middle age, but retained shoulder movement until the secondary changes were advanced. Those with 'hatchet head' shoulders likewise became painful in the fifth and sixth decades but had minimal glenohumeral movement from an early stage

The joint surfaces of 60 hips obtained from the cadavers of elderly Asians were studied to determine the incidence, the grade and the distribution of both non-progressive (age-related) and progressive degenerative changes. It was observed that in the Asian population of 40 to 90 years of age, non-progressive changes were common, being seen in 66% of the acetabular specimens and 50% of the femoral heads. Only one specimen of the 60 showed unexplained progressive degenerative change. We conclude that primary osteoarthritis of the hip is rare in Asians

Internal fixation with a trifin nail after displacement osteotomy of the femur permits reduction of external splintage to a degree that any patient can tolerate with ease; it also eliminates the problem of the stiff knee. The method has been used successfully for recent and old fractures of the femoral neck, for post-irradiation fractures, for failed nailing operations or arthroplastics, for osteoarthritis, for rheumatoid arthritis, for old congenital dislocations and subluxations, and to stabilise the hip after excision of the head and neck to create a pseudarthrosis

We applied joint distraction using an Ilizarov apparatus in 11 patients with post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle to try to delay the need for an arthrodesis. Distraction for three months resulted in clinical improvement in pain and mobility for a mean of two years, with an increase in the joint space. We considered that these effects may be produced by the absence of mechanical stress on the cartilage combined with the intra-articular hydrostatic pressures during distraction. We measured these pressures during walking with distraction, and found levels very similar to those reported to improve osteoarthritic cartilage when applied in vitro

The anterior centre-edge (VCA) angle quantifies the anterior cover of the femoral head, and angles of less than 20° are considered abnormal. We have measured the VCA angles in hips without osteoarthritic changes. We took bilateral false-profile radiographs of nine female and 30 male cadavers without signs of osteoarthritis. The mean age at the time of death was 72 years (46 to 92). The mean VCA angle was 32.8° (17.7 to 53.6). The SD was 7.9°. Our findings suggest that the threshold of abnormality of the VCA angle may be slightly lower than previously thought. This information may be useful in counselling patients with asymptomatic acetabular dysplasia

We reviewed 31 of 33 consecutive patients with intra-articular fractures of the knee at 6 to 22 years (average 14). Of these, 77% had excellent or good results; the others had various degrees of degenerative osteoarthritis. There was no significant difference between the results after surgical or conservative treatment. Secondary degeneration was not related to cause or type of fracture, but its incidence increased with the patient's age at the time of injury, though not with the length of follow-up. Early mobilisation appeared to be beneficial in preventing later degenerative changes

We have reviewed 100 Attenborough total knee replacements in eighty-two patients with a follow-up of one to four years and conclude that this prosthesis has a valuable place in the surgical management of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis with severe involvement of the knee. In 85 per cent of these knees a good result was obtained with relief from pain, and in 77 per cent a useful range of movement with a stable knee. Only two patients with loosening and three with deep infection were seen in this series

We performed an independent survivorship analysis on 208 Kinematic Condylar knee replacements with a minimum follow-up of ten years and a mean of 12 years. Seven patients had been lost to follow-up. At ten years the estimated survival was 92% (95% confidence limits 95% and 87%) and when stratified for diagnosis and thickness of polyethylene there was no statistical difference (p > 0.05) in survivorship of knees with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. We conclude that the original design of the Kinematic Condylar knee replacement has a good record and that adequate evaluation of new designs of implant should be undertaken before they are widely introduced

We have performed a prospective single-blinded randomised study to evaluate the role of antibiotic-impregnated cement in the prevention of deep infection at primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with diabetes mellitus. We studied prospectively 78 arthroplasties performed for osteoarthritis in such patients. They were randomly separated into two groups. In group 1 (41 knees), cefuroxime-impregnated cement was used while in group 2 (37 knees) cefuroxime was not added to the cement. The preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative management was the same for both groups. The mean follow-up was 50 months (26 to 88). There were no cases of deep infection in group 1, but five (13.5%) occurred in group 2 (p = 0.021). We conclude that cefuroxime-impregnated cement is effective in the prevention of deep infection at primary TKA in patients with diabetes mellitus

Fifteen patients with identical symptoms of pain and tenderness at the tip of the greater trochanter are reviewed. Diagnosis by the referring doctor was usually osteoarthritis of the hip or sciatica, but localised tenderness and pain on resisted abduction were the only clinical signs. Radiographs were usually normal. Most cases were relieved by one or more local steroid injections. This disorder has much in common with tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, coccydynia and policeman's heel. We suggest that all these conditions may be traction syndromes

Our aim was to assess the local extent of osteocyte death in the proximal femur of 16 patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head. We performed histological examination of the femoral heads and cancellous bone biopsies from four regions of the proximal femur in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. A control group consisted of 19 patients with osteoarthritis. All histological specimens were examined in a blinded fashion. Extensive osteonecrosis was shown in the proximal femur up to 4 cm below the lesser trochanter in the group with osteonecrosis. There was an overall statistically significant difference in the extent of osteocyte death distal to the femoral head between the two groups (p < 0.001). We discuss the implications of these findings as possible contributing factors in regard to the early failure of total hip arthroplasty reported in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head

A method for direct measurement of the local pressures in the acetabular cartilage is described. Pressure transducers were introduced into the subchondral bone and positioned there in contrast with the cartilage: the transducers were calibrated in situ. Twelve cadaveric hips were prepared in this way and the pressures were measured with the joint loaded in flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and in lateral and medial rotation. The highest pressures were recorded in the anterior and posterior segments of the acetabulum; the lowest pressures were constantly found at the zenith of the joint. The relationship of these findings to the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis is considered

From a total of 1571 surgically excised menisci, 112 (7.1 per cent) were found by gross and microscopic examination to contain one or more cysts. All of these cysts were associated with tears, either primarily horizontal or with a horizontal component. Tracks were often demonstrable leading from the tear to the cysts, and in some cases of osteoarthritis, detritus of bone could be found in their periphery. It is concluded that the cysts are fuelled by synovial fluid. The relationship of cysts to "myxoid" change of the meniscus is discussed

The effects on articular cartilage of continuous and intermittent excessive pressures have been studied in the knees of rabbits. Severe degenerative changes in the cartilage were observed; these resembled the typical lesions seen in osteoarthritis in man. They included fibrillation of cartilage, death of chondrocytes, eburnation of joint surfaces, sclerosis of bone and the production of "bone cysts." Regeneration of cartilage was common and it was brought about either by the deeply situated chondrocytes which had escaped death or by metaplasia of young connective tissue cells of the bone marrow

1. The condition of persistent foetal alignment is discussed both as an entity and in its relationship to the development of a normal hip, and also to the varying degrees of congenital dislocation of the hip. A possible connection with osteoarthritis is also mentioned. 2. The secondary deformities to which it may give rise are discussed, and the way in which both primary and secondary deformities may be corrected is described. 3. The importance of estimating rotation with the hip in full extension is emphasised. 4. The results in eight patients so treated are mentioned

We found, in a museum collection of skeletons, nine adult hips with untreated slipped capital femoral epiphyses. All the specimens were from men, five black and two white. Their mean age at death was 44 years. Seven of the femora were retroverted beyond neutral and five had true varus deformities. Osteoarthritis was detected in eight of the hips and the most severe degeneration was seen in the most deformed hips. Radiography revealed that cysts which appeared to occupy the femoral head in fact lay in the metaphyseal bone of the femoral neck

From 1970 to 1978, 29 patients had a unilateral operation for bilateral recurrent dislocation of the patella. We examined 21 of them at a mean of 14 years postoperatively. Eighteen of these patients had evidence of generalised joint laxity. Six of the operated knees and four of the unoperated knees still had recurrent dislocations. The operated knees were clinically worse, with a significantly higher incidence of osteoarthritis. We concluded that the operations used to treat recurrent dislocation of the patella may have had short-term benefits, but did not cure the patients in the long term