Biopsy of the periprosthetic tissue is an important diagnostic tool for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) as it enables the detection of the responsible microorganism with its sensitivity to antibiotics. We aimed to investigate how often the bacteria identified in the tissue analysis differed between samples obtained from preoperative biopsy and intraoperative revision surgery in cases of late PJI; and whether there was a therapeutic consequence. A total of 508 patients who required revision surgery of total hip arthroplasty (THA) (n = 231) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) (n = 277) because of component loosening underwent biopsy before revision surgery. The tissue samples collected at biopsy and during revision surgery were analyzed according to the criteria of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS).Aims
Methods
Patient-specific instrumentation of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a technique permitting the targeting of individual kinematic alignment, but deviation from a neutral mechanical axis may have implications on implant fixation and therefore survivorship. The primary objective of this randomized controlled study was to compare the fixation of tibial components implanted with patient-specific instrumentation targeting kinematic alignment (KA+PSI) A total of 47 patients due to undergo TKA were randomized to KA+PSI (n = 24) or MA+CAS (n = 23). In the KA+PSI group, there were 16 female and eight male patients with a mean age of 64 years (Aims
Patients and Methods
Cell therapies hold significant promise for the treatment of injured or diseased musculoskeletal tissues. However, despite advances in research, there is growing concern about the increasing number of clinical centres around the world that are making unwarranted claims or are performing risky biological procedures. Such providers have been known to recommend, prescribe, or deliver so called ‘stem cell’ preparations without sufficient data to support their true content and efficacy. In this annotation, we outline the current environment of stem cell-based treatments and the strategies of marketing directly to consumers. We also outline the difficulties in the regulation of these clinics and make recommendations for best practice and the identification and reporting of illegitimate providers. Cite this article:
Metabolic profiling is a top-down method of analysis looking at metabolites, which are the intermediate or end products of various cellular pathways. Our primary objective was to perform a systematic review of the published literature to identify metabolites in human synovial fluid (HSF), which have been categorized by metabolic profiling techniques. A secondary objective was to identify any metabolites that may represent potential biomarkers of orthopaedic disease processes. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines using the MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases. Studies included were case series, case control series, and cohort studies looking specifically at HSF.Aims
Methods
In a randomized controlled trial with two-year follow-up, patients treated with suture button (SB) for acute syndesmotic injury had better outcomes than patients treated with syndesmotic screw (SS). The aim of this study was to compare clinical and radiological outcomes for these treatment groups after five years. A total of 97 patients with acute syndesmotic injury were randomized to SS or SB. The five-year follow-up rate was 81 patients (84%). The primary outcome was the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Scale. Secondary outcome measures included Olerud-Molander Ankle (OMA) score, visual analogue scale (VAS), EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), range of movement, complications, reoperations, and radiological results. CT scans of both ankles were obtained after surgery, and after one, two, and five years.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of recovery for use in patients who have suffered an open tibial fracture. An initial pool of 109 items was generated from previous qualitative data relating to recovery following an open tibial fracture. These items were field tested in a cohort of patients recovering from an open tibial fracture. They were asked to comment on the content of the items and structure of the scale. Reduction in the number of items led to a refined scale tested in a larger cohort of patients. Principal components analysis permitted further reduction and the development of a definitive scale. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and responsiveness were assessed for the retained items.Aims
Methods
Arthroplasty skills need to be acquired safely during training, yet operative experience is increasingly hard to acquire by trainees. Virtual reality (VR) training using headsets and motion-tracked controllers can simulate complex open procedures in a fully immersive operating theatre. The present study aimed to determine if trainees trained using VR perform better than those using conventional preparation for performing total hip arthroplasty (THA). A total of 24 surgical trainees (seven female, 17 male; mean age 29 years (28 to 31)) volunteered to participate in this observer-blinded 1:1 randomized controlled trial. They had no prior experience of anterior approach THA. Of these 24 trainees, 12 completed a six-week VR training programme in a simulation laboratory, while the other 12 received only conventional preparatory materials for learning THA. All trainees then performed a cadaveric THA, assessed independently by two hip surgeons. The primary outcome was technical and non-technical surgical performance measured by a THA-specific procedure-based assessment (PBA). Secondary outcomes were step completion measured by a task-specific checklist, error in acetabular component orientation, and procedure duration.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this study was to examine trends in the management of fractures of the distal radius in Ireland over a ten-year period, and to determine if there were any changes in response to the English Distal Radius Acute Fracture Fixation Trial (DRAFFT). Data was grouped into annual intervals from 2008 to 2017. All adult inpatient episodes that involved emergency surgery for fractures of the distal radius were includedAims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting a full-scale, appropriately powered, randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing internal fracture fixation and distal femoral replacement (DFR) for distal femoral fractures in older patients. Seven centres recruited patients into the study. Patients were eligible if they were greater than 65 years of age with a distal femoral fracture, and if the surgeon felt that they were suitable for either form of treatment. Outcome measures included the patients’ willingness to participate, clinicians’ willingness to recruit, rates of loss to follow-up, the ability to capture data, estimates of standard deviation to inform the sample size calculation, and the main determinants of cost. The primary clinical outcome measure was the EuroQol five-dimensional index (EQ-5D) at six months following injury.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this study was to investigate whether clinical and radiological outcomes after intramedullary nailing of displaced fractures of the fifth metacarpal neck using a single thick Kirschner wire (K-wire) are noninferior to those of technically more demanding fixation with two thinner dual wires. This was a multicentre, parallel group, randomized controlled noninferiority trial conducted at 12 tertiary trauma centres in Germany. A total of 290 patients with acute displaced fractures of the fifth metacarpal neck were randomized to either intramedullary single-wire (n = 146) or dual-wire fixation (n = 144). The primary outcome was the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire six months after surgery, with a third of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) used as the noninferiority threshold. Secondary outcomes were pain, health-related quality of life (EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D)), radiological measures, functional deficits, and complications.Aims
Patients and Methods
Aims
Materials and Methods
Type IIIB open tibial fractures are devastating high-energy injuries. At initial debridement, the surgeon will often be faced with large bone fragments with tenuous, if any, soft-tissue attachments. Conventionally these are discarded to avoid infection. We aimed to determine if orthoplastic reconstruction using mechanically relevant devitalized bone (ORDB) was associated with an increased infection rate in type IIIB open tibial shaft fractures. This was a consecutive cohort study of 113 patients, who had sustained type IIIB fractures of the tibia following blunt trauma, over a four-year period in a level 1 trauma centre. The median age was 44.3 years (interquartile range (IQR) 28.1 to 65.9) with a median follow-up of 1.7 years (IQR 1.2 to 2.1). There were 73 male patients and 40 female patients. The primary outcome measures were deep infection rate and number of operations. The secondary outcomes were nonunion and flap failure.Aims
Patient and Methods
Early implant migration measured with radiostereometric analysis (RSA) has been proposed as a useful predictor of long-term fixation of tibial components in total knee arthroplasty. Evaluation of actual long-term fixation is of interest for cemented components, as well as for cementless fixation, which may offer long-term advantages once osseointegration has occurred. The objective of this study was to compare the long-term migration with one- and two-year migration to evaluate the predictive ability of short-term migration data and to compare migration and inducible displacement between cemented and cementless (porous metal monoblock) components at least ten years postoperatively. Patients who had participated in RSA migration studies with two-year follow-up were recruited to return for a long-term follow-up, at least ten years from surgery. Two cemented tibial designs from two manufacturers and one porous metal monoblock cementless tibial design were studied. At the long-term follow-up, patients had supine RSA examinations to determine migration and loaded examinations (single leg stance) to determine inducible displacement. In total, 79 patients (54 female) returned, with mean time since surgery of 12 years (10 to 14). There were 58 cemented and 21 cementless tibial components.Aims
Patients and Methods
Meropenem may be an important drug in the treatment of open tibial fractures and chronic osteomyelitis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe meropenem pharmacokinetics in plasma, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCT), and cancellous bone using microdialysis in a porcine model. Six female pigs were assigned to receive 1000 mg of meropenem intravenously over five minutes. Measurements of meropenem were obtained from plasma, SCT, and cancellous bone for eight hours thereafter. Microdialysis was applied for sampling in solid tissues. The meropenem concentrations were determined using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography.Objectives
Methods
There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of alternative polyethylene bearings in modular, fixed-bearing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to compare standard polyethylene (SP) and highly crosslinked polyethylene (XLP) tibial liners in posterior-stabilized TKA, with osteolysis as the primary outcome and clinical results and the rate of re-operation as the secondary outcomes. This is a single-surgeon, prospective randomized study involving one design of modular posterior-stabilized TKA. An analysis of 122 TKAs with an SP compression moulded liner and 123 with an XLP liner was performed, with a mean follow-up of six years (2 to 11). Patients were evaluated clinically using the Knee Society score, Lower Extremity Activity Score (LEAS), and the presence of an effusion, and standard radiographs were assessed for radiolucent lines and osteolytic lesions.Aims
Patients and Methods
Preclinical data showed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) loaded with microsilver to be effective against a variety of bacteria. The purpose of this study was to assess patient safety of PMMA spacers with microsilver in prosthetic hip infections in a prospective cohort study. A total of 12 patients with prosthetic hip infections were included for a three-stage revision procedure. All patients received either a gentamicin-PMMA spacer (80 g to 160 g PMMA depending on hip joint dimension) with additional loading of 1% (w/w) of microsilver (0.8 g to 1.6 g per spacer) at surgery 1 followed by a gentamicin-PMMA spacer without microsilver at surgery 2 or vice versa. Implantation of the revision prosthesis was carried out at surgery 3.Objectives
Methods
