Aims. To benchmark the radiation dose to patients during the course of treatment for a spinal deformity. Methods. Our radiation dose database identified 25,745 exposures of 6,017 children (under 18 years of age) and adults treated for a spinal deformity between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2016. Patients were divided into surgical (974 patients) and non-surgical (5,043 patients)
Aims. Repeated lumbar spine surgery has been associated with inferior clinical outcomes. This study aimed to examine and quantify the impact of this association in a national clinical register
Aims. Alternative alignment concepts, including kinematic and restricted kinematic, have been introduced to help improve clinical outcomes following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results, along with patient satisfaction, following TKA using the concept of restricted kinematic alignment. Methods. A total of 121 consecutive TKAs performed between 11 February 2018 to 11 June 2019 with preoperative varus deformity were reviewed at minimum one-year follow-up. Three knees were excluded due to severe preoperative varus deformity greater than 15°, and a further three due to requiring revision surgery, leaving 109 patients and 115 knees to undergo primary TKA using the concept of restricted kinematic alignment with advanced technology. Patients were stratified into three groups based on the preoperative limb varus deformity: Group A with 1° to 5° varus (43 knees); Group B between 6° and 10° varus (56 knees); and Group C with varus greater than 10° (16 knees). This study group was compared with a matched
Aims. Elevated blood cobalt levels secondary to metal-on-metal (MoM) hip arthroplasties are a suggested risk factor for developing cardiovascular complications including cardiomyopathy. Clinical studies assessing patients with MoM hips using left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) have found conflicting evidence of cobalt-induced cardiomyopathy. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is an echocardiography measurement known to be more sensitive than LVEF when diagnosing early cardiomyopathies. The extent of cardiovascular injury, as measured by GLS, in patients with elevated blood cobalt levels has not previously been examined. Methods. A total of 16 patients with documented blood cobalt ion levels above 13 µg/l (13 ppb, 221 nmol/l) were identified from a regional arthroplasty database. They were matched with eight patients awaiting hip arthroplasty. All patients underwent echocardiography, including GLS, investigating potential signs of cardiomyopathy. Results. Patients with MoM hip arthroplasties had a mean blood cobalt level of 29 µg/l (495 nmol/l) compared to 0.01 µg/l (0.2 nmol/l) in the control group. GLS readings were available for seven of the MoM
Aims. The aim of this study was to examine perioperative blood transfusion practice, and associations with clinical outcomes, in a national
Aims. This study aimed to determine whether lateral femoral wall thickness (LWT) < 20.5 mm was associated with increased revision risk of intertrochanteric fracture (ITF) of the hip following sliding hip screw (SHS) fixation when the medial calcar was intact. Additionally, the study assessed the association between LWT and patient mortality. Methods. This retrospective study included ITF patients aged 50 years and over treated with SHS fixation between 2019 and 2021 at a major trauma centre. Demographic information, fracture type, delirium status, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, and length of stay were collected. LWT and tip apex distance were measured. Revision surgery and mortality were recorded at a mean follow-up of 19.5 months (1.6 to 48). Cox regression was performed to evaluate independent risk factors associated with revision surgery and mortality. Results. The
Aims. The aim of this study was to compare any differences in the primary outcome (biphasic flexion knee moment during gait) of robotic arm-assisted bi-unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (bi-UKA) with conventional mechanically aligned total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at one year post-surgery. Methods. A total of 76 patients (34 bi-UKA and 42 TKA patients) were analyzed in a prospective, single-centre, randomized controlled trial. Flat ground shod gait analysis was performed preoperatively and one year postoperatively. Knee flexion moment was calculated from motion capture markers and force plates. The same setup determined proprioception outcomes during a joint position sense test and one-leg standing. Surgery allocation, surgeon, and secondary outcomes were analyzed for prediction of the primary outcome from a binary regression model. Results. Both interventions were shown to be effective treatment options, with no significant differences shown between interventions for the primary outcome of this study (18/35 (51.4%) biphasic TKA patients vs 20/31 (64.5%) biphasic bi-UKA patients; p = 0.558). All outcomes were compared to an age-matched, healthy
Aims. Uncemented metal acetabular components show good osseointegration, but material stiffness causes stress shielding and retroacetabular bone loss. Cemented monoblock polyethylene components load more physiologically; however, the cement bone interface can suffer fibrous encapsulation and loosening. It was hypothesized that an uncemented titanium-sintered monoblock polyethylene component may offer the optimum combination of osseointegration and anatomical loading. Methods. A total of 38 patients were prospectively enrolled and received an uncemented monoblock polyethylene acetabular (pressfit) component. This single
Aims. The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) uses preoperative CRP and albumin to calculate a score from 0 to 2 (2 being associated with poor outcomes). mGPS is validated in multiple carcinomas. To date, its use in soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) is limited, with only small
Aims. Golf is a popular pursuit among those requiring total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aim of this study was to determine if participating in golf is associated with greater functional outcomes, satisfaction, or improvement in quality of life (QoL) compared to non-golfers. Methods. All patients undergoing primary THA over a one-year period at a single institution were included with one-year postoperative outcomes. Patients were retrospectively followed up to assess if they had been golfers at the time of their surgery. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to assess the independent association of preoperative golfing status on outcomes. Results. The study
Aims. The diagnosis of joint infections is an inexact science using combinations of blood inflammatory markers and microscopy, culture, and sensitivity of synovial fluid (SF). There is potential for small molecule metabolites in infected SF to act as infection markers that could improve accuracy and speed of detection. The objective of this study was to use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to identify small molecule differences between infected and noninfected human SF. Methods. In all, 16 SF samples (eight infected native and prosthetic joints plus eight noninfected joints requiring arthroplasty for end-stage osteoarthritis) were collected from patients. NMR spectroscopy was used to analyze the metabolites present in each sample. Principal component analysis and univariate statistical analysis were undertaken to investigate metabolic differences between the two groups. Results. A total of 16 metabolites were found in significantly different concentrations between the groups. Three were in higher relative concentrations (lipids, cholesterol, and N-acetylated molecules) and 13 in lower relative concentrations in the infected group (citrate, glycine, glycosaminoglycans, creatinine, histidine, lysine, formate, glucose, proline, valine, dimethylsulfone, mannose, and glutamine). Conclusion. Metabolites found in significantly greater concentrations in the infected
Aims. The Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee (CPAK) classification is a simple and comprehensive system for predicting pre-arthritic knee alignment. However, when the CPAK classification is applied in the Asian population, which is characterized by more varus and wider distribution in lower limb alignment, modifications in the boundaries of arithmetic hip-knee-ankle angle (aHKA) and joint line obliquity (JLO) should be considered. The purposes of this study were as follows: first, to propose a modified CPAK classification based on the actual joint line obliquity (aJLO) and wider range of aHKA in the Asian population; second, to test this classification in a
Aims. To develop and internally validate a preoperative clinical prediction model for acute adjacent vertebral fracture (AVF) after vertebral augmentation to support preoperative decision-making, named the after vertebral augmentation (AVA) score. Methods. In this prognostic study, a multicentre, retrospective single-level vertebral augmentation
Aims. The aetiologies of common degenerative spine, hip, and knee pathologies are still not completely understood. Mechanical theories have suggested that those diseases are related to sagittal pelvic morphology and spinopelvic-femoral dynamics. The link between the most widely used parameter for sagittal pelvic morphology, pelvic incidence (PI), and the onset of degenerative lumbar, hip, and knee pathologies has not been studied in a large-scale setting. Methods. A total of 421 patients from the
Aims. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable method for producing 3D reconstruction of sonographic callus. Methods. A
Aims. To evaluate if union of clavicle fractures can be predicted at six weeks post-injury by the presence of bridging callus on ultrasound. Methods. Adult patients managed nonoperatively with a displaced mid-shaft clavicle were recruited prospectively. Ultrasound evaluation of the fracture was undertaken to determine if sonographic bridging callus was present. Clinical risk factors at six weeks were used to stratify patients at high risk of nonunion with a combination of Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH) ≥ 40, fracture movement on examination, or absence of callus on radiograph. Results. A total of 112 patients completed follow-up at six months with a nonunion incidence of 16.7% (n = 18/112). Sonographic bridging callus was detected in 62.5% (n = 70/112) of the
Aims. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in spinal imaging characteristics between subjects with or without lumbar developmental spinal stenosis (DSS) in a population-based
Aims. To investigate the benefits of denosumab in combination with nerve-sparing surgery for treatment of sacral giant cell tumours (GCTs). Methods. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with GCT who presented between January 2011 and July 2017. Intralesional curettage was performed and patients treated from 2015 to 2017 also received denosumab therapy. The patients were divided into three groups:
Aims. One-stage exchange for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is gaining popularity. The outcome for a repeat one-stage revision THA after a failed one-stage exchange for infection remains unknown. The aim of this study was to report the infection-free and all-cause revision-free survival of repeat one-stage exchange, and to investigate the association between the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) staging system and further infection-related failure. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed all repeat one-stage revision THAs performed after failed one-stage exchange THA for infection between January 2008 and December 2016. The final
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. Methods. Between January 2006 and June 2007, a total of 121 patients underwent THA using either an uncemented (Accolade I, made of Ti. 12. Mo. 6. Zr. 2. Fe; Stryker, USA) or a cemented (ABG II, made of cobalt-chrome-molybdenum (CoCrMo); Stryker) femoral component, both with a V40 taper (Stryker). Uncemented acetabular components (Trident; Stryker) with crosslinked polyethylene liners and CoCr femoral heads of 36 mm diameter were used in all patients. At a mean folllow-up of 10.8 years (SD 1.1), 94 patients (79%) were eligible for follow-up (six patients had already undergone a revision, 15 had died, and six were lost to follow-up). A total of 85 THAs in 80 patients (mean age 61 years (24 to 75); 47 (56%) were female) underwent clinical and radiological evaluation, including the measurement of whole blood levels of cobalt and chrome. Metal artifact reduction sequence MRI scans of the hip were performed in 71 patients. Results. A total of 20 ALTRs were identified on MRI, with an incidence of 26%. Patients with ALTR had significantly higher median Co levels compared with those without ALTR (2.96 μg/l (interquartile range (IQR) 1.35 to 4.98) vs 1.44 μg/l (IQR 0.79 to 2.5); p = 0.019). Radiological evidence of osteolysis was also significantly associated with ALTR (p = 0.014). Median Cr levels were not significantly higher in those with ALTR compared with those without one (0.97 μg/l (IQR 0.72 to 1.9) v 0.67 μg/l (IQR 0.5 to 1.19; p = 0.080). BMI, sex, age, type of femoral component, head length, the inclination of the acetabular component, and heterotopic ossification formation showed no significant relationship with ALTR. Conclusion. Due to the high incidence of local ALTR in our