We studied the risk of recurrent dislocation in 121 primary and 39 revision Charnley or Charnley hybrid total hip arthroplasties which had been treated for a primary dislocation between 1979 and 1995. Only 35% of these hips had no further dislocation or a revision for instability within one year. The rates of survival gradually declined with time or if a second, third or fourth dislocation occurred. The risk of recurrence was greater in men, but was not related to age, diagnosis, time of the first dislocation or whether the index operation had been a primary or a revision procedure.

Operative treatment included 15 reoperations leaving intact components, 50 revisions, and permanent removal of the femoral stem in seven patients. The operation was successful in four patients with reoperations and in 36 who had an exchange procedure within two years. Treatment was successful in 35 of 49 hips in which it was possible to correct a technical error compared with 5 out of 16 hips in which malposition of the components was not seen (p = 0.007).

Aims

Nonagenarians (aged 90 to 99 years) have experienced the fastest percent decile population growth in the USA recently, with a consequent increase in the prevalence of nonagenarians living with joint arthroplasties. As such, the number of revision total hip arthroplasties (THAs) and total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) in nonagenarians is expected to increase. We aimed to determine the mortality rate, implant survivorship, and complications of nonagenarians undergoing aseptic revision THAs and revision TKAs.

Aims

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) demonstrates the most feared complication after total joint replacement (TJR). The current work analyzes the demographic, comorbidity, and complication profiles of all patients who had in-hospital treatment due to PJI. Furthermore, it aims to evaluate the in-hospital mortality of patients with PJI and analyze possible risk factors in terms of secondary diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, and complications.

We have reviewed 65 bipolar arthroplasties of the hip in 55 patients with osteoarthritis secondary to dysplasia. The mean age at operation was 56 years (42 to 79) and the mean period of follow-up was 7.2 years (5.0 to 13.0). The average Merle d’Aubigné and Postel score before operation was 10.3 and at final follow-up 15.0. There were excellent or good results in 42 hips (65%). Migration of the outer head was observed in 50 hips (77%), most often in the group with a centre-edge angle of less than 0°, an acetabular head index of less than 60%, coverage of the outer head by the original acetabulum of less than +10° and after bone grafting of the acetabulum. This migration was progressive in 31 (62%) of the 50 hips, with massive osteolysis of the acetabulum in eight. The extent and progression of migration were closely associated with this osteolysis. Four hips required revision for extensive migration of the outer head with destruction of the acetabulum or severe acetabular osteolysis, and nine hips are awaiting revision for failure of the bipolar prosthetic head. The overall failure rate was 18%. We report major problems after bipolar hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis secondary to hip dysplasia with progressive migration of the outer head and massive acetabular osteolysis at five years or more after operation

Aims

The Exeter V40 cemented femoral stem was first introduced in 2000. The largest single-centre analysis of this implant to date was published in 2018 by Westerman et al. Excellent results were reported at a minimum of ten years for the first 540 cases performed at the designer centre in the Exeter NHS Trust, with stem survivorship of 96.8%. The aim of this current study is to report long-term outcomes and survivorship for the Exeter V40 stem in a non-designer centre.

Allografts of bone from the femoral head are often used in orthopaedic procedures. Although the donated heads are thoroughly tested microscopically before release by the bone bank, some surgeons take additional cultures in the operating theatre before implantation. There is no consensus about the need to take these cultures. We retrospectively assessed the clinical significance of the implantation of positive-cultured bone allografts. The contamination rate at retrieval of the allografts was 6.4% in our bone bank. Intra-operative cultures were taken from 426 femoral head allografts before implantation; 48 (11.3%) had a positive culture. The most frequently encountered micro-organism was coagulase-negative staphylococcus. Deep infection occurred in two of the 48 patients (4.2%). In only one was it likely that the same micro-organism caused the contamination and the subsequent infection. In our study, the rate of infection in patients receiving positive-cultured allografts at implantation was not higher than the overall rate of infection in allograft surgery suggesting that the positive cultures at implantation probably represent contamination and that the taking of additional cultures is not useful

Aims

The aim of this study was to give estimates of the incidence of component incompatibility in hip and knee arthroplasty and to test the effect of an online, real-time compatibility check.

Aims

The primary aim of this study was to compare the wear properties of vitamin E-diffused, highly crosslinked polyethylene (VEPE) and one formulation of moderately crosslinked and mechanically annealed ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (ModXLPE) in patients five years after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). The secondary aim was to assess the clinical results of patients treated with VEPE by evaluating patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), radiological evidence of fixation, and the incidence of mechanical failure.

We made a clinical study of polyethylene wear in 240 hips of 187 patients having primary total hip arthroplasties from 1989 to 1990, using uncemented Osteonics components, with a head size of 26 mm. We excluded cups with anteversion of over 20° and measured linear wear by a new method using a digitiser and special software of our design. Follow-up was from two to five years (mean 4.3). The mean age at operation was 50.3 years, with more men than women (1.4:1). The mean linear wear per year was 0.15 mm; this did not increase with the longevity of the prosthesis (p = 0.54). In 59 hips showing evidence of osteolysis, the mean linear wear rate was significantly higher at 0.23 mm/year (p < 0.001). The mean linear wear rate also correlated significantly with age at the time of operation (p = 0.008), but we found no significant correlations with body-weight, gender, aetiology of the disease, thickness of polyethylene, or cup position. Our new method of measurement is time-saving and reproducible. The results confirm the greater rate of linear wear of polyethylene in patients showing osteolysis and in those who are younger

Between 1972 and 1990, we performed 168 primary low-friction arthroplasties in 125 patients with acetabular protrusion. Twelve hips were lost to follow-up within eight years and eight which became infected were excluded from the final study. Of the 148 hips remaining, 62 with a mild protrusion were classified as group 1, 54 with moderate or severe protrusion as group 2 and, after 1985, 32 with moderate and severe protrusion which required bone grafts as group 3. The mean follow-up was 18.3 years (3 to 24) for group 1, 17.4 years (8 to 22) for group 2 and ten years (8 to 13) for group 3. There were 31 revisions of the cup, 12 in group 1 and 19 in group 2. According to the Kaplan-Meier analysis the overall rates at 20 years were 21 ± 10.79% in group 1 and 37 ± 11.90% in group 2. There have been 43 radiological loosenings: 22 in group 1, 21 in group 2 and none so far in group 3, at ten years. The overall loosening rates at 20 years were 42 ± 14.76% in group 1 and 49 ± 19.50% in group 2. The grafts were well incorporated in all group-3 hips, and the bone structure appeared normal after one year. The distance between the centre of the head of the femoral prosthesis and the approximate true centre of the femoral head was less in group 3 than in groups 1 and 2 (p < 0.01). According to the Cox proportional-hazards regression this was the single most important factor in loosening of the cup (odds ratio 1.11; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.18/mm). Better results were obtained in moderate and severe protrusions reconstructed with bone grafting than in hips with mild protrusion which were not grafted

Increasing innovation in rapid prototyping (RP) and additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is bringing about major changes in translational surgical research.

This review describes the current position in the use of additive manufacturing in orthopaedic surgery.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:455-60.

Aims

To investigate the bone penetration of intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis with flucloxacillin and gentamicin during hip and knee arthroplasty, and their efficacy against Staphylococcus (S.) aureus and S. epidermidis.

Objectives

Computed tomography (CT) plays an important role in evaluating wear and periacetabular osteolysis (PAO) in total hip replacements. One concern with CT is the high radiation exposure since standard pelvic CT provides approximately 3.5 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation exposure, whereas a planar radiographic examination with three projections totals approximately 0.5 mSv. The objective of this study was to evaluate the lowest acceptable radiation dose for dual-energy CT (DECT) images when measuring wear and periacetabular osteolysis in uncemented metal components.

Aims

We investigated changes in the axial alignment of the ipsilateral hip and knee after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Objectives

Hips with metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM THA) have a high rate of adverse local tissue reactions (ALTR), often associated with hypersensitivity reactions. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) measures tissue perfusion with the parameter Ktrans (volume transfer constant of contrast agent). Our purpose was 1) to evaluate the feasibility of DCE-MRI in patients with THA and 2) to compare DCE-MRI in patients with MoM bearings with metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) bearings, hypothesising that the perfusion index Ktrans in hips with MoM THA is higher than in hips with MoP THA.

Objectives

Wear debris released from bearing surfaces has been shown to provoke negative immune responses in the recipient. Excessive wear has been linked to early failure of prostheses. Analysis using coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) can provide estimates of total volumetric material loss of explanted prostheses and can help to understand device failure. The accuracy of volumetric testing has been debated, with some investigators stating that only protocols involving hundreds of thousands of measurement points are sufficient. We looked to examine this assumption and to apply the findings to the clinical arena.

We compared the length of hospitalisation, rate of infection, dislocation of the hip and revision, and mortality following primary hip and knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (n = 1064) and a matched control group (n = 3192). The data were collected from nationwide Finnish health registers. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease had a longer peri-operative hospitalisation (median 13 days vs eight days, p < 0.001) and an increased risk for hip revision with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.76 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 to 3.00). Dislocation was the leading indication for revision. There was no difference in the rates of infection, dislocation of the hip, knee revision and short-term mortality. In long-term follow-up, patients with Alzheimer’s disease had a higher mortality (HR 1.43; 95% CI 1.22 to 1.70), and only one third survived ten years post-operatively. Increased age and comorbidity were associated with longer peri-operative hospitalisation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:654–61.

Between 1988 and 1998 we implanted 318 total hip replacements (THRs) in 287 patients using the Plasmacup (B. Braun Ltd, Sheffield, United Kingdom) and a conventional metal-on-polyethylene articulation. The main indications for THR were primary or secondary osteoarthritis.

At follow-up after a mean 11.6 years (7.6 to 18.4) 17 patients had died and 20 could not be traced leaving a final series of 280 THRs in 250 patients. There were 62 revisions (22.1%) in 59 patients. A total of 43 acetabular shells (15.4%) had been revised and 13 (4.6%) had undergone exchange of the liner. The most frequent indications for revision were osteolysis and aseptic loosening, followed by polyethylene wear. The mean Kaplan-Meier survival of the Plasmacup was 91% at ten years and 58% at 14 years. Osteolysis was found around 36 (17.1%) of the 211 surviving shells. The median annual rate of linear wear in the surviving shells was 0.12 mm/year and 0.25 mm/year in those which had been revised (p < 0.001). Polyethylene wear was a strong independent risk factor for osteolysis and aseptic loosening. The percentage of patients with osteolysis increased proportionately with each quintile of wear-rate.

There is a high late rate of failure of the Plasmacup. Patients with the combination of this prosthesis and bearing should be closely monitored after ten years.

Digital radiography is becoming widespread. Accurate pre-operative templating of digital images of the hip traditionally involves positioning a calibration object at its centre. This can be difficult and cause embarrassment. We have devised a method whereby a planar disc placed on the radiographic cassette accounts for the expected magnification. Initial examination of 50 pelvic CT scans showed a mean hip centre distance of 117 mm (79 to 142) above the gluteal skin. Further calculations predicted that a disc of 37.17 mm diameter, placed on the cassette, would appear identical to a 30 mm sphere placed at the level of the centre of the hip as requested by our templating software. We assessed accuracy and reproducibility by ‘reverse calibration’ of 20 radiographs taken three months after hip replacement using simultaneous sphere and disc methods, and a further 20 with a precision disc of accurate size. Even when variations in patient size were ignored, the disc proved more accurate and reliable than the sphere.

The technique is reliable, robust, cost effective and acceptable to patients and radiographers. It can easily be used in any radiography department after a few simple calculations and manufacture of appropriately-sized discs.

We have investigated the accuracy of the templating of digital radiographs in planning total hip replacement using two common object-based calibration methods with the ball placed laterally (method 1) or medially (method 2) and compared them with two non-object-based methods. The latter comprised the application of a fixed magnification of 121% (method 3) and calculation of magnification based on the object-film-distance (method 4). We studied the post-operative radiographs of 57 patients (19 men, 38 women, mean age 73 years (53 to 89)) using the measured diameter of the prosthetic femoral head and comparing it with the true value.

Both object-based methods (1 and 2) produced large errors (mean/maximum: 2.55%/17.4% and 2.04%/6.46%, respectively). Method 3 applying a fixed magnification and method 4 (object-film-distance) produced smaller errors (mean/maximum 1.42%/5.22% and 1.57%/4.24%, respectively; p < 0.01). The latter results were clinically relevant and acceptable when planning was allowed to within one implant size. Object-based calibration (methods 1 and 2) has fundamental problems with the correct placement of the calibration ball. The accuracy of the fixed magnification (method 3) matched that of object-film-distance (method 4) and was the most reliable and efficient calibration method in digital templating.