Between 1966 and 2001, 1254 patients underwent excision of a bone tumour with endoprosthetic replacement. All patients who had radiotherapy were identified. Their clinical details were retrieved from their records.

A total of 63 patients (5%) had received adjunctive radiotherapy, 29 pre-operatively and 34 post-operatively. The mean post-operative Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scores of irradiated patients were significantly lower (log-rank test, p = 0.009). The infection rate in the group who had not been irradiated was 9.8% (117 of 1191), compared with 20.7% (6 of 29) in those who had pre-operative radiotherapy and 35.3% (12 of 34) in those who radiotherapy post-operatively. The infection-free survival rate at ten years was 85.5% for patients without radiotherapy, 74.1% for those who had pre-operative radiotherapy and 44.8% for those who had post-operative radiotherapy (log-rank test, p < 0.001). The ten-year limb salvage rate was 89% for those who did not have radiotherapy and 76% for those who did (log-rank test, p = 0.02).

Radiotherapy increased the risk of revision (log-rank test, p = 0.015). A total of ten amputations were necessary to control infection, of which nine were successful. Radiotherapy may be necessary for the treatment of a bone sarcoma but increases the risk of deep infection for which amputation may be the only solution.

Significant controversy exists with regard to the nomenclature, treatment and outcome of a group of well-differentiated lipomatous tumours sometimes labeled as atypical lipomas. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to clarify these controversies by reporting our experiences with this lesion.

The clinical features and follow-up of seventy patients with the diagnosis deep atypical lipoma (DAL) and a minimum two-year follow-up were examined.

Sixty- one patients were treated here with their primary lesion. Thirty-three were female and 28 were male. Ages ranged from 11 to 83 years (mean 57 years). They typically presented with a long history (four weeks to ten years, mean 91 weeks) and a large mass (4 to 30 centimetres, mean 18 centimetres). Most lesions were located in the thigh. Following treatment by marginal excision alone, five patients had a local recurrence (8.2%). Three recurred once and two recurred twice. No patient had a metastasis or died as a result of the tumour. No lesion dedifferentiated. Eight of the nine patients seen here with a presumed recurrence actually had a recurrent atypical lipoma. All recurrences were treated by further marginal resections and one went on to have a further recurrence. None of these patients had a metastasis and no lesion dedifferentiated. The final patient with a suspected recurrence most likely had a radiation-induced sarcoma nine years following radiotherapy after the marginal excision of a recurrent atypical lipoma.

We believe the term atypical lipoma is appropriate for these tumours, as they appear not to have any metastatic potential, merely a propensity to recur locally. The chance of dedifferentiation is small and the role of radiotherapy in the causation of dedifferentiation is uncertain. We suggest that a simple marginal resection (shelling-out) is adequate treatment for these lesions. Radiotherapy should not be used.

About one third of patients who require one knee replacement have significant bilateral symptoms and will require surgery on both knees before achieving their full functional potential. The options for these patients are either to have one-stage bilateral knee replacements or two-stage knee replacements. Our aim was to compare the relative local and systematic morbidity of patients who had one-stage bilateral knee arthroplasty with those of patients who had unilateral total knee arthroplasty in a retrospective, consecutive cohort of patients to evaluate the safety of one-stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty. Seventy-two patients treated with one-stage bilateral knee replacements were matched for age, gender and year of surgery with 144 patients who underwent unilateral knee arthroplasty. We found one-stage bilateral arthroplasty was associated with significantly increased risks of wound infection, deep infection, cardiac complications and respiratory complications compared to unilateral knee arthroplasty.

No increased risk of thromboembolic complications or mortality was found.

We conclude that one-stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty is associated with increased risk of both systematic and local complications compared with unilateral knee replacement and therefore should be performed on only selective cases.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the causes and characteristics of the aggressive solitary bone lesion in patients over the age of forty.

Over a four year period, 318 patients over the age of forty were referred to our institution with what we would define as an aggressive solitary bone lesion. Further investigation and diagnostic biopsy as appropriate were performed in all patients. The lesions were then defined according to their radiological appearance, pathology and site. The nature of these lesions was then subdivided into several broad groups. A diagnosis of primary bone sarcoma was found in 30% of these lesions. Plasmacytoma, lymphoma and metastases accounted for 13% each. Benign bone tumours, infection and non-oncological diagnoses accounted for 9%, 6% and 16% of lesions respectively.

Aggressive solitary bone lesions are often due to primary bone sarcomas. Metastases from a previously unrecognised primary malignancy account for less than one sixth of lesions. This study emphasises the need for appropriate investigation and biopsy of the aggressive solitary bone lesion.