Subtotal or total meniscectomy in the medial or lateral compartment
of the knee results in a high risk of future osteoarthritis. Meniscal
allograft transplantation has been performed for over thirty years
with the scientifically plausible hypothesis that it functions in
a similar way to a native meniscus. It is thought that a meniscal
allograft transplant has a chondroprotective effect, reducing symptoms
and the long-term risk of osteoarthritis. However, this hypothesis has
never been tested in a high-quality study on human participants.
This study aims to address this shortfall by performing a pilot
randomised controlled trial within the context of a comprehensive
cohort study design. Patients will be randomised to receive either meniscal transplant
or a non-operative, personalised knee therapy program. MRIs will
be performed every four months for one year. The primary endpoint
is the mean change in cartilage volume in the weight-bearing area
of the knee at one year post intervention. Secondary outcome measures
include the mean change in cartilage thickness, T2 maps, patient-reported
outcome measures, health economics assessment and complications.Objectives
Methods
The anatomy and microstructure of the menisci
allow the effective distribution of load across the knee. Meniscectomy
alters the biomechanical environment and is a potent risk factor
for osteoarthritis. Despite a trend towards meniscus-preserving
surgery, many tears are irreparable, and many repairs fail. Meniscal allograft transplantation has principally been carried
out for pain in patients who have had a meniscectomy. Numerous case
series have reported a significant improvement in patient-reported
outcomes after surgery, but randomised controlled trials have not
been undertaken. It is scientifically plausible that meniscal allograft transplantation
is protective of cartilage, but this has not been established clinically
to date. Cite this article:
Little information is available about several
important aspects of the treatment of melioidosis osteomyelitis
and septic arthritis. We undertook a retrospective review of 50 patients with these
conditions in an attempt to determine the effect of location of
the disease, type of surgical intervention and duration of antibiotic
treatment on outcome, particularly complications and relapse. We found that there was a 27.5% risk of osteomyelitis of the
adjacent bone in patients with septic arthritis in the lower limb.
Patients with septic arthritis and osteomyelitis of an adjacent
bone were in hospital significantly longer (p = 0.001), needed more
operations (p = 0.031) and had a significantly higher rate of complications
and re-presentation (p = 0.048). More than half the patients (61%), most particularly those with
multifocal bone and joint involvement, and those with septic arthritis
and osteomyelitis of an adjacent bone who were treated operatively,
needed more visits to theatre. Cite this article:
Obesity is a global epidemic of 2.1 billion people and a well known cause of osteoarthritis. Joint replacement in the obese attracts more complications, poorer outcomes and higher revision rates. It is a reversible condition and the fundamental principles of dealing with reversible medical conditions prior to elective total joint replacement should apply to obesity. The dilemma for orthopaedic surgeons is when to offer surgery in the face of a reversible condition, which if treated may obviate joint replacement and reduce the risk and severity of obesity related disease in both the medical arena and the field of orthopaedics.
There is great variability in acetabular component
orientation following hip replacement. The aims of this study were
to compare the component orientation at impaction with the orientation
measured on post-operative radiographs and identify factors that
influence the difference between the two. A total of 67 hip replacements
(52 total hip replacements and 15 hip resurfacings) were prospectively
studied. Intra-operatively, the orientation of the acetabular component
after impaction relative to the operating table was measured using
a validated stereo-photogrammetry protocol. Post-operatively, the
radiographic orientation was measured; the mean inclination/anteversion
was 43° ( This study demonstrated that in order to achieve a specific radiographic
orientation target, surgeons should implant the acetabular component
5° less inclined and 8° more anteverted than their target. Great
variability (2 Cite this article:
We aimed to determine whether cemented hemiarthroplasty
is associated with a higher post-operative mortality and rate of
re-operation when compared with uncemented hemiarthroplasty. Data
on 19 669 patients, who were treated with a hemiarthroplasty following
a fracture of the hip in a nine-year period from 2002 to 2011, were extracted
from NHS Scotland’s acute admission database (Scottish Morbidity
Record, SMR01). We investigated the rate of mortality at day 0,
1, 7, 30, 120 and one-year post-operatively using 12 case-mix variables
to determine the independent effect of the method of fixation. At
day 0, those with a cemented hemiarthroplasty had a higher rate
of mortality (p <
0.001) compared with those with an uncemented
hemiarthroplasty, equivalent to one extra death per 424 procedures.
By day one this had become one extra death per 338 procedures. Increasing
age and the five-year co-morbidity score were noted as independent
risk factors. By day seven, the cumulative rate of mortality was
less for cemented hemiarthroplasty though this did not reach significance
until day 120. The rate of re-operation was significantly higher
for uncemented hemiarthroplasty. Despite adjusting for 12 confounding
variables, these only accounted for 15% of the observed variability. The debate about the choice of the method of fixation for a hemiarthroplasty
with respect to the rate of mortality or the risk of re-operation
may be largely superfluous. Our results suggest that uncemented
hemiarthroplasties may have a role to play in elderly patients with
significant co-morbid disease. Cite this article:
Cite this article:
Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV) is one
of the most common congenital limb deformities. We reviewed the records
of infants who had received treatment for structural CTEV between
1 January 2007 and 30 November 2012. This was cross-referenced with
the prenatal scans of mothers over a corresponding period of time.
We investigated the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative
predictive values of the fetal anomaly scan for the detection of CTEV
and explored whether the publication of Fetal Anomaly Screening
Programme guidelines in 2010 affected the rate of detection. During the study period there were 95 532 prenatal scans and
34 373 live births at our hospital. A total of 37 fetuses with findings
suggestive of CTEV were included in the study, of whom 30 were found
to have structural CTEV at birth. The sensitivity of screening for
CTEV was 71.4% and the positive predictive value was 81.1%. The negative
predictive value and specificity were more than 99.5%. There was
no significant difference between the rates of detection before
and after publication of the guidelines (p = 0.5). We conclude that a prenatal fetal anomaly ultrasound screening
diagnosis of CTEV has a good positive predictive value enabling
prenatal counselling. The change in screening guidance has not affected
the proportion of missed cases. This information will aid counselling
parents about the effectiveness and accuracy of prenatal ultrasound
in diagnosing CTEV. Cite this article:
The orientation of the acetabular component is
influenced not only by the orientation at which the surgeon implants
the component, but also the orientation of the pelvis at the time
of implantation. Hence, the orientation of the pelvis at set-up
and its movement during the operation, are important. During 67
hip replacements, using a validated photogrammetric technique, we
measured how three surgeons orientated the patient’s pelvis, how
much the pelvis moved during surgery, and what effect these had
on the final orientation of the acetabular component. Pelvic orientation
at set-up, varied widely (mean (± 2, standard deviation ( Cite this article:
We retrospectively reviewed 2989 consecutive
patients with a mean age of 81 (21 to 105) and a female to male
ratio of 5:2 who were admitted to our hip fracture unit between
July 2009 and February 2013. We compared weekday and weekend admission
and weekday and weekend surgery 30-day mortality rates for hip fractures
treated both surgically and conservatively. After adjusting for
confounders, weekend admission was independently and significantly
associated with a rise in 30-day mortality (odds ratio (OR) 1.4,
95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02 to 1.9; p = 0.039) for patients
undergoing hip fracture surgery. There was no increase in mortality
associated with weekend surgery (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.7; p =
0.39). All hip fracture patients, whether managed surgically or
conservatively, were more likely to die as an inpatient when admitted
at the weekend (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.80; p = 0.032), despite
our unit having a comparatively low overall inpatient mortality
(8.7%). Hip fracture patients admitted over the weekend appear to
have a greater risk of death despite having a consultant-led service. Cite this article:
Squeaking arising from a ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC)
total hip replacement (THR) may cause patient concern and in some
cases causes patients to seek revision surgery. We performed a meta-analysis
to determine the incidence of squeaking and the incidence of revision
surgery for squeaking. A total of 43 studies including 16 828 CoC
THR that reported squeaking, or revision for squeaking, were entered
into the analysis. The incidence of squeaking was 4.2% and the incidence
of revision for squeaking was 0.2%. The incidence of squeaking in
patients receiving the Accolade femoral stem was 8.3%, and the incidence
of revision for squeaking in these patients was 1.3%. Cite this article:
This study compared the primary stability of two commercially
available acetabular components from the same manufacturer, which
differ only in geometry; a hemispherical and a peripherally enhanced
design (peripheral self-locking (PSL)). The objective was to determine
whether altered geometry resulted in better primary stability. Acetabular components were seated with 0.8 mm to 2 mm interference
fits in reamed polyethylene bone substrate of two different densities
(0.22 g/cm3 and 0.45 g/cm3). The primary stability
of each component design was investigated by measuring the peak
failure load during uniaxial pull-out and tangential lever-out tests.Objective
Methods
We investigated whether, in the management of
stable paediatric fractures of the forearm, flexible casts that
can be removed at home are as clinically effective Cite this article:
The importance for observing the intention-to-treat
approach in clinical studies is explained. Cite this article:
Despite the expansion of arthroscopic surgery
of the shoulder, the open deltopectoral approach to the shoulder
is still frequently used, for example in fracture fixation and shoulder
replacement. However, it is sometimes accompanied by unexpected
bleeding. The cephalic vein is the landmark for the deltopectoral
interval, yet its intimate relationship with the deltoid artery,
and the anatomical variations in that structure, have not previously been
documented. In this study the vascular anatomy encountered during 100 consecutive
elective deltopectoral approaches was recorded and the common variants
described. Two common variants of the deltoid artery were encountered.
In type I (71%) it crosses the interval and tunnels into the deltoid
muscle without encountering the cephalic vein. However, in type
II (21%) it crosses the interval, reaches the cephalic vein and
then runs down, medial to and behind it, giving off several small
arterial branches that return back across the interval to the pectoralis
major. Several minor variations were also seen (8%). These variations in the deltoid artery have not previously been
described and may lead to confusion and unexpected bleeding during
this standard anterior surgical approach to the shoulder. Cite this article:
We investigated the incidence of and risk factors
for venous thromboembolism (VTE) following surgery of the shoulder
and elbow and assessed the role of thromboprophylaxis in upper limb
surgery. All papers describing VTE after shoulder and elbow surgery
published in the English language literature before 31 March 2012
were reviewed. A total of 14 papers were available for analysis,
most of which were retrospective studies and case series. The incidence
of VTE was 0.038% from 92 440 shoulder arthroscopic procedures,
0.52% from 42 261 shoulder replacements, and 0.64% from 4833 procedures
for fractures of the proximal humerus (open reduction and internal fixation
or hemiarthroplasty). The incidence following replacement of the
elbow was 0.26% from 2701 procedures. Diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid
arthritis and ischaemic heart disease were identified as the major
risk factors. The evidence that exists on thromboprophylaxis is based on level
III and IV studies, and we therefore cannot make any recommendations
on prophylaxis based on the current evidence. It seems reasonable
to adopt a multimodal approach that involves all patients receiving
mechanical prophylaxis, with chemical prophylaxis reserved for those
who are at high risk for VTE. Cite this article:
We compared lower limb coronal alignment measurements
obtained pre- and post-operatively with long-leg radiographs and
computer navigation in patients undergoing primary total knee replacement
(TKR). A series of 185 patients had their pre- and post-implant
radiological and computer-navigation system measurements of coronal alignment
compared using the Bland-Altman method. The study included 81 men
and 104 women with a mean age of 68.5 years (32 to 87) and a mean
body mass index of 31.7 kg/m2 (19 to 49). Pre-implant
Bland–Altman limits of agreement were -9.4° to 8.6° with a repeatability
coefficient of 9.0°. The Bland–Altman plot showed a tendency for the
radiological measurement to indicate a higher level of pre-operative
deformity than the corresponding navigation measurement. Post-implant
limits of agreement were -5.0° to 5.4° with a repeatability coefficient
of 5.2°. The tendency for valgus knees to have greater deformity
on the radiograph was still seen, but was weaker for varus knees. The alignment seen or measured intra-operatively during TKR is
not necessarily the same as the deformity seen on a standing long-leg
radiograph either pre- or post-operatively. Further investigation
into the effect of weight-bearing and surgical exposure of the joint
on the mechanical femorotibial angle is required to enable the most appropriate
intra-operative alignment to be selected.
Recent events have highlighted the importance
of implant design for survival and wear-related complications following
metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty. The mid-term survival
of the most widely used implant, the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing
(BHR), has been described by its designers. The aim of this study
was to report the ten-year survival and patient-reported functional
outcome of the BHR from an independent centre. In this cohort of 554 patients (646 BHRs) with a mean age of
51.9 years (16.5 to 81.5) followed for a mean of eight years (1
to 12), the survival and patient-reported functional outcome depended
on gender and the size of the implant. In female hips (n = 267)
the ten-year survival was 74% (95% confidence interval (CI) 83 to
91), the ten-year revision rate for pseudotumour was 7%, the mean
Oxford hip score (OHS) was 43 ( This study supports the ongoing use of resurfacing in young active
men, who are a subgroup of patients who tend to have problems with
conventional THR. In contrast, the results in women have been poor
and we do not recommend metal-on-metal resurfacing in women. Continuous
follow-up is recommended because of the increasing incidence of
pseudotumour with the passage of time.