The Unified Classification System (UCS) emphasises
the key principles in the assessment and management of peri-prosthetic
fractures complicating partial or total joint replacement. We tested the inter- and intra-observer agreement for the UCS
as applied to the pelvis and femur using 20 examples of peri-prosthetic
fracture in 17 patients. Each subtype of the UCS was represented
by at least one case. Specialist orthopaedic surgeons (experts)
and orthopaedic residents (pre-experts) assessed reliability on
two separate occasions. For the pelvis, the UCS showed inter-observer agreement of 0.837
(95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.798 to 0.876) for the experts and
0.728 (95% CI 0.689 to 0.767) for the pre-experts. The intra-observer
agreement for the experts was 0.861 (95% CI 0.760 to 0.963) and
0.803 (95% 0.688 to 0.918) for the pre-experts. For the femur, the
UCS showed an inter-observer kappa value of 0.805 (95% CI 0.765
to 0.845) for the experts and a value of 0.732 (95% CI 0.690 to 0.773)
for the pre-experts. The intra-observer agreement was 0.920 (95%
CI 0.867 to 0.973) for the experts, and 0.772 (95% CI 0.652 to 0.892)
for the pre-experts. This corresponds to a substantial and ‘almost
perfect’ inter- and intra-observer agreement for the UCS for peri-prosthetic
fractures of the pelvis and femur. We hope that unifying the terminology of these injuries will
assist in their assessment, treatment and outcome. Cite this article:
The October 2014 Wrist &
Hand Roundup360 looks at: pulsed electromagnetic field of no use in acute scaphoid fractures; proximal interphalangeal joint replacement: one at a time or both at once; trapeziometacarpal arthrodesis in the young patient; Tamoxifen and Dupytren’s disease; and endoscopic or open for de Quervain’s syndrome?
The aim of this study was to define the incidence
of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and risk factors for the development
of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) after the resection of a musculoskeletal
tumour. A total of 94 patients who underwent resection of a musculoskeletal
tumour between January 2003 and December 2005 were prospectively
studied. There were 42 men and 52 women with a mean age of 54.4
years (18 to 86). All patients wore intermittent pneumatic compression
devices and graduated compression stockings. Ultrasound examination
of the lower limbs was conducted to screen for DVT between the fifth
and ninth post-operative days. DVT was detected in 21 patients (22%). Of these, two were symptomatic
(2%). One patient (1%) had a fatal pulmonary embolism. Patients
aged ≥ 70 years had an increased risk of DVT (p = 0.004). The overall incidence of DVT (both symptomatic and asymptomatic)
after resection of a musculoskeletal tumour with mechanical prophylaxis
was high. It seems that both mechanical and anticoagulant prophylaxis
is needed to prevent VTE in patients who have undergone the resection
of a musculoskeletal tumour. Cite this article:
We assessed the effect of mental disability on
the outcome of total knee replacement (TKR) and investigated whether
mental health improves post-operatively. Outcome data were prospectively
recorded over a three-year period for 962 patients undergoing primary
TKR for osteoarthritis. Pre-operative and one year Short-Form (SF)-12 scores
and Oxford knee scores (OKS) were obtained. The mental component
of the SF-12 was stratified into four groups according to level
of mental disability (none ≥ 50, mild 40 to 49, moderate 30 to 39,
severe <
30). Patients with any degree of mental disability had
a significantly greater subjective physical disability according
to the SF-12 (p = 0.06) and OKS (p <
0.001). The improvement
in the disease-specific score (OKS) was not affected by a patient’s
mental health (p = 0.33). In contrast, patients with mental disability
had less of an improvement in their global physical health (SF-12)
(p <
0.001). However, patients with any degree of mental disability
had a significant improvement in their mental health post-operatively
(p <
0.001). Despite a similar improvement in their disease-specific scores
and improvement in their mental health, patients with mental disability
were significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with their TKR
at one year (p = 0.001). Patients with poor mental health do benefit
from improvements in their mental health and knee function after
TKR, but also have a higher rate of dissatisfaction. Cite this article:
We compared the clinical and radiographic results
of total ankle replacement (TAR) performed in non-diabetic and diabetic
patients. We identified 173 patients who underwent unilateral TAR
between 2004 and 2011 with a minimum of two years’ follow-up. There
were 88 male (50.9%) and 85 female (49.1%) patients with a mean
age of 66 years ( The mean AOS and AOFAS scores were significantly better in the
non-diabetic group (p = 0.018 and p = 0.038, respectively). In all,
nine TARs (21%) in the diabetic group had clinical failure at a
mean follow-up of five years (24 to 109), which was significantly
higher than the rate of failure of 15 (11.6%) in the non-diabetic
group (p = 0.004). The uncontrolled diabetic subgroup had a significantly
poorer outcome than the non-diabetic group (p = 0.02), and a higher
rate of delayed wound healing. The incidence of early-onset osteolysis was higher in the diabetic
group than in the non-diabetic group (p = 0.02). These results suggest
that diabetes mellitus, especially with poor glycaemic control,
negatively affects the short- to mid-term outcome after TAR. Cite this article:
The aim of this study was to examine the functional
outcome at ten years following lateral closing wedge high tibial osteotomy
for medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee and to define
pre-operative predictors of survival and determinants of functional
outcome. 164 consecutive patients underwent high tibial osteotomy between
2000 and 2002. A total of 100 patients (100 knees) met the inclusion
criteria and 95 were available for review at ten years. Data were
collected prospectively and included patient demographics, surgical
details, long leg alignment radiographs, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and Knee Society scores (KSS) pre-operatively
and at five and ten years follow-up. At ten years, 21 patients had been revised at a mean of five
years. Overall Kaplan–Meier survival was 87% (95% confidence interval
(CI) 81 to 94) and 79% (95% CI 71 to 87) at five and ten years,
respectively. When compared with unrevised patients, those who had
been revised had significantly lower mean pre-operative WOMAC Scores
(47 (21 to 85) This study has shown that improved survival is associated with
age <
55 years, pre-operative WOMAC scores >
45 and, a BMI <
30. In patients over 55 years of age with adequate pre-operative
functional scores, survival can be good and functional outcomes
can be significantly better than their younger counterparts. We
recommend the routine use of pre-operative functional outcome scores
to guide decision-making when considering suitability for high tibial osteotomy. 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.
The August 2014 Hip &
Pelvis Roundup360 looks at: Serial MRIs best for pseudotumour surveillance; Is ultrasound good enough for MOM follow-up?; Does weight loss in obese patients help?; Measuring acetabular anteversion on plain films; Two-stage one-stage too many in fungal hip revisions? and 35 is the magic number in arthroplasty.
The relationship between post-operative bone
density and subsequent failure of total knee replacement (TKR) is
not known. This retrospective study aimed to determine the relationship
between bone density and failure, both overall and according to
failure mechanism. All 54 aseptic failures occurring in 50 patients
from 7760 consecutive primary cemented TKRs between 1983 and 2004
were matched with non-failing TKRs, and 47 failures in 44 patients
involved tibial failures with the matching characteristics of age
(65.1 for failed and 69.8 for non-failed), gender (70.2% female), diagnosis
(93.6% OA), date of operation, bilaterality, pre-operative alignment
(0.4 and 0.3 respectively), and body mass index (30.2 and 30.0 respectively).
In each case, the density of bone beneath the tibial component was assessed
at each follow-up interval using standardised, calibrated radiographs.
Failing knees were compared with controls both overall and, as a
subgroup analysis, by failure mechanism. Knees were compared with
controls using univariable linear regression. Significant and continuous elevation in tibial density was found
in knees that eventually failed by medial collapse (p <
0.001)
and progressive radiolucency (p <
0.001) compared with controls,
particularly in the medial region of the tibia. Knees failing due
to ligamentous instability demonstrated an initial decline in density
(p = 0.0152) followed by a non-decreasing density over time (p =
0.034 for equivalence). Non-failing knees reported a decline in
density similar to that reported previously using dual-energy x-ray
absorptiometry (DEXA). Differences between failing and non-failing
knees were observable as early as two months following surgery.
This tool may be used to identify patients at risk of failure following
TKR, but more validation work is needed. Cite this article:
There is conflicting evidence about the functional
outcome and rate of satisfaction of super-elderly patients (≥ 80 years
of age) after carpal tunnel decompression. We compiled outcome data for 756 patients who underwent a carpal
tunnel decompression over an eight-year study period, 97 of whom
were super-elderly, and 659 patients who formed a younger control
group (<
80 years old). There was no significant difference between
the super-elderly patients and the younger control group in terms
of functional outcome according to the mean (0 to 100) QuickDASH
score (adjusted mean difference at one year 1.8; 95% confidence
interval (CI) -3.4 to 7.0) and satisfaction rate (odds ratio (OR)
0.78; 95% CI 0.34 to 1.58). Super-elderly patients were, however,
more likely to have thenar muscle atrophy at presentation (OR 9.2,
95% CI 5.8 to 14.6). When nerve conduction studies were obtained,
super-elderly patients were more likely to have a severe conduction deficit
(OR 12.4, 95% CI 3.0 to 51.3). Super-elderly patients report functional outcome and satisfaction
rates equal to those of their younger counterparts. They are more
likely to have thenar muscle atrophy and a severe nerve conduction
deficit at presentation, and may therefore warrant earlier decompression. Cite this article:
This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine
the mid- to long-term clinical outcomes for a medial-pivot total
knee replacement (TKR) system. The objectives were to synthesise
available survivorship, Knee Society Scores (KSS), and reasons for
revision for this system. A systematic search was conducted of two online databases to
identify sources of survivorship, KSS, and reasons for revision.
Survivorship results were compared with values in the National Joint
Registry of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (NJR).Objectives
Methods
The June 2014 Hip &
Pelvis Roundup360 looks at: Modular femoral necks: early signs are not good; is corrosion to blame for modular neck failures; metal-on-metal is not quite a closed book; no excess failures in fixation of displaced femoral neck fractures; noise no problem in hip replacement; heterotopic ossification after hip arthroscopy: are NSAIDs the answer?; thrombotic and bleeding events surprisingly low in total joint replacement; and the elephant in the room: complications and surgical volume.
Using general practitioner records and hospital
notes and through direct telephone conversation with patients, we investigated
the accuracy of nine patient-reported complications gathered from
a self-completed questionnaire after elective joint replacement
surgery of the hip and knee. A total of 402 post-discharge complications
were reported after 8546 elective operations that were undertaken
within a three-year period. These were reported by 136 men and 240
women with a mean age of 71.8 years (34 to 93). A total of 319 reported
complications (79.4%; 95% confidence interval 75.4 to 83.3) were
confirmed to be correct. High rates of correct reporting were demonstrated
for infection (94.5%) and the need for further surgery (100%), whereas
the rates of reporting deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism,
myocardial infarction and stroke were lower (75% to 84.2%). Dislocation,
peri-prosthetic fractures and nerve palsy had modest rates of correct
reporting (36% to 57.1%). More patients who had knee surgery delivered
incorrect reports of dislocation (p = 0.001) and DVT (p = 0.013). Despite these variations, it appears that post-operative complications
may form part of a larger patient-reported outcome programme after
elective joint replacement surgery.
Data on early morbidity and complications after
revision total hip replacement (THR) are limited. The aim of this nationwide
study was to describe and quantify early morbidity after aseptic
revision THR and relate the morbidity to the extent of the revision
surgical procedure. We analysed all aseptic revision THRs from 1st
October 2009 to 30th September 2011 using the Danish National Patient
Registry, with additional information from the Danish Hip Arthroplasty
Registry. There were 1553 procedures (1490 patients) performed in
40 centres and we divided them into total revisions, acetabular
component revisions, femoral stem revisions and partial revisions.
The mean age of the patients was 70.4 years (25 to 98) and the median
hospital stay was five days (interquartile range 3 to 7). Within 90
days of surgery, the readmission rate was 18.3%, mortality rate
1.4%, re-operation rate 6.1%, dislocation rate 7.0% and infection
rate 3.0%. There were no differences in these outcomes between high-
and low-volume centres. Of all readmissions, 255 (63.9%) were due
to ‘surgical’ complications Cite this article:
Although it is clear that opening-wedge high
tibial osteotomy (HTO) changes alignment in the coronal plane, which is
its objective, it is not clear how this procedure affects knee kinematics
throughout the range of joint movement and in other planes. Our research question was: how does opening-wedge HTO change
three-dimensional tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics in
loaded flexion in patients with varus deformity?Three-dimensional
kinematics were assessed over 0° to 60° of loaded flexion using
an MRI method before and after opening-wedge HTO in a cohort of
13 men (14 knees). Results obtained from an iterative statistical
model found that at six and 12 months after operation, opening-wedge
HTO caused increased anterior translation of the tibia (mean 2.6
mm, p <
0.001), decreased proximal translation of the patella
(mean –2.2 mm, p <
0.001), decreased patellar spin (mean –1.4°,
p <
0.05), increased patellar tilt (mean 2.2°, p <
0.05) and
changed three other parameters. The mean Western Ontario and McMaster
Universities Arthritis Index improved significantly (p <
0.001)
from 49.6 (standard deviation ( The three-dimensional kinematic changes found may be important
in explaining inconsistency in clinical outcomes, and suggest that
measures in addition to coronal plane alignment should be considered. Cite this article:
This prospective randomised controlled double-blind
trial compared two types of PFC Sigma total knee replacement (TKR),
differing in three design features aimed at improving flexion. The
outcome of a standard fixed-bearing posterior cruciate ligament-preserving
design (FB-S) was compared with that of a high-flexion rotating-platform
posterior-stabilised design (RP-F) at one year after TKR. The study group of 77 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee
comprised 37 men and 40 women, with a mean age of 69 years (44.9
to 84.9). The patients were randomly allocated either to the FB-S
or the RP-F group and assessed pre-operatively and at one year post-operatively.
The mean post-operative non-weight-bearing flexion was 107° (95%
confidence interval (CI) 104° to 110°)) for the FB-S group and 113°
(95% CI 109° to 117°) for the RP-F group, and this difference was
statistically significant (p = 0.032). However, weight-bearing range
of movement during both level walking and ascending a slope as measured
during flexible electrogoniometry was a mean of 4° lower in the RP-F
group than in the FB-S group, with 58° (95% CI 56° to 60°) Although the RP-F group achieved higher non-weight-bearing knee
flexion, patients in this group did not use this during activities
of daily living and reported more pain one year after surgery
The April 2014 Hip & Pelvis Roundup360 looks at: Recent arthroplasty and flight; whether that squeak could be a fracture; diagnosing early infected hip replacement; impaction grafting at a decade; whether squeaking is more common than previously thought; femoral offset associated with post THR outcomes; and periprosthetic fracture stabilisation.
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