The number of arthroplasties being performed
increases each year. Patients undergoing an arthroplasty are at
risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and appropriate prophylaxis
has been recommended. However, the optimal protocol and the best
agent to minimise VTE under these circumstances are not known. Although
many agents may be used, there is a difference in their efficacy
and the risk of bleeding. Thus, the selection of a particular agent relies
on the balance between the desire to minimise VTE and the attempt
to reduce the risk of bleeding, with its undesirable, and occasionally
fatal, consequences. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is an agent for VTE prophylaxis
following arthroplasty. Many studies have shown its efficacy in
minimising VTE under these circumstances. It is inexpensive and
well-tolerated, and its use does not require routine blood tests.
It is also a ‘milder’ agent and unlikely to result in haematoma
formation, which may increase both the risk of infection and the
need for further surgery. Aspirin is also unlikely to result in persistent
wound drainage, which has been shown to be associated with the use
of agents such as low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and other
more aggressive agents. The main objective of this review was to summarise the current
evidence relating to the efficacy of aspirin as a VTE prophylaxis
following arthroplasty, and to address some of the common questions
about its use. There is convincing evidence that, taking all factors into account,
aspirin is an effective, inexpensive, and safe form of VTE following
arthroplasty in patients without a major risk factor for VTE, such
as previous VTE. Cite this article:
Little is known about tissue changes underlying bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in non-weight-bearing joints with osteoarthritis (OA). Our aim was to characterize BMLs in OA of the hand using dynamic histomorphometry. We therefore quantified bone turnover and angiogenesis in subchondral bone at the base of the thumb, and compared the findings with control bone from hip OA. Patients with OA at the base of the thumb, or the hip, underwent preoperative MRI to assess BMLs, and tetracycline labelling to determine bone turnover. Three groups were compared: trapezium bones removed by trapeziectomy from patients with thumb base OA (n = 20); femoral heads with (n = 24); and those without (n = 9) BMLs obtained from patients with hip OA who underwent total hip arthroplasty.Objectives
Methods
In Asia and the Middle-East, people often flex their knees deeply
in order to perform activities of daily living. The purpose of this
study was to investigate the 3D kinematics of normal knees during
high-flexion activities. Our hypothesis was that the femorotibial
rotation, varus-valgus angle, translations, and kinematic pathway
of normal knees during high-flexion activities, varied according
to activity. We investigated the Aims
Materials and Methods
Osteoarthritis (OA) is caused by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetic mechanisms control the expression of genes and are likely to regulate the OA transcriptome. We performed integrative genomic analyses to define methylation-gene expression relationships in osteoarthritic cartilage. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of articular cartilage from five patients with OA of the knee and five healthy controls was conducted using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, California). Other independent genome-wide mRNA expression profiles of articular cartilage from three patients with OA and three healthy controls were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Integrative pathway enrichment analysis of DNA methylation and mRNA expression profiles was performed using integrated analysis of cross-platform microarray and pathway software. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID).Aim
Patients and Methods
The aims of this study were to investigate any possible relationship
between a preoperative sensitivity to pain and the degree of pain
at rest and on exertion with postoperative function in patients
who underwent stemless total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). In this prospective study, we included 63 patients who underwent
stemless TSA and were available for evaluation one year postoperatively.
There were 31 women and 32 men; their mean age was 71 years (53
to 89). The pain threshold, which was measured using a Pain Matcher
(PM) unit, the degree of pain (visual analogue scale at rest and
on exertion, and function using the short version of the Disabilities
of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH), were recorded
preoperatively, as well as three and 12 months postoperatively.Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this paper was to present the clinical features of
patients with musculoskeletal sources of methicillin-sensitive A total of 137 patients presented with MSSA septicaemia between
2012 and 2015. The primary source of infection was musculoskeletal
in 48 patients (35%). Musculoskeletal infection was considered the
primary source of septicaemia when endocarditis and other obvious
sources were excluded. All patients with an arthroplasty at the time
were evaluated for any prosthetic involvement. Aims
Patients and Methods
Infection following total hip or knee arthroplasty is a serious
complication. We noted an increase in post-operative infection in
cases carried out in temporary operating theatres. We therefore
compared those cases performed in standard and temporary operating
theatres and examined the deep periprosthetic infection rates. A total of 1223 primary hip and knee arthroplasties were performed
between August 2012 and June 2013. A total of 539 (44%) were performed
in temporary theatres. The two groups were matched for age, gender,
body mass index and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade.Aims
Patients and methods
Our aim was to examine the clinical and radiographic outcomes
in 257 consecutive Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasties (OUKAs)
(238 patients), five years post-operatively. A retrospective evaluation was undertaken of patients treated
between April 2008 and October 2010 in a regional centre by two
non-designing surgeons with no previous experience of UKAs. The
Oxford Knee Scores (OKSs) were recorded and fluoroscopically aligned
radiographs were assessed post-operatively at one and five years.Aims
Patients and Methods
The number of arthroplasties of the hip and knee
is predicted to increase rapidly during the next 20 years. Accompanying
this is the dilemma of how to follow-up these patients appropriately.
Current guidelines recommend long-term follow-up to identify patients
with aseptic loosening, which can occur more than a decade postoperatively.
The current guidelines and practices of orthopaedic surgeons vary
widely. Existing models take up much clinical time and are expensive.
Pilot studies using ‘virtual’ clinics and advanced-practice physiotherapists
have shown promise in decreasing the time and costs for orthopaedic surgeons
and patients. This review discusses current practices and future trends in
the follow-up of patients who have an arthroplasty. Cite this article:
Few studies have evaluated the relationship between patients’
pre-operative expectations and the outcome of orthopaedic procedures.
Our aim was to determine the effect of expectations on the outcome
after primary anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). We hypothesised
that patients with greater expectations would have better outcomes. Patients undergoing primary anatomical TSA completed the Hospital
for Special Surgery’s Shoulder Expectations Survey pre-operatively.
The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Shoulder Activity
Scale (SAS), Short-Form-36 (SF-36), and visual analogue scale (VAS)
for pain, fatigue, and general health scores were also collected
pre-operatively and two years post-operatively. Pearson correlations
were used to assess the relationship between the number of expectations
and the outcomes. Differences in outcomes between those with higher
and lower levels of expectations for each expectation were assessed
by independent samples Aims
Patients and Methods
The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of revision
total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with and without proximalisation of
the tibial tubercle in patients with a failed primary TKA who have
pseudo patella baja. All revision TKAs, performed between January 2008 and November
2013 at a tertiary referral University Orthopaedic Department were
retrospectively reviewed. Pseudo patella baja was defined using
the modified Insall-Salvati and the Blackburne-Peel ratios. A proximalisation
of the tibial tubercle was performed in 13 patients with pseudo
patella baja who were matched with a control group of 13 patients
for gender, age, height, weight, body mass index, length of surgery
and Blackburne-Peel ratio. Outcome was assessed two years post-operatively
using the Knee Society Score (KSS).Aims
Patients and Methods
The primary aim of this independent prospective randomised trial
was to compare serum metal ion levels for ceramic-on-metal (CoM)
and metal-on-metal (MoM) bearing surfaces in total hip arthroplasty
(THA). Our one-year results demonstrated elevation in metal ion
levels above baseline with no significant difference between the
CoM and MoM groups. This paper reviews the five-year data. The implants used in each patient differed only in respect to
the type of femoral head (ceramic or metal). At five-year follow-up
of the 83 enrolled patients, data from 67 (36 CoM, 31 MoM) was available
for comparison.Aims
Patients and Methods
Fractures of the distal femur can be challenging to manage and
are on the increase in the elderly osteoporotic population. Management
with casting or bracing can unacceptably limit a patient’s ability
to bear weight, but historically, operative fixation has been associated
with a high rate of re-operation. In this study, we describe the outcomes
of fixation using modern implants within a strategy of early return
to function. All patients treated at our centre with lateral distal femoral
locking plates (LDFLP) between 2009 and 2014 were identified. Fracture
classification and operative information including weight-bearing
status, rates of union, re-operation, failure of implants and mortality
rate, were recorded.Aims
Patients and Methods
