Thermal necrosis after simultaneous tibial osteotomy and total knee arthroplasty using press-fit extension-stem

Single-Stage Total Knee Arthroplasty and Open-Wedge Distal Femoral Osteotomy for Osteoarthritis with Femoral Shortening and Extra-Articular Varus Deformity: A Case Report

CASE

A 76-year-old female patient with a history of pyogenic arthritis of the right knee in childhood presented with severe osteoarthritis of the right knee with 24-mm femoral shortening and severe extra-articular femoral varus deformity. She received single-stage total knee arthroplasty (TKA) combined with a medial open-wedge distal femoral osteotomy and achieved good postoperative clinical and radiological results.

CONCLUSION

This case illustrated that extra-articular open-wedge distal femoral osteotomy and TKA performed simultaneously may be efficacious for severe extra-articular deformities with femoral shortening.

Osteotomies and Total Knee Arthroplasty: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Total knee replacement (TKA) is a frequent modality performed in patients with osteoarthritis. Specific circumstances can make it much more difficult to execute successfully, and additional procedures such as osteotomy may be required. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis and systematic review of osteotomies combined with TKA.

METHODS

In June 2022, a search PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Clinicaltrials was undertaken, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. The search included the terms "osteotomy" and "total knee arthroplasty".

RESULTS

Two subgroups (tibial tubercle osteotomy and medial femoral condyle osteotomy) were included in the meta-analysis. Further subgroups were described as a narrative review. The primary outcome showed no significant difference in favor to TTO. Secondary outcomes showed improved results in all presented subgroups compared to preoperative status.

CONCLUSION

This study showed a significant deficit of randomized control trials treated with osteotomies, in addition to TKA, and a lack of evidence-based surgical guidelines for the treatment of patients with OA in special conditions: posttraumatic deformities, stiff knee, severe varus, and valgus axis or patella disorders.

Surgical Drill Bit Design and Thermomechanical Damage in Bone Drilling: A Review

As drilling generates substantial bone thermomechanical damage due to inappropriate cutting tool selection, researchers have proposed various approaches to mitigate this problem. Among these, improving the drill bit design is one of the most feasible and economical solutions. The theory and applications in drill design have been progressing, and research has been published in various fields. However, pieces of information on drill design are dispersed, and no comprehensive review paper focusing on this topic. Systemizing this information is crucial and, therefore, the impetus of this review. Here, we review not only the state-of-the-art in drill bit designs-advances in surgical drill bit design-but also the influences of each drill bit geometries on bone damage. Also, this work provides future directions for this topic and guidelines for designing an improved surgical drill bit. The information in this paper would be useful as a one-stop document for clinicians, engineers, and researchers who require information related to the tool design in bone drilling surgery.

An overview of thermal necrosis: present and future

Introduction: Many orthopaedic procedures require drilling of bone, especially fracture repair cases. Bone drilling results in heat generation due to the friction between the bone and the drill bit. A high-level of heat generation kills bone cells. Bone cell death results in resorption of bone around bone screws.Methods: We searched in the literature for data on parameters that influence drilling bone and could lead to thermal necrosis. The points of view of many orthopaedists and neurosurgeons based upon on previous practices and clinical experience are presented.Results: Several potential complications that lead to thermal necrosis are discussed and highlighted.Discussion: Even in the face of growing evidence as to the negative effects of heat induction during drilling, simple and effective methods for monitoring and cooling in real-time are not in widespread usage today. For that purpose, we propose some suggestions for the future of bone drilling, taking note of recent advances in autonomous robotics, intelligent systems and computer simulation techniques.Conclusions: These advances in prevention of thermal necrosis during bone drilling surgery are expected to reduce the risk of patient injury and costs for the health service.

Total knee arthroplasty associated with tibial tubercle and simultaneous femoral and tibial osteotomies for severe extra-articular deformity: a case report

The restoration of the lower extremity mechanical axis in patients with osteoarthritis in knee and extra-articular deformity requires careful pre-operative planning. An extra-articular deformity may be corrected inside the knee by arthroplasty with intra-articular correction or outside of the knee by osteotomy alone or by arthroplasty combined with extra-articular corrective osteotomy. In this study, we described a unique case of simultaneous femoral and tibial osteotomies at the time of primary total knee arthroplasty in a 45-year-old woman. To prevent unnecessary bone loss, the intra-articular bone resections were made parallelly to the preexisting joint obliquity prior to the corrective tibial and femoral osteotomies. After restoration of the mechanical axis and healing of all osteotomies, a successful clinical and radiological outcome was achieved during the mid-term 5-year follow-up. The preoperative analysis of patients with an extra-articular deformity is invaluable and should include long-standing radiographs from the center of the femoral head to the center of the ankle. Although different osteotomy principles (opening wedge vs closing wedge) and fixation methods (stemmed revision prosthesis, intramedullary nail, locking plates) have been reported in the literature, the use of a tapered fluted long stem offers several benefits, including ease of application, rotational control, and possible early weight bearing. Total knee arthroplasty in combination with simultaneous extra-articular osteotomy is technically difficult but effective. This technique helps to preserve bone stock and ligament stability. A single intervention leads to less recovery time, reduced risk to the patients by avoiding two separate applications of anesthesia, and reduced costs. Based on the literature search, this is the first report describing the detailed surgical technique of simultaneous femoral and tibial osteotomies at the time of primary total knee arthroplasty associated with tibial tubercle osteotomy, achieving a comprehensive correction.