Arthroscopically assisted retrograde drilling of the humeral head with a guiding device

Mid-term Clinical Outcomes of "Light Bulb" Core Decompression with Arthroscopic Assistance in Peri-collapse Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A Retrospective Comparative Study

OBJECTIVE

Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is commonly encountered in orthopedics. Without early clinical intervention, most patients with peri-collapse of the ONFH will develop femoral head necrosis and eventually require hip replacement surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with ONFH who underwent "light bulb" core decompression (CD) with arthroscopic assistance and to compare them with the outcomes of those treated with traditional procedures.

METHODS

A retrospective review of patients with Stage II and IIIA (Peri-collapse) radiographic findings based on the Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) stage for ONFH who underwent "light bulb" CD with or without arthroscopic assistance by a single-surgeon team between March 2014 and December 2018 was performed. All patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 years. The visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, Harris hip score (HHS), and radiological imaging were evaluated. The categorical parameters were analyzed by chi-square test and the continuous variables conforming to a normal distribution were analyzed by Student's t-test.

RESULTS

The study included a total of 39 patients (18 and 21 patients in the with and without arthroscopic assistance groups, respectively), with a mean age of 40.3 years and a mean follow-up of 22.2 months. Overall, there was a better VAS score in the arthroscopic assistance group than in the control group (p < 0.05), There was a significant difference in HHS (80.1 ± 9.2 vs 75.1 ± 12.7) at the last follow-up (p < 0.05). The rate of good and excellent outcomes was 94%. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the total rate of complications or conversion to THA.

CONCLUSION

With arthroscopic assistance, "light bulb" CD could be achieved via hip arthroscopy with less trauma, and it offered the opportunity for more precise evaluation and monitoring for therapy and yielded better VAS scores after surgery and better hip function outcomes at the last follow-up.

Surgical treatment of subchondral osteonecrosis of the humeral head: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Osteonecrosis of the humeral head is an uncommon subchondral bone disease with many etiologies, and there is currently no definite evidence to support an optimal surgical treatment plan. We report a case of surgical treatment of left humeral head necrosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest patient with non-drug-induced humeral head necrosis and the largest collapsed area.

CASE PRESENTATION

The case involved a 16-year-old male who injured his left shoulder 1 year ago. The patient was admitted to the hospital because of shoulder pain after activity in the year following the injury. During the physical examination, the left glenohumeral joint space was tender, the pain was obvious when the shoulder joint was rotated and squeezed, and the active and passive range of motion was normal. X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography + 3D computed tomography scans all showed subchondral osteonecrosis of the left humeral head. Left humeral head lesion removal and autologous osteochondral transplantation were performed, and the patient was followed up.

CONCLUSION

Non-drug-induced humeral head necrosis is rare. Autologous osteochondral transplantation is currently one of the most mature and effective treatment methods. The short-term curative effect in this patient is satisfactory, but the patient is young and has a large collapsed area, so long-term follow-up is worthwhile.

Atraumatic osteonecrosis of the humeral head: pathophysiology and current concepts of evaluation and treatment

The humeral head is considered the second most common site for osteonecrosis to occur after the femoral head. As seen in the femoral head, the circulatory implications characteristic of this condition are attributable to the interaction between a genetic predisposition and the exposure to certain risk factors. There is no consensus regarding the pathogenesis of osteonecrosis, yet the final common pathway results in disrupted blood supply, increased intraosseous pressure, and bone death. Disease staging using radiography and magnetic resonance imaging is predictive of disease progression and can help the orthopedic surgeon to guide treatment. Although there is a myriad of treatment modalities, there is a lack of high-quality evidence to conclude what is the most appropriate treatment option for each stage of humeral head osteonecrosis. Nonoperative treatment is the preferred option in early-stage disease, and it may prevent disease progression. Nonetheless, in some cases, disease progression occurs despite nonoperative measures, and surgical treatment is required. The purpose of this article is to provide an updated review of the available evidence on risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of atraumatic humeral head osteonecrosis.

Surgical treatments of atraumatic avascular necrosis of the shoulder

Humeral head atraumatic avascular necrosis is a rare diagnosis. It concerns young patients with a high functional demand. The treatments are mostly surgical. The radiographic classification of Cruess assesses the severity of the humeral head avascular necrosis and guides surgical indications. This chapter reports a review of the literature based on meta-analyses and clinical series. Surgical treatments may be conservative or prosthetic. Conservative treatments include core decompression, bone grafting and arthroscopic debridement. Prosthetic replacements are performed by resurfacing, hemiarthroplasty or total arthroplasty. For low-grade asvascular necrosis, core decompression may be functionally effective and doesn't impair later surgical procedures. For high grades, prosthetic replacements achieve good functional outcomes. Hemiarthroplasty should be preferred if the glenoid cartilage is intact, with low rates of wear complications and better long-term outcome than shoulder arthroplasty.

Arthroscopically Assisted Surgical Decompression and Fibular Strut Grafting for Proximal Humerus Avascular Necrosis: Surgical Technique

Avascular necrosis is a relatively common entity that affects the proximal humerus and can lead to substantial morbidity. It often occurs in younger patients for whom the traditional treatment of shoulder arthroplasty is not optimal. Fibular strut grafting to prevent humeral head collapse has been described as a viable treatment option. However, it is technically challenging to direct the fibular strut graft into the center of the bony infarct, where it will be most effective. This paper describes a technique of arthroscopically assisted fibular strut grafting for avascular necrosis of the humerus. This is a minimally invasive technique with low morbidity and an accurate way of placing the graft into the infarcted segment.

Etiology of Shoulder Arthritis in Young Patients

The manifestation of glenohumeral arthritis in the young adult is a devastating occurrence that can be difficult to manage. This review details the many underlying etiologies including genetic causes, congenital abnormalities, glenohumeral instability, posttraumatic lesions, postcapsulorraphy arthropathy, osteonecrosis, intraarticular pain pump postoperative use, radiofrequency/thermal capsulorraphy treatments, septic arthritis/infection, and inflammatory arthropathies. Although each of these potential causes have been well-studied, their contributions to the development of glenohumeral arthritis in the young person has not been described extensively.

Surgical management of osteonecrosis of the humeral head: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Osteonecrosis of the humeral head is a rare diagnosis. The aim of this systematic review was to identify published studies and analyse the best clinical evidence available related to the surgical management of osteonecrosis of the humeral head.

METHODS

A systematic electronic search was performed using the PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases. Published studies that reported the outcomes for adult patients treated surgically for osteonecrosis of the humeral head were included. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement was followed.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were included: five prospective case series and seven retrospective case series. A total of 309 patients, comprising 382 shoulders, were included. Three main surgical procedures were evaluated: core decompression, hemi-arthroplasty and total shoulder arthroplasty.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the current available data, core decompression is a safe and effective option for treating low-grade osteonecrosis of the humeral head, while hemi-arthroplasty and total shoulder arthroplasty should be considered for high-grade osteonecrosis. More studies and better-designed trials are needed in order to enrich the evidence and enable researchers to draw stronger conclusions. Since osteonecrosis is an uncommon, though challenging disease, a proper knowledge of its treatment is needed.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.