Is Hemiresurfacing Arthroplasty for Osteonecrosis of the Hip a Viable Solution?

Concerns with alumina bipolar hemiarthroplasties compared to metal bipolar hemiarthroplasties when performed for nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head

PURPOSE

A nationwide multicenter follow-up cohort study of hip replacement arthroplasties performed for nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) aimed to answer the following questions: What factors were associated with need for reoperation? Although many modifications were made in bipolar hemiarthroplasties (BPs) to improve their durability, could we find any evidence of their efficacy?

METHODS

Excluding 58 infected hips and 43 ABS THAs with very poor survivorship, we analyzed 7393 arthroplasties; 6284 total hip arthroplasties (THAs), 886 BPs, 188 total resurfacing arthroplasties, and 35 hemi-resurfacing arthroplasties (hRSs). In the 886 BPs, 440 hips had a smooth small-diameter prosthetic neck (nBPs), 667 hips had a smooth neck (sBPs), 116 hips had highly cross-linked polyethylene in the outer head (hBPs), and 238 hips had an outer head whose outer surface was alumina ceramic (aBPs) (648 hips had an outer head whose outer surface was metal [mBPs]). Multivariate analyses using a Cox proportional-hazard model analyzed risk factors.

RESULTS

Follow-up ranged from 0.1 to 27 (average, 6.9) years, during which 265 hips (3.6%) needed reoperation. Combined systemic steroid use and excessive alcohol consumption and lateral approach were associated with higher risks, aBPs were less durable than THAs or mBPs, and hRSs were inferior to the others. Regarding BPs, the following divisions did not influence their survivorship; nBP or not, sBP or not, and hBP or not.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors associated with reoperation risk were identified as described above. The modifications made in BPs did not improve their durability, but aBPs made it worse.

LEVEL OF CLINICAL EVIDENCE

Level III, therapeutic cohort study.

Long-term results of hemi-resurfacing and metal-on-metal hip resurfacing for osteonecrosis of the femoral head

PURPOSE

Hemi-resurfacing arthroplasty (Hemi) and metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HR) were proposed as alternatives to conventional total hip arthroplasty (THA) for patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Long-term results were evaluated.

METHODS

Twenty-three hips with ONFH were treated, using Hemi in 12 and HR in 11. Mean follow-up was 15 years in the Hemi group and 10 years in the HR group. Long-term outcomes were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

In the Hemi group, 8 hips showed acetabular protrusion and were revised to THA. One of the 8 hips showed femoral loosening. In the HR group, pseudotumor was detected in 4 hips (36%), and 1 hip was revised due to symptomatic pseudotumor. No evidence of any femoral or acetabular loosening was seen in the HR group. Ten-year survival rates were 64.2% and 90.9% in the Hemi and HR groups, respectively. Survival rate in the Hemi group dropped to 22.9% at 15 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term results of Hemi for patients with ONFH were very poor, and Hemi should not continue to be used. Although HR had a concern of pseudotumor, it could offer attractive indications for 10 years.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Osteonecrosis: 2022 Update

Osteonecrosis is defined as bone death due to inadequate vascular supply. It is sometimes also called "avascular necrosis" and "aseptic necrosis" when involving epiphysis, or "bone infarct" when involving metadiaphysis. Common sites include femoral head, humeral head, tibial metadiaphysis, femoral metadiaphysis, scaphoid, lunate, and talus. Osteonecrosis is thought to be a common condition most commonly affecting adults in third to fifth decades of life. Risk factors for osteonecrosis are numerous and include trauma, corticosteroid therapy, alcohol use, HIV, lymphoma/leukemia, blood dyscrasias, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Gaucher disease, and Caisson disease. Epiphyseal osteonecrosis can lead to subchondral fracture and secondary osteoarthritis whereas metadiaphyseal cases do not, likely explaining their lack of long-term sequelae. Early diagnosis of osteonecrosis is important: 1) to exclude other causes of patient's pain and 2) to allow for possible early surgical prevention to prevent articular collapse and need for joint replacements. Imaging is also important for preoperative planning. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer-reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances in which peer-reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head most commonly arises from trauma or corticosteroid and alcohol use but is also associated with blood dyscrasias and metabolic and coagulation disorders. Initial evaluation includes a history and physical examination and plain radiographs. Early-stage osteonecrosis is best evaluated by MRI. The Ficat and Arlet classification system is the most widely used. Nonoperative treatment has been studied using bisphosphonates, anticoagulants, vasodilators, statins, and biophysical modalities. Operative treatment includes core decompression with or without adjuvants, such as autologous bone marrow, whereas total hip arthroplasty is reserved for advanced-stage osteonecrosis in older patients or those who have failed joint-preserving treatment.

Nationwide multicenter follow-up cohort study of hip arthroplasties performed for osteonecrosis of the femoral head

PURPOSE

To identify modifiable factors related to post-operative dislocation and reoperation in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) in a large cohort.

METHODS

We studied 4995 hip arthroplasties: total hip arthroplasty (THA) was performed in 79% of patients; bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BP), 17%; total resurfacing arthroplasty (tRS), 3%; and hemi-resurfacing arthroplasty (hRS), 1%. A new type of BP (accounting for 49% of BPs) comprised a femoral component with a polished or smooth, small-diameter (approximately 10 mm) neck with a round or oval axial cut surface and no sharp corners.

RESULTS

The infection rate was relatively low (0.56%) even though 58% of cases of ONFH were associated with systemic steroid use, a known risk factor for infection. Post-operative dislocation occurred in 4.3% of cases, with re-operation needed in 3.9%. The dislocation rate was related to surgery type: 5.2% in THA, 0.9% in BP, and 0% in tRS and hRS. Among total arthroplasties with six month or longer follow-up (3670 THAs and 159 tRSs), the risk factors for post-operative dislocation were younger (≤ 40 years) or older (≥ 62 years) age, higher body weight, posterolateral approach, and smaller prosthetic head diameter. Regarding the need for re-operation, higher body weight and surgery type were identified as risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The relatively high dislocation rate of 5.2% in THA is a cause for concern. The identified risk factors for dislocation should be considered when selecting THA for treatment. Prosthesis survivorship in hRSs was inferior to that in BPs or THAs. Body weight also affected the survivorship of hip arthroplasties.