Comparison of Pre-Revision Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Operative Findings in Mechanically Assisted Crevice Corrosion in Symptomatic Metal-on-Polyethylene Total Hip Arthroplasties

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Imaging After Total Hip Arthroplasty

This article reviews evidence for performing various imaging studies in patients with total hip prostheses. Routine follow-up is generally performed with radiography. Radiographs are also usually the initial imaging modality for patients with symptoms related to the prosthesis. Following acute injury with pain, noncontrast CT may add information to radiographic examination regarding the presence and location of a fracture, component stability, and bone stock. Image-guided joint aspiration, noncontrast MRI, and white blood cell scan and sulfur colloid scan of the hip, are usually appropriate studies for patients suspected of having periprosthetic infection. For evaluation of component loosening, wear, and/or osteolysis, noncontrast CT or MRI are usually appropriate studies. Noncontrast MRI is usually appropriate for identifying adverse reaction to metal debris related to metal-on-metal articulations. For assessing patients after hip arthroplasty, who have trochanteric pain and nondiagnostic radiographs, ultrasound, or MRI are usually appropriate studies. The American College of Radiology 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 where peer reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

Late Hematogenous Total Hip Infection After Revision for Mechanically Assisted Crevice Corrosion With Adverse Local Tissue Reaction

Mechanically assisted crevice corrosion (MACC) at the trunnion-bore junction of a total hip arthroplasty may cause adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) with inflammatory reaction and tissue necrosis. Complications, including acute infection, continued pain, and instability, are therefore common after a revision surgery for MACC. We now present 2 cases of late hematogenous bacterial infection years after revision for MACC and ALTR, a previously unreported outcome in this population. We hypothesize that MACC-induced tissue necrosis does not heal over time, and some patients with metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty treated for ALTR are at long-term risk of hematogenous bacterial infection.

High Incidence of Mechanically Assisted Crevice Corrosion at 10 Years in Non-Cemented, Non-Recalled, Contemporary Total Hip Arthroplasties

BACKGROUND

One percent to 3% of contemporary non-cemented total hip arthroplasties (THAs) present with symptomatic mechanically assisted crevice corrosion (MACC). The incidence of this problem, however, as well as the rate of asymptomatic elevations in serum cobalt, is unknown.

METHODS

Cobalt and chromium levels were obtained in conjunction with radiographs at routine 10-year surveillance follow-up of THAs from a single manufacturer with a titanium stem, cobalt alloy femoral head, and cross-linked polyethylene countersurface.

RESULTS

Ten-year follow-up of patients with 162 consecutive THAs revealed that 17 patients with 18 hips had died of unrelated causes prior to metal ion testing. Two hips were revised for other reasons, and of the remaining 142 hips, 33 were in patients who were lost, leaving 109 hips (77% of those in alive patients and unrevised for other reasons and 67% of the entire cohort) for investigation. Sixty-three patients (58%) had a serum cobalt less than 1 ppb, and 35 (32%) a cobalt of ≥1 ppb, a cutoff consistent with MACC. Of the 32 hips with definite MACC, 15 of 32 (47%) patients were symptomatic, 16 of 30 (53%) patients had adverse local tissue reaction on magnetic resonance imaging, and 19 of 32 (59%) patients have undergone revision surgery for MACC to date.

CONCLUSION

At 10-year follow-up, a minimum of 22% (35/162) of hips had a cobalt level more than 1 ppb, consistent with MACC. Symptoms and adverse local tissue reactions are each present about one-half of the time, and 59% of those with documented MACC have undergone revision.

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Acetabular Bone Loss in Revision Hip Arthroplasty: An International Consensus Symposium

Despite growing evidence supporting the evaluation, classification, and treatment of acetabular bone loss in revision hip replacement, advancements have not been systematically incorporated into a single document, and therefore, a comprehensive review of the treatment of severe acetabular bone loss is needed. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center at Hospital for Special Surgery held an Acetabular Bone Loss Symposium on June 21, 2019, to answer the following questions: What are the trends, emerging technologies, and areas of future research related to the evaluation and management of acetabular bone loss in revision hip replacement? What constitutes the optimal workup and management strategies for acetabular bone loss? The 36 international experts convened were divided into groups, each assigned to discuss 1 of 4 topics: (1) preoperative planning and postoperative assessment; (2) implant selection, management of osteolysis, and management of massive bone loss; (3) the treatment challenges of pelvic discontinuity, periprosthetic joint infection, instability, and poor bone biology; and (4) the principles of reconstruction and classification of acetabular bone loss. Each group came to consensus, when possible, based on an extensive literature review. This document provides an overview of these 4 areas, the consensus each group arrived at, and directions for future research.

Predictors of Adverse Local Tissue Reaction in a High-Risk Population

Background

Adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) is a recognized complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA) with metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) bearing surface implants. Specific models of THA implants have been identified as having a higher incidence of ALTR. The purpose of this study is to determine if serum metal levels, patient symptoms, implant factors, and imaging findings can be predictive of ALTR within this high-risk population.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed an observational cohort of 474 patients who underwent MoP THA and were at increased risk of having ALTR. Patients were stratified based on the presence or absence of ALTR. Patient symptoms, serum metal ions, implant head offset, and imaging findings were compared.

Results

Patients with ALTR were more likely to be symptomatic (52.9% vs 9.9%, P < .0001). The presence of ALTR was associated with significantly higher serum cobalt and chromium levels (6.2 ppb vs 3.6 ppb, P < .0001; 2.3 ppb vs 1.2 ppb, P < .0001). Head offsets greater than 4 mm were associated with a higher prevalence of ALTR (53% vs 38%, P = .05). On metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging, patients with ALTR had larger effusions (4.7 cm vs 2.1 cm, P < .001) and a higher incidence of trochanteric bursitis (47% vs 16%, P < .001).

Conclusions

In high-risk MoP implants, serum cobalt and chromium levels are elevated, even in patients without ALTR. A larger femoral head offset is a risk factor for the development of ALTR. Our study suggests that patients presenting with painful THA and elevated metal ions require risk stratification based on patient symptoms, metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging findings, and implant factors.

MRI Characteristics of Adverse Local Tissue Reactions Associated With Intraoperative Tissue Damage and Poor Revision Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Metal artifact reductions sequence (MARS) MRI has been established as a cross-sectional imaging modality for diagnosis of adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR). This study aims to evaluate the current literature regarding the characteristics of MARS MRI associated with intraoperative tissue necrosis and postoperative complications in patients undergoing revision THA because of ALTR.

METHODS

We systematically searched the literature that included reporting MRI characteristics of ALTR in failed THA and their correlation with intraoperative findings and postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 617 studies were assessed, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Synovial wall thickness correlated with increasing ALVAL grade, however, weakly with tissue necrosis. Synovial composition of mixed or solid features and the presence of abductor disruption correlated with complications and tissue necrosis. Tissue edema was a poor predictor of aseptic lymphocyte-dominant vasculitis-associated lesion (ALVAL) grade or tissue necrosis.

DISCUSSION

MARS MRI synovial composition including mixed and solid features and the presence of abductor disruption provide the best prognostic characteristics associated with intraoperative soft-tissue necrosis and revision surgery outcome. These prognostic characteristics on MRI may assist surgeons with improved criteria for intervention and preoperative patient counseling.

Impending Trunnion Failure: An Uncommon Radiographic Presentation of Total Hip Arthroplasty Failure

Trunnionosis is emerging as an early mode of failure in conventional metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty. It is defined as wear or corrosion at the trunnion, the taper at the femoral head-neck interface. Trunnion wear can result in a variety of negative sequelae and, in severe cases, necessitate revision arthroplasty. We describe a 64-year-old man with a metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty who presented with a sensation of clunking in the hip. Initial imaging and laboratory studies were inconclusive, and the decision was made to monitor. Two years later, trunnion wear was detected on radiographs, presenting as an abnormal alignment of the femoral neck relative to the femoral head. Several case reports and series describe catastrophic total hip arthroplasty failure due to trunnionosis. However, few describe the radiographic signs of wear at the trunnion before gross failure. This early presentation is important to recognize to minimize patient morbidity and aid surgical planning.

What Surgeons Need to Know About Adverse Local Tissue Reaction in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Adverse local tissue reactions (ALTRs) were first associated with patients with failed metal-on-metal surface replacements and total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, an increasing number of cases of ALTR in metal-on-polyethylene (MOP) THA patients is being reported. Clinically, ALTR appears as benign, aseptic masses or bursae in the periprosthetic tissues. Histopathologically, ALTRs are distinguished by an intense lymphocyte infiltrate, destruction of the synovial surfaces, widespread necrosis, and fibrin exudate. Tribocorrosion of modular junctions appears to be the cause of ALTR in MOP patients. The various tribocorrosion damage modes occurring at modular junctions produce metal ions and a diversity of particulates in relation to size, chemical composition, and structure. The mechanisms by which these various products of tribocorrosion lead to ALTR are still a matter of considerable research. This review clarifies what constitutes ALTR, its relationship to implant factors, and highlights current methods for diagnosis and management of patients with ALTR in the setting of MOP THA.

Standardizing terms for tribocorrosion-associated adverse local tissue reaction in total hip arthroplasty

Recognizing and adopting standardized terms for adverse local tissue reaction associated with tribocorrosion in total hip arthroplasty are essential for clear scientific discourse and clinical communication. Our goal was to develop terms that can be broadly applied to characterize the local tissue response to tribocorrosion debris, based on current evidence regarding the etiology of this failure mode and its consequences. The proposed standardized terms will improve the understanding and interpretation of analytical tests, advance diagnostic and treatment algorithms, and reduce confusion in research by maintaining consistent nomenclature.

How to proceed with asymptomatic modular dual taper hip stems in the case of acetabular revision

How to proceed with a clinically asymptomatic modular Metha® Ti alloy stem with dual taper CoCr neck adapter in case of acetabular revision? To systematically answer this question the status of research and appropriate diagnostic methods in context to clinically symptomatic and asymptomatic dual taper stem-neck couplings has been evaluated based on a systematic literature review. A retrieval analysis of thirteen Metha® modular dual taper CoCr/Ti alloy hip stems has been performed and a rational decision making model as basis for a clinical recommendation was developed. From our observations we propose that in cases of acetabular revision, that for patients with a serum cobalt level of > 4 µg/L and a Co/Cr ratio > 3.6, the revision of the modular dual taper stem may be considered. Prior to acetabular revision surgery a systematic diagnostic evaluation should be executed, using specific tests such as serum metal (Co, Cr) ion analysis, plain antero-posterior and lateral radiographs and cross-sectional imaging modalities (Metal Artefact Reduction Sequence Magnetic Resonance Imaging). For an asymptomatic Metha® dual taper Ti alloy/CoCr stem-neck coupling at the stage of acetabular revision careful clinical decision making according to the proposed model should be followed and overreliance on any single examination should be avoided, considering the complete individual differential diagnosis and patient situation.

MRI of THA Correlates With Implant Wear and Tissue Reactions: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

MRI is predictive of adverse local tissue reactions (ALTRs) after THA but how MRI directly relates to implant surface wear, fretting, and trunnion corrosion at different articulations between implant components remains unclear. MRI generates high-contrast images to display soft tissues around arthroplasty and may provide a surgeon the means to distinguish and differentiate host-related synovial patterns as a response to either polyethylene wear or metal wear and corrosion products.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

The purposes of this study were (1) to correlate findings from MRI in patients who have undergone THA with direct assessment of implant wear, corrosion, and fretting from retrieved components; and (2) to distinguish the unique synovial responses on MRI in patients who have undergone THA based on bearing materials.

METHODS

In this prospective study, patients undergoing THA (181 patients, 187 hips) with metal-on-metal (MoM), hip resurfacing (HRA), metal-on-polyethylene (MoP), ceramic-on-polyethylene, ceramic-on-ceramic, or modular neck designs having revision surgery (between October 2013 and June 2017) underwent preoperative MRI. A single reader blinded to the bearing surface made an assessment of the synovial response (Gwet's AC1, 0.65-0.97); these data were compared with semiquantitative histology of tissue samples by a single reader (Gwet's AC1, 0.92) and semiquantitative wear, corrosion, and fretting analysis of retrieved components using Goldberg scoring (Gwet's AC1, 0.60-0.79). Direct noncontact measurements of implant wear were also made. Correlations and analyses of variance were used to assess associations between metrics and differences by implant type, respectively.

RESULTS

Correlations were found between MRI synovial thickness with severity of fretting and corrosion damage of the female head-neck trunnion of femoral stems in modular designs (ρ = 0.26 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.12-0.39]; p = 0.015, n = 185) and ALTR grade and volumetric wear in MoM bearings (ρ = 0.93 [95% CI, 0.72-0.98]; p < 0.001, n = 10). MRI synovial thickness was highest in patients identified with aseptic lymphocyte-dominated vasculitis-associated lesions and diffuse tissue necrosis. On MRI, MoP hips demonstrated a distinct polymeric synovial response, whereas HRA, MoM, and modular hips more commonly demonstrated ALTR. Hips classified as having a polymeric synovial response on MRI had a greater number of particles present in tissue samples.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we demonstrated that MRI of THA can distinguish synovial responses that reflect the bearing type of the implanted THA and correlate to direct measurements of implant wear, corrosion, and fretting and histologic assessment of wear particles in periprosthetic tissues. MRI provides a means of direct, noninvasive visualization of the host-generated synovial response. Patients presenting with painful arthroplasties may be evaluated for the cause of their discomfort, specifically highlighting any concerning synovial reactions that would warrant more prompt surgical intervention. Future studies would benefit from a prospective evaluation of different implants to assess the natural longitudinal history of arthroplasty complications, including the development and prevalence of ALTR across bearing constructs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, diagnostic study.

A case of bilateral hip mechanically assisted crevice corrosion after staged total hip arthroplasty

Mechanically assisted crevice corrosion (MACC), also known as trunnionosis, and adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) are entities that can lead to pain and necessitate revision in total hip arthroplasty (THA). We present a case of a 75-year-old female who received a bilateral staged primary THA with metal on cross-linked polyethylene implants and had subsequent bilateral revisions for MACC and ALTR. In both instances, she presented with anterior thigh pain, weakness, and difficulty ambulating, and she was revised to ceramic on cross-linked polyethylene implants. This case may suggest a biologic predisposition or systemic immunogenic reaction to metal debris in some patients with ALTR or represent an implant-specific complication. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported of a patient having bilateral MACC from staged THA performed by 2 different surgeons using the same brand implant.

A case of bone necrosis with pseudotumor following metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty

A case of bone necrosis with a pseudotumor following metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty is presented. The patient showed no abnormal magnetic resonance findings 2 years postoperatively, but serum metal ion levels were elevated. The patient developed hip pain 3.5 years postoperatively, and bone necrosis with a pseudotumor was found. The present patient emphasized the fact that tissue necrosis associated with failed metal-on-metal bearing hip might not be limited to soft tissues, but bone necrosis could occur.

Diagnosing Taper Corrosion: When Is It the Taper and When Is It Something Else?

There has been an increasing use of modularity at the head-neck junction in total hip arthroplasty to more closely mimic the native anatomy, allowing for optimal leg length and stability. Corrosion at this junction in metal-on-polyethylene bearings can lead to an adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR). This increasingly prevalent condition should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hip pain and difficulty ambulating. A recent symposium by the American Academy of Hip and Knee Surgeons described the diagnosis, etiology, management, and prevention of taper corrosion. This article describes the history, physical, plain and advanced imaging findings, laboratory tests, and other diagnoses that should be taken into consideration when diagnosing taper corrosion. The presence of ALTR due to taper corrosion can mimic other diagnoses such as periprosthetic joint infection, instability, or aseptic loosening. Serum metal levels have been found to be the most effective screening tool for identifying corrosion, but other common causes of hip pain and difficulty ambulating should always be ruled out with the use of radiographs and common laboratory techniques before diagnosing ALTR due to corrosion.

High Early Major Complication Rate After Revision for Mechanically Assisted Crevice Corrosion in Metal-on-Polyethylene Total Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Failed total hip arthroplasty caused by mechanically assisted crevice corrosion (MACC) has serious consequences such as adverse local tissue reaction. Revision is currently indicated for significant hip pain, stiffness, and dysfunction; hip instability; progressive bone loss; and soft tissue destruction. Outcomes of this revision surgery are not yet completely understood.

METHODS

We examined the surgical outcomes at a minimum of 6 months (average, 25; range, 7-68 months) in a cohort of 27 consecutive patients who underwent revision total hip arthroplasty for MACC associated with a single implant vendor and taper type.

RESULTS

Major orthopedic complications occurred in 7 of 27 patients (25.9%), each after the original revision surgery. Five additional major complications occurred in subsequent surgeries. Postoperative hip dislocation occurred in 6 of 27 (22.2%), deep infection occurred in 3 of 27 (11.1%), and aseptic acetabular loosening, seroma requiring irrigation and debridement, pulmonary embolism, periprosthetic fracture, and reintubation each occurred in 1 of 27 (3.7%). Harris hip scores improved significantly with surgery (P = .0002), but overall, scores were lower for those who had major complications (70.9 vs 89.2), and only 20 of 27 patients (74.1%) had good or excellent outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Symptomatic MACC is a potentially devastating diagnosis, because of decreased soft tissue and bone viability associated with adverse local tissue reaction. This leads to a high early major complication rate.