Does prior core decompression have detrimental effect on subsequent total hip arthroplasty for osteonecrosis of the femoral head: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Femoral Head Core Decompressions: Characterization of Subsequent Conversion to Total Hip Arthroplasty and Related Complications

BACKGROUND

Core decompression is a minimally invasive joint-preserving approach for early-stage osteonecrosis. The rate at which core decompression patients require total hip arthroplasty (THA) and rates of perioperative adverse outcomes have not been well-characterized.

METHODS

Adult patients undergoing core decompression and/or THA with osteonecrosis of the femoral head were identified from the 2015 to 2021 Q3 PearlDiver M157 database. Those undergoing THA without or with antecedent core decompression were identified and matched 4:1 on age, sex, and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index. Postoperative 90-day adverse events were compared with multivariable analysis. Five-year rates of revision, dislocation, and periprosthetic fracture were compared by the Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank tests.

RESULTS

Core decompressions were identified for 3,025 patients of whom 387 (12.8%) went on to THA within 5 years (64% within the first year). The median time from initial core decompression to THA was 252 days. For THA, 26,209 adults were identified and 387 had prior core decompression. After matching, there were 1,320 without core decompression and 339 with core decompression. No statistically significant differences were observed in 90-day postoperative adverse events or 5-year rates of revision, dislocation, or periprosthetic fracture.

CONCLUSION

Core decompression may be an option for patients with osteonecrosis and does not seem to affect THA outcomes if required later.

Influence of less invasive hip preservation surgery on subsequent hip arthroplasty for osteonecrosis of the femoral head

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) following less invasive hip-preserving procedures (LIHPs) and present a critical overview of the literature to aid in better result interpretation. The search time was from the establishment of the database to September 2021, and the outcome indicators were extracted and analyzed by Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager software (RevMan version 5.4). Finally, 10 articles were included in this meta-analysis by searching Chinese databases and English databases. Three of them were published in Chinese, and the remaining studies were published in English. LIHP was further divided into the tantalum rod implantation group and the non-tantalum rod implantation group. The results showed that prior tantalum rod implantation increased the difficulty of conversion to THA, which was reflected mainly in the longer operative time [weighted mean difference (WMD) = 24.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 14.09–34.91, P < 0.00001] and greater intraoperative blood loss (WMD = 114.74, 95% CI = 33.52–195.96, P = 0.006), while no significant difference was found between the non-tantalum rod implantation group and the control group. Simultaneously, easier intraoperative fracture [odds ratio (OR) = 5.88, 95% CI = 0.93–37.05, P = 0.06] and stem malalignment (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 1.18–14.71, P = 0.03) in the LIHP group tended to be observed than in the control THA group. However, there was no significant difference in cup anteversion and inclination angle, ectopic ossification, postoperative Harris Hip Score and survivorship between the LIHP group and the control group. Although LIHP increased the difficulty of the conversion to THA, it does not detrimentally affect the clinical results of subsequent THA in the mid-term follow-up.

Effect of femoral head necrosis cystic area on femoral head collapse and stress distribution in femoral head: A clinical and finite element study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cystic areas of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) on stress distribution and disease progression in the femoral head. A total of 85 patients (106 hips) diagnosed with Association Research Circulation Osseous stage II non-traumatic and non-surgical treatment were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of cystic areas and diameter of cystic areas were compared between the two groups. In addition, five spherical cystic areas of different diameters were constructed and the maximum stress was observed. There was a difference between the two groups in whether cystic areas appeared in the femoral head, with 49.1% in the collapse group showing cystic areas, which was significantly higher than that in the non-collapse group (18.4%) (P < 0.05). In addition, the diameter of the cystic areas was significantly larger in the collapsed group than in the non-collapsed group (P < 0.05). The maximum and mean von Mises stress value around the necrotic area and around the cystic area of the femoral head increased with the increase of the cystic diameter. Stress concentration areas can be generated around the cystic areas. The presence and increased diameter of the cystic areas accelerates the collapse of the ONFH femoral head.

Total Hip Arthroplasty After Failed Hip-Preserving Surgery with Concentrated Autologous Bone Marrow Aspirate Transplantation for Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: A Retrospective Study

PURPOSE

Since 2003, a hip-preserving technique-concentrated autologous bone marrow aspirate transplantation (CABMAT)-has been applied to treat osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). We investigated intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients who underwent CABMAT as hip-preserving surgery for ONFH but developed secondary hip osteoarthritis after progressive femoral head collapse.

METHODS

A total of 456 hips in 282 patients underwent CABMAT in our hospital between April 2003 and December 2018; 108 hips required THA (THA conversion rate, 23.7%). We enrolled 60 hips (26 hips in 20 men and 34 in 26 women) with a follow-up of over 2 years. We retrospectively analyzed patient background data, time to THA, surgical procedure, postoperative complications, and clinical outcomes from medical records.

RESULTS

The disease was steroid-related, alcohol-related, and idiopathic in 48, seven, and five hips, respectively. The mean age at THA was 45.7 years, and mean conversion time was 2.7 years. Cementless THA was performed in all cases; the mean operating time and blood loss were 82.7 min and 210 g, respectively. Postoperative complications were observed in four cases; intraoperative fracture, two cases; superficial infection, one case; and dislocation, one case. The mean follow-up period was 5.7 years; no loosening or deep infections occurred. No patients required revision arthroplasty.

CONCLUSION

We noted no complications related to CABMAT. After a minimum 2-year follow-up, the clinical outcomes were good. CABMAT was found to be an useful hip-preserving surgery, with little effect on conversion to THA, and THA outcomes were good.