Six-year follow-up of multiple joint replacement surgery to the lower limbs

Functional Evaluation of Patients Undergoing Multiple Joint Replacements: A Retrospective Study of 50 Patients with a Minimum of Six Months of Follow-up

Introduction: Polyarthritis is a challenging condition that an orthopedic surgeon faces in day-to-day practice. Some of the conditions where multiple joints are affected are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Multiple joint afflictions can cause severe impairment in the quality of life, which leads to a significant socioeconomic burden on the family and society. Joint replacement is considered as a treatment when severe joint pain or dysfunction is not alleviated by conservative management. Total joint arthroplasty remains one of the most commonly performed and universally accepted operative interventions for such patients.

Materials and methods: Fifty patients were invited into the study. All patients included in the study were 18 years of age and older and had undergone two or more joint replacements with a minimum of six months duration from the last surgery. The data was collected during the preoperative and postoperative periods through patient records and questionnaires. The Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) scores were generated from an online application that is readily available on the official website SF-36 scoring system. The results were compared, analyzed, and tested for significance using the Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results: The highest incidence of multiple joint replacements appears to be in the age-group of 51 - 70 years (52%), the mean age of patients being 51.7 +/- 14.4 years. The ratio of female to male patients was 1.6:1. On comparison of preoperative and postoperative (six months) physical component and mental component scores, the differences were found to be significant (p-value: < 0.01). This finding is irrespective of the diagnosis, gender, or age of the patient.

Conclusion: In the study conducted on 50 patients, we found out that multiple joint arthroplasties are fruitful surgeries. The procedures are efficient in reducing the disabilities seen in patients with polyarthritis of various causes and improving the overall quality of life. We strongly recommend multiple joint arthroplasties to patients with severe disability. However, adequate medical management plays an equally important role to improve the overall results. Well-designed and larger studies are required to establish the treatment protocols and order of surgeries in patients with differing causes of polyarthritis.

Clinical and patient-reported outcomes of patients with four major lower extremity arthroplasties

Few studies report the outcomes of patients treated with total joint arthroplasty of both hips and both knees. We present the outcomes of 14 patients with total joint arthroplasty of both hips and both knees using validated outcome measures. Eleven patients (79%) were satisfied at final review. Ten patients (71%) required revision surgery of at least one joint. Clinical, functional, radiographic, and patient-reported outcomes were consistent with previously reported outcomes in the literature. Mean Timed Up and Go test was 32 seconds (6-158). Mean Berg Balance Scale was 38.5 (4-55). Good outcomes can be achieved in this group of patients with high levels of satisfaction despite the frequent need for revision surgery. Importantly, it was recognized that these patients have a high risk of falls and must be educated in measures for fall prevention.

Outcome following knee arthroplasty beyond 15 years

There is a paucity of information detailing functional outcome following total knee arthroplasty for this length of follow-up. We collected data from 187 knees in 150 surviving patients, beyond 15 years from implantation. Survival of the implant was confirmed and a patient administered questionnaire including WOMAC, SF-36 and patient satisfaction was used, data was scrutinised for differences between primary and revision knee surgery. Seventy knees were revised at a mean of 10.8 years. The mean WOMAC Pain score was 72 indicating predominantly mild pain. The mean WOMAC Function scores were lower at 55 indicating moderate limitation of most activities. No significant differences were found between revised and un-revised patients. Long-term pain and satisfaction scores in this population were good illustrating the benefits of TKA in the long term even in patients who have undergone revision surgery.

Long-term outcome of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated by multiple arthroplasty

We conducted a study of 82 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had undergone multiple arthroplasty and investigated their clinical findings and clinical courses. We reviewed the significance of multiple arthroplasty in the treatment of RA, its problems, and measures to solve them. All patients initially regained and maintained good walking capacity. However, the walking capacity of many patients again decreased over the long term; in the tenth year, 79% of patients were capable of a practical gait. The causes of decreased walking capacity included complications of artificial joints, cervical lesions, and vertebral compression fractures. Fractures were observed in as many as nine patients, indicating that it is important to prevent and treat their cause, that is, osteoporosis. The survival rate was 71% in 10 years. In RA patients, particularly those who have undergone multiple arthroplasty, the major causes of death are infection and rheumatic disease, suggesting that prevention of such diseases should be considered paramount. Appropriate systemic treatment of RA, patient education, and measures against osteoporosis for prevention of complications may preserve the worth of multiple arthroplasty for RA patients with multiple joint destruction.

Current issues in joint replacement surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Joint replacement surgery continues to grow in sheer number of procedures and quantity of research. We wish to highlight the key findings in the literature about variations in utilization, timing of procedure, outcomes, and minimally invasive techniques.

RECENT FINDINGS

Several studies reinforce the improved pain and function after joint replacement surgery. The best predictor of postoperative pain and function appears to be preoperative pain and function, respectively. In one study, authors expressed concern that patients may be systematically reporting better outcomes than they truly achieve. In spite of the generally favorable results after surgery, there remains considerable geographic, racial, and gender variation in utilization. The optimal timing for surgery is unknown but may be influenced by the advent of the newer longer-lasting prosthesis. Patients with poorer preoperative function tend to have poorer outcomes, regardless of baseline pain or function. Evidence thus far has demonstrated similar outcomes between minimal and standard incisions for hip arthroplasty.

SUMMARY

Advances in our understanding of outcomes after joint replacement aid in predicting best candidates for surgery. More study is needed on the optimal timing of replacement surgery and the variations in utilization.

Outcomes for patients undergoing one or more total hip and knee arthroplasties

Either total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or both were performed in 105 patients from 1981 to 1994. These patients were experiencing severe joint destruction in the lower extremities due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These patients were followed for more than 2 years after their last operation. Eighty-six patients were alive and 19 patients had died at the time of follow-up. The 86 living patients were divided into four groups based on the number of replaced joints. Their pre- and postoperative conditions, including such factors as pain, mobility and disability for the quality of life (QOL), were compared. All of the four groups showed some reduction in pain and disability, and an improvement in ambulation after the operations. The 19 deceased patients were classified into two groups, one including those with multiple (three or four) arthroplasties and the other, those with only a small number (one or two). The mean age at death was lower (55.7+/-6.2 years) in patients with multiple arthroplasties than that (69.1+/-7.5 years) in patients with only a small number of arthroplasties. Secondary diseases from RA, such as amyloidosis, spinal injury and pulmonary fibrosis, were found to be the primary cause of death in patients with multiple arthroplasties. The most important finding in this study is that although RA patients with multiple arthroplasties in the lower extremities improved their QOL, they were still afflicted with secondary diseases derived from RA and experienced complications that could shorten their lifespan.

Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hip

The hip joint may be affected in 15% to 28% of all patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Radiographic evidence of involvement includes periarticular osteopenia, cystic changes, and a variable amount of progressive protrusio acetabuli. Histomorphometric study has shown increased bone turnover in acetabular biopsy specimens from rheumatoid patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Due to the relative fragility of bone in these patients, there is an increased risk of fracture of the proximal femur due to minor trauma, and a high rate of loss of fixation has been reported. Total hip arthroplasty has been successful in the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis of the hip in patients of all ages. Special attention should be paid to the cervical spine and the patient's medical treatment regimen during the preoperative evaluation. Cemented total hip arthroplasty has been associated with a higher prevalence of late infection and acetabular component loosening in rheumatoid patients than in osteoarthritic patients. Loosening of cemented components is accelerated in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Several short-term studies have documented successful early results with noncemented components in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; however, longer-term studies are necessary to determine whether the improvements in function and survival are greater than with cemented components.

The problem of 'noise' in monitoring patient-based outcomes: generic, disease-specific and site-specific instruments for total hip replacement

OBJECTIVES

To compare the performance of three types of patient-based health status instrument--generic, disease-specific and site-specific--in assessing changes resulting from total hip replacement (THR).

METHODS

A two-stage prospective study of patients undergoing surgery for THR involving an assessment at a pre-surgical clinic and a follow-up clinic at 6 months. 173 patients with a diagnosis of arthritis and being admitted for unilateral THR were recruited in the outpatient departments of a specialist orthopaedic hospital and peripheral clinics within Oxfordshire. Patients' health status was assessed using the 12-item Oxford Hip Score, the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) and SF-36 general health questionnaire together with their surgeons' assessment using Charnley hip score obtained before and 6 months after surgery.

RESULTS

Effect sizes, used to compare change scores, revealed that pain and function domains changed most following THR on both the AIMS and the SF-36. 71 patients (41%) were assessed as having symptoms or problems currently affecting lower limb joints other than the hip recently replaced. Change scores were compared between these patients and all other patients who reported no current problems with other joints. The Oxford Hip Score found no significant difference between change scores for these two groups of patients while both AIMS and SF-36 physical and pain dimensions recorded significant differences of similar magnitude (physical P < 0.01, pain P < 0.05). Likely reasons for this were apparent on closer inspection of the item content of each instrument.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment of outcomes in THR is necessarily long-term. Within studies of this kind, a hip-specific instrument (Oxford Hip Score) is likely to be more able to distinguish between symptoms and functional impairment produced by the index joint, as compared with other joints and conditions, than either a disease-specific instrument (AIMS) or a generic health status measure (SF-36). This is important given the high probability of existing and subsequent co-morbidity affecting such populations of patients. This consideration is likely to be relevant to any long-term assessment programme following treatment for a condition which threatens bilateral expression over time.