[Current design and cement mantle thickness in hip arthroplasty : Theory and analysis of register data]

BACKGROUND

In this article, an overview and comparison of the most commonly used cemented hip stems, grouped into different stem types and cement mantle thickness, is given to see which combination performs well.

METHODOLOGY

Revision rates of cemented stem types were categorized from the Endoprosthesis Register-Germany, and 3‑ and 5‑year revision rates were reported and analyzed. For the research, the focus was on the Exeter, C‑Stem, MS-30, Excia, Bicontact, Charnley, Müller straight stem, Twinsys, Corail, Avenir, Quadra, and the Lubinus SP II stems. An important aspect was which stem is preferred to be implanted and which cementing technique is used with regard to the planned cement mantle thickness. In order to identify a trend in cemented hip arthroplasty, data from the Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Swiss, New Zealand, English and Australian arthroplasty registers were also compared.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Most countries use cemented prostheses according to the taper slip principle (Exeter, MS30, C‑Stem etc) or the composite beam (Charnley, Excia, Bicontact), which are implanted with a cement mantle thickness of 2-4 mm. However, a trend has emerged in Germany and Switzerland towards the line-to-line technique, with a planned cement mantle thickness of 1 mm (Twinsys, Corail, Avenir, Quadra), following the principle of the Müller straight stem prosthesis and the Kerboul-Charnley prosthesis, even though these are postulated to be "French paradoxes" in themselves. In the EPRD 5‑year results, the newer line-to-line prostheses seem to perform slightly worse. The best results are achieved by the "MS 30" in Germany and the "Exeter" in England. These are polished straight stems with centralizer and subsidence space at the apex with a 2-4 mm cement mantle in good cementing technique.

Effect of Bone Cement Thickness on the Risk of Scalded Skin in Joint Surgery

OBJECTIVE

Bone cement releases a large amount of heat as it polymerizes. Skin burns caused by discarded bone cement are not well understood during arthroplasty. It is important to study the correlates and mechanisms of scalding and to accurately evaluate the severity of burns to guide treatment decisions.

METHODS

Standardized burns were created in eight anesthetized rabbits using different thicknesses of bone cement. Bone cement was uniformly stirred to make thicknesses of 1 mm, 4 mm, 8 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm, and 20 mm and a 20 × 40 mm cuboid. Bone cement samples were then placed on the back of a rabbit, and the temperature changes were recorded with an industrial digital thermometer. One hour later, the appearance of scalded skin was observed, and the rabbits were euthanized. The scalded parts were cut to make pathological sections and stained with HE, and the differences in the depth of the scalded skin caused by different thicknesses of bone cement were observed under a light microscope.

RESULTS

Damage caused by 1 mm-, 4 mm-, 8 mm-, 12 mm-, 16 mm-, and 20 mm-thick bone cement samples mainly involved the epidermis, the papillary dermis, the reticular dermis layer, and the full thickness of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue. The maximum temperature of 1 mm, 4 mm, 8 mm, and 12 mm bone cementation had a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001), while there was no significant difference between 12 mm, 16 mm, and 20 mm samples (p = 0.856). The time to severe scalding with bone cement at temperatures above 70°C was significantly different between different thicknesses (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The heat released by different thicknesses of bone cement leads to different maximum temperatures and the duration of severe burns, resulting in different degrees of skin burns. Attention should be paid to discarded bone cement to prevent this potential complication in knee arthroplasty.

Different Modification Methods of Poly Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Bone Cement for Orthopedic Surgery Applications

In clinical practice, bone defects that occur alongside tumors, infections, or other bone diseases present significant challenges in the orthopedic field. Although autologous and allogeneic grafts are introduced as common traditional remedies in this field, their applications have a series of limitations. Various approaches have been attempted to treat large and irregularly shaped bone defects; however, their success has been less than optimal due to a range of issues related to material and design. However, in recent years, additive manufacturing has emerged as a promising solution to the challenge of creating implants that can be perfectly tailored to fit individual defects during surgical procedures. By fabrication of constructs with specific designs using this technique, surgeons are able to achieve much better outcomes for patients. Polymers, ceramics, and metals have been used as biomaterials in Orthopedic Surgery fields. Polymeric scaffolds have been used successfully in total joint replacements, soft tissue reconstruction, joint fusion, and as fracture fixation devices. The use of polymeric biomaterials, either in the form of pre-made solid scaffolds or injectable pastes that can harden in situ, shows great promise as a substitute for commonly used autografts and allografts. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one of the most widely used polymer cement in orthopedic surgery. The present paper begins with an introduction and will then provide an overview of the properties, advantages/disadvantages, applications, and modifications of PMMA bone cement.

Bisphosphonate-loaded bone cement: Background, clinical indications and future perspectives

Bisphosphonates represent an established treatment against bone resorption and osseous loss. Local application could help increase bone mineral density while minimizing their systemic use side-effects. Bone cement, used on a large scale in orthopedic surgery and a historically successful drug carrier, could represent an effective scaffold. The aim of this review was to investigate the alterations produced on the cement's structure and properties by this mixture, as well as its antiosteoporotic and antitumor effect. After a thorough research of articles, title screening and duplicate removal we retained 51 papers. Two independent authors performed abstract and full-text reading, finally leaving 35 articles included in this review. In the current literature, acrylic and calcium phosphate bone cement have been used as carriers. A combination with nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, e.g., zoledronic acid, provokes modifications in terms of setting time prolongation and mechanical strength decline within acceptable levels, on the condition that the drug's quantity stays beneath a certain plateau. Bisphosphonates in bone cement seem to have a powerful anti-osteoclastic and osteogenic local impact as well as a direct cytotoxic effect against several neoplastic lesions. Further investigation on the subject is required, with specifically designed studies focusing on this method's advantages and potential clinical applications.

Two-year fixation and ten-year clinical outcomes of total knee arthroplasty inserted with normal-curing bone cement and slow-curing bone cement: A randomized controlled trial in 54 patients

BACKGROUND

The normal-curing Refobacin® Bone Cement R (RR) and slow-curing Refobacin® Plus Bone Cement (RP) were introduced after discontinuation of the historically most used bone cement, Refobacin®-Palacos® R, in 2005. The aim of this study was to compare total knee arthroplasty component fixation with the two bone cements.

METHODS

54 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis were randomized to either RR (N = 27) or RP (N = 27) bone cement and followed for two years with radiostereometric analysis of tibial and femoral component migration and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measured periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD). Further, patients were followed up at ten years with clinical outcome scores (OKS and KOOS).

RESULTS

At two-years follow-up, tibial total translation was 0.31 mm (95% CI: 0.19 - 0.42) for the RP group and 0.56 mm (95% CI: 0.45 - 0.67) (p < 0.01) for the RR group. There was continuous tibial component migration from one to two years follow-up (MTPM > 0.2 mm) in 13/27 patients from the RR and in 12/26 patients from the RP group. There was no difference between groups in BMD baseline values or changes during follow-up, as well as no correlation between change in BMD and tibial component migration. At ten-years follow-up, the improvement in the clinical outcome scores was similar between groups. There were no prosthesis related complications during the 10-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

At two years, tibial total translation was lower in the RP compared with the RR cement group, but BMD changes were similar. At ten years, no components were revised and clinical outcome scores were similar between groups.

CT-guided percutaneous bilateral sacroiliac joint arthroplasty

Pelvic fractures and sacroiliac joint (SI) diastasis are debilitating injuries which can drastically decrease an individual's functional capacity, and lead to significant morbidity and mortality. In younger, healthier populations, pelvic fractures are usually the result of sudden traumatic forces, such as a motor vehicle collision. Atraumatic pelvic fractures can also occur, and are most commonly due to age related changes and osteoporosis. Even with prompt surgical management, pelvic fractures often result in a host of challenging complications such as disruption of the SI joint with subsequent limitations in mobility and chronic pain. In this case report, we present a novel treatment of SI diastasis, secondary to corticosteroid induced osteoporosis and pelvic fractures. We performed percutaneous bilateral poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) SI joint fusions under CT-guidance. Here we describe a case of bilateral SI joint CT guided percutaneous arthroplasty for osteoporotic SI joint diastasis and pelvic fractures, resulting in a rapid resolution of SI joint pain and restoration of the ability to ambulate in a previously wheelchair-bound patient. This may be of particular benefit in patients who are poor surgical candidates who experience osteoporotic fractures and would be otherwise unable to receive definitive operative management of their pathologic fractures.

Elution of rifampin and vancomycin from a weight-bearing silorane-based bone cement

AIMS

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based bone cements are the industry standard in orthopaedics. PMMA cement has inherent disadvantages, which has led to the development and evaluation of a novel silorane-based biomaterial (SBB) for use as an orthopaedic cement. In this study we test both elution and mechanical properties of both PMMA and SBB, with and without antibiotic loading.

METHODS

For each cement (PMMA or SBB), three formulations were prepared (rifampin-added, vancomycin-added, and control) and made into pellets (6 mm × 12 mm) for testing. Antibiotic elution into phosphate-buffered saline was measured over 14 days. Compressive strength and modulus of all cement pellets were tested over 14 days.

RESULTS

The SBB cement was able to deliver rifampin over 14 days, while PMMA was unable to do so. SBB released more vancomycin overall than did PMMA. The mechanical properties of PMMA were significantly reduced upon rifampin incorporation, while there was no effect to the SBB cement. Vancomycin incorporation had no effect on the strength of either cement.

CONCLUSION

SBB was found to be superior in terms of rifampin and vancomycin elution. Additionally, the incorporation of these antibiotics into SBB did not reduce the strength of the resultant SBB cement composite whereas rifampin substantially attenuates the strength of PMMA. Thus, SBB emerges as a potential weight-bearing alternative to PMMA for the local delivery of antibiotics. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2021;10(4):277-284.

Thermal Analysis of the Tibial Cement Interface with Modern Cementing Technique

Background:

The major cause of cemented Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) failure is aseptic loosening of the tibial component necessitating revision surgery. Recently, multiple techniques have been described to maximize cement penetration depth and density in the proximal tibia during TKA to potentially avoid early loosening. While cement polymerisation is an exothermic reaction, minimal investigation into the proximal tibial thermal safety margin during cement polymerisation has been undertaken. In animal models osseous injury occurs at temperatures greater than 47 °C when applied for one minute. The aim of this study was to investigate the cement bone interface temperatures in TKA using modern tibial cementing techniques with a cadaveric tibial tray model.

Methods:

Eight adult cadavers were obtained with the proximal tibial surface prepared by a fellowship trained arthroplasty surgeon. Third generation cementation techniques were used and temperatures during cement polymerization on cadaveric knee arthroplasty models were recorded using thermocouples.

Results:

The results showed that no tibial cement temperature exceeded 44 °C for more than 1 minute. Two of the eight cadaveric tibias recorded maximum temperatures greater than 44 °C for 55 seconds and 33 seconds, just less than the 60 seconds reported to cause thermal injury. Average maximum polymerization temperatures did not correlate with deeper cement penetration or tray material. Maximum mantle temperatures were not statistically different between metal and all polyethylene tibial trays.

Conclusion:

Our investigation suggests that modern cementing techniques result in maximum mantle temperatures that are less than previously recorded temperatures required to cause thermal osseous injury, although this thermal injury safety margin is quite narrow at an average of 4.95 °C (95% confidence interval ± 4.31).

An Experimental Study to Determine the Role of Inferior Vena Cava Filter in Preventing Bone Cement Implantation Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) are frequently used for preventing pulmonary embolism (PE) following deep venous thromboembolism.

OBJECTIVES

The present study was designed to investigate whether IVCF could prevent or impede the occurrence of bone cement implantation syndrome (BCIS), since PE is considered as the central mechanism of BCIS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifteen sheep were divided into three groups: bone cement free (BCF) group, cement implantation (CI) group and IVCF group. In all the groups, an osteotomy proximal to the greater trochanter of left femur was carried out. In BCF group, the femoral canal was not reamed out or packed with any bone cement. In CI and IVCF groups, the left femoral canals were packed with bone cement, to simulate the cementing procedures carried out in hip replacement. An OptEase(®) filter was placed and released in inferior vena cava, prior to packing cement in the femoral canal in IVCF group, while the IVCF was not released in the CI group. The BCF group was considered as control.

RESULTS

Systolic blood pressure (SBP), saturation of oxygen (SaO2) and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) declined significantly 10 min after the bone cement packing, in CI group, compared to those in BCF group. This was accompanied by a rise in the arterial pH. However, IVCF prevented those changes in the CI group. On ultrasonography, there were dotted echoes in right atrium in the CI group, after bone cement packing, while such echoes were hardly seen in the IVCF group.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that IVCF could prevent BCIS effectively, and, as a corollary, suggests that PE represents the leading cause of the constellation of BCIS symptoms.

Vertebroplasty of cervical vertebra

BACKGROUND

The first vertebroplasty was performed by Harve Deramond in France in 1984 due to a hemangioma of cervical vertebral body. Procedure technique consisted of inserting a needle through the bony palate of the oral cavity. Bone cement injected under pressure not only fills the areas of bone loss. The heat released in the process of crystallization causes denaturation of pathological tissue proteins (metastasis) and disrupts blood supply (hemangiomas). The aim of this study was to evaluate the method of treatment from anterolateral access.

MATERIAL/METHODS

In the years 2007-2012 the procedure was performed in 6 men and 9 women aged from 42 to 71 years (mean age: 56.3 years). In 10 cases the reason for vertebroplasty was the vertebral hemangioma, in another 4 - pathological vertebral fractures due to metastases, and in one case - multiple myeloma. Procedures were performed from anterolateral access, under local anesthesia, under x-ray guidance (fluoroscopy). Bone needle was inserted into the vertebral body, followed by injection of PMMA cement.

RESULTS

In 100% cases pain relief was observed immediately after the procedure and beneficial therapeutic effect was obtained. No life-threatening complications and clinical symptoms were observed. Average length hospital stay amounted to 2.9 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Cervical spine vertebroplasty from anterolateral access seems to be a safe, effective and beneficial method of treatment. It reduces the risk of infection in comparison to the transoral method.