Primary cementless total hip arthroplasty with an alumina ceramic-on-ceramic bearing: results after a minimum of twenty years of follow-up

BACKGROUND

The biological problems related to wear debris after total hip arthroplasty have stimulated renewed interest in alternatives to metal-on-polyethylene bearing surfaces.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and radiographic results of 100 patients who had undergone a total of 109 primary total hip arthroplasties with a cementless alumina ceramic-on-ceramic prosthesis between January 1985 and December 1989. The mean age of the patients at the time of the index arthroplasty was forty-six years. Clinical evaluation was performed with use of the Charnley modification of the Merle d'Aubigné-Postel scale. Seventy-eight patients who had had a total of eighty-five arthroplasties were available for follow-up evaluation at an average of 20.8 years. The patients' average age at the time of the latest follow-up was 66.8 years.

RESULTS

Six hips (six acetabular cups and one femoral stem) in six patients underwent revision. Aseptic loosening of the cup combined with focal osteolysis was the cause of all six revisions. In one patient, the stem was also revised because of aseptic loosening. At the time of final follow-up, the result was excellent (according to the Merle d'Aubigné-Postel scale) in 68% of the hips, good in 19%, fair in 9%, and poor in 4%. The mean Merle d'Aubigné-Postel score improved from 7.9 points preoperatively to 16.9 points postoperatively (p < 0.001). The cumulative rate of survival of the prostheses was 84.4% at 20.8 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of these cementless ceramic-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasties continued to be satisfactory at a minimum of twenty years postoperatively. The improved design of contemporary prostheses and the new generation of ceramic-on-ceramic bearing surfaces may lead to even better long-term results.

Aspiration alone versus aspiration and bupivacaine injection in the treatment of undisplaced radial head fractures: a prospective randomized study

HYPOTHESIS

Some physicians advocate that aspiration of elbow joint hematoma in radial head fractures is helpful not only for determining a mechanical block to motion from a fracture fragment but also for improving the elbow motion and pain. However, the supplementary role of intra-articular anaesthetic injection is unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this prospective randomized study, 40 patients with undisplaced radial head fractures (Mason I) were treated with elbow joint aspiration alone (20 patients) or aspiration plus intra-articular injection of 3 mL of bupivacaine 0.5% (20 patients). Active elbow exercises were immediately commenced. The patients were evaluated at 1 day, 1, 3, and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, and 1 year.

RESULTS

No difference was found in terms of range of motion, pain and elbow function between the 2 groups in all the examined time points. The improvement in the above parameters achieved a plateau at 3 weeks in both groups.

DISCUSSION

Intra-articular use of local anaesthetic after joint aspiration does not offer any benefit over aspiration alone in the treatment of undisplaced radial head fractures and its routine application is not supported by the clinical data.

Reconstruction of a missed posterior locked shoulder fracture-dislocation with bone graft and lesser tuberosity transfer: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Posterior shoulder fracture-dislocation is a rare emergency condition with poor prognosis when there is a delay in diagnosis and presence of associated injuries.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a case of a neglected four-part fracture-dislocation of the proximal humerus in a 34-year-old Greek woman. Except from the substantially displaced and comminuted tuberosity fractures, an anterolateral defect of approximately 50% of the articular surface was apparent. Open reduction of the humeral head was followed by reconstruction of the proximal humerus with allograft impaction, transfer of lesser tuberosity to the humeral defect and anatomic fixation of the greater tuberosity and humeral neck fractures. At two and a half years postoperatively, the humeral head was revascularised and properly articulated with the glenoid fossa.

CONCLUSION

The presented case underlines the variability of injury pattern, the potential of missed diagnosis and the need for preserving the humeral head in young patients regardless of the amount of articular surface defect and disruption of soft tissue attachments.

Primary total-hip arthroplasty with the autophor 900-s fully porous coated stem in young patients seven to seventeen years of follow-up

A total of 233 Autophor 900-S fully porous coated stems were implanted in 220 patients with an average age of 47.5 years and an average follow-up of 13.5 years. The mean d' Aubigne-Postel score improved from 7.9 points preoperatively to 16.9 points postoperatively (P < .001). The overall result was excellent in 74.6%, good in 18.1%, fair in 5.8%, and poor in 1.5% of cases. One hip was revised for septic and two for aseptic loosening. The overall survival rate of this prosthesis was 98.1% in 17 years. The Autophor 900-S femoral stem has offered a very satisfactory clinical outcome together with considerable prosthesis longevity in the young patient population studied. It combines adequate initial stability, satisfactory subsequent bone ingrowth, smooth load transfer, and low-friction bearing surfaces.

Is obesity a contraindication for minimal invasive total knee replacement? A prospective randomized control trial

BACKGROUND

Although total knee replacement (TKR) has been proven a very successful treatment modality for the end-stage knee osteoarthritis (OA) in obese patients, the rehabilitation period often is long and painful. Minimal invasive surgery (MIS) has gained much attention in TKR promising fast and less painful recovery. However, little is known about the effectiveness of the technique in the obese adult population.

METHODS

One hundred consecutive patients with body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m(2) and tricompartmental knee OA were randomly assigned to undergo either standard TKR (50 patients) or MIS-TKR (50 patients). The patients were assessed clinically and radiologically before the procedure and at subsequent postoperative follow-up visits, until 2 years after the operation.

RESULTS

Knee society function and pain scores were significantly higher in MIS group for 3 months following surgery. Patients after MIS had also lower levels of pain during hospitalization. Tourniquet time was on average 7 min longer during MIS-TKR (p = 0.03) but operative time was almost equal in both groups (p = 0.11). No statistical significant difference was found between groups regarding the amount of blood loss (p = 0.49) or incidence of allogeneic blood transfusion (p = 0.27). Active straight leg raising was achieved 2.2 days earlier, on average, after MIS-TKR (p < 0.001). No severe complications or residual coronal and sagittal imbalance were identified. Component alignment was in normal limits and similar in both groups. In MIS group, higher BMI did not have a negative predictive effect on knee pain and function.

CONCLUSIONS

MIS is a reliable and safe option in obese patients undergoing TKR regardless the level of BMI. It is associated with improved early clinical outcome without sacrificing radiographic positioning of the implants.