Hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement is associated with significant improvement in early patient reported outcomes: analysis of 4963 cases from the UK non-arthroplasty registry (NAHR) dataset.

PURPOSE: Results from recent randomised controlled trials demonstrate the superiority of surgery over physiotherapy in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) of the hip in early follow-up. However, there is paucity of evidence regarding which factors influence outcomes of FAI surgery, particularly notable is the lack of information on the effect of impingement subtype (cam or pincer or mixed) on patient reported outcomes measures (PROMs). This study aims to evaluate the early outcomes of hip arthroscopy for FAI, and their determinants. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the UK Non-Arthroplasty Hip Registry (NAHR) of patients undergoing arthroscopic intervention for FAI between 2012 and 2019. The null hypothesis was that there is no difference in PROMs, based on morphological subtype of FAI treated or patient characteristics, at each follow-up timepoint. The outcome measures used for the study were the iHOT-12 score and the EQ5D Index and VAS 6- and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: A cohort of 4963 patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment of FAI were identified on the NAHR database. For all FAI pathology groups, there was significant improvement from pre-operative PROMs when compared to those at 6 and 12 months. Overall, two-thirds of patients achieved the minimum clinically important difference (MCID), and almost half achieved substantial clinical benefit (SCB) for iHOT-12 by 12 months. Pre-operatively, and at 12-month follow-up, iHOT-12 scores were significantly poorer in the pincer group compared to the cam and mixed pathology groups (p < 0.01). Multivariable analysis revealed PROMS improvement in the setting of a higher-grade cartilage lesion. CONCLUSION: This registry study demonstrates that hip arthroscopy is an effective surgical treatment for patients with symptomatic FAI and results in a statistically significant improvement in PROMs which are maintained through 12 months follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Does hip preservation surgery prevent arthroplasty? Quantifying the rate of conversion to arthroplasty following hip preservation surgery.

Hip arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement and periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) for dysplasia is the most commonly used contemporary treatment for these conditions and has been shown to provide pain relief and restore function. What is less understood and perhaps of more interest to health economists, is the role of these procedures in preserving the hip joint and avoiding hip arthroplasty. The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether hip joint preservation surgery, indeed, preserves the hip joint by looking at conversion rates to total hip arthroplasty (THA). Two separate searches were undertaken, using PRISMA guidelines and utilizing PubMed and Open Athens search engines, identifying manuscripts that looked at conversion to THA following either hip arthroscopy (HA) or PAO. When considering HA, we found 64 eligible papers. Out of these studies, there were 59 430 hips with 5627 undergoing conversion to THA (9.47% [95% CI 9.23-9.71%]) with a mean conversion time of 24.42 months. Regarding PAO, there were 46 eligible papers including 4862 patients who underwent PAO with subsequent conversion to THA in 404 patients (8.31% [95% CI 7.54-9.12%]). with a mean conversion time of 70.11 months. Certain features were associated with increased conversion rates, including increasing age, worsening arthritis and joint space <2 mm. This study demonstrates that the mean conversion rates to be <10% for HA and PAO, during the mean follow-up periods of included manuscripts. Joint preserving surgery appears to defer or at least delay the need for THA.

Periacetabular Osteotomy for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip and Femoroacetabular Impingement: A Study Using the U.K. Non-Arthroplasty Hip Registry (NAHR) Data Set.

BACKGROUND: Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is a well-recognized procedure for the treatment of hip dysplasia in young adults and can be used for the surgical management of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) with acetabular retroversion. The aim of this study was to use a national database to assess the outcomes of PAO for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and for FAI. METHODS: All patients in whom an isolated PAO had been performed between January 2012 and February 2019 were identified in the Non-Arthroplasty Hip Registry (NAHR). Their outcomes were assessed using the EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) index and the International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT)-12 preoperatively and then at 6 months, 12 months, and 2 years postoperatively. RESULTS: Six hundred and thirty (630) PAOs were identified, with 558 (89%) performed for DDH and 72 (11%) performed for FAI. Most patients (90%) were female. The mean age in the DDH group (31.2 years) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than that in the FAI group (26.5 years). There were no other significant between-group demographic differences. Preoperatively and at each follow-up time-period, iHOT-12 scores were better in the DDH group than in the FAI group; however, only the preoperative scores differed significantly. There was significant improvement between the preoperative and 6-month iHOT-12 and EQ-5D index scores in both the DDH and the FAI group. This improvement was maintained at 12 months postoperatively, by which time almost 90% of the patients had achieved the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in their iHOT-12 score. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that PAO is a successful surgical intervention for DDH and FAI in the short term, with significant improvement in patient-reported outcome scores that is maintained up to 2 years postoperatively. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Painless vertebral osteomyelitis: an unusual presentation.

Vertebral osteomyelitis or discitis is a condition characterised by inflammation to the vertebral disc space and is often related to infection. It usually involves the discovertebral junction, and may extend to the epidural space, posterior vertebral elements and paraspinal tissues. This is an unusual case of a 68-year-old gentleman who presented to hospital confused and unwell with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. Clinical examination and routine investigations revealed no obvious source of infection. Despite thorough examination of his spine, no back pain or focal neurology were elicited, but with no obvious source of infection MRI of the spine was carried out which revealed a vertebral osteomyelitis with paravertebral abscess formation.

A case of anaplastic large cell lymphoma: when you hear hoof beats, sometimes consider zebras, not horses.

A 22-year-old man presented with fever, lymphadenopathy and abdominal pain. With a travel history and considering the young age of the patient, an infective aetiology was thought most likely. Investigations yielded no evidence of infection. Given the increasing severity of the symptoms a neoplastic cause was subsequently considered. Following abdominal ultrasound and CT a lymph node and bone marrow biopsy were performed. These investigations revealed the diagnosis to be anaplastic large cell lymphoma. The patient consequently underwent a course of chemotherapy followed by a course of high-dose chemotherapy with an autologous bone marrow transplant.