A custom coupling device of total knee and ipsilateral total hip arthroplasties after distal femoral fracture.

The treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures around long-stemmed hip implants is an orthopedic challenge, which may be complicated by the presence or need for a total knee arthroplasty. Treatment of this fracture when the proximal implant is well fixed and a distal implant is required poses ongoing challenges. Traditional plating and allograft struts have produced variable results, particularly in osteoporotic bone, where incidence of nonunion is greater. Thus, we report a custom interlocking device, which couples the stem of the fixed proximal implant to a new stemmed total knee prosthesis, resulting in the expedited restoration of functionality and fracture union.

The lack of correlation between radiographic findings and cartilage integrity.

Total knee arthroplasty is a common treatment of osteoarthritis, although unicompartmental knee arthroplasties are frequently used to retain unaffected compartments. Joint space width (JSW) is a major factor in determining treatment. We examined the relationship between JSW and cartilage quality in 60 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty to assess its accuracy in representing cartilage degradation. Radiographic JSW was recorded, whereas the unaffected compartment of each tibial plateau was examined postoperatively using Collins, Mankin, and Kellgren and Lawrence scores. No correlation was seen between visual or histologic grading and JSW. Histology more accurately represented cartilage quality, yet it is impractical to obtain preoperatively; thus, JSW is the main mode of assessment. However, using JSW solely to indicate unicompartmental knee arthroplasty may overlook disease in apparently unaffected compartments.