Implant options for the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip: rationale, evidence, and recommendations.

AIMS: The aim of this paper is to review the evidence relating to the anatomy of the proximal femur, the geometry of the fracture and the characteristics of implants and methods of fixation of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant papers were identified from appropriate clinical databases and a narrative review was undertaken. RESULTS: Stable, unstable, and subtrochanteric intertrochanteric fractures vary widely in their anatomical and biomechanical characteristics, as do the implants used for their fixation. The optimal choice of implant addresses the stability of the fracture and affects the outcome. CONCLUSION: The treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip has evolved along with changes in the design of the implants used to fix them, but there remains conflicting evidence to guide the choice of implant. We advocate fixation of 31A1 fractures with a sliding hip screw and all others with an intramedullary device. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:128-33.

Diagnosis and treatment of fractures of the talus: a comprehensive review of the literature.

Fractures of the head, neck, and body of the talus present difficult treatment challenges. The vulnerable blood supply and abundant articular surfaces may lead to long-term problems with osteonecrosis and osteoarthrosis. Previous studies of these relatively rare injuries have been mostly small, inconsistent, or anecdotal, leading to confusion and controversy regarding the optimum treatment of various types of talus fractures. The surgeon who treats these injuries must be prepared to address meticulous reduction and fixation, maintain attentive follow-up, and manage the complications that may result despite appropriate treatment. This review summarizes the findings of the literature on each type of talus fracture to provide a clearer picture of their recommended management.

Efficacy of gentamycin-impregnated resorbable hydroxyapatite cement in treating osteomyelitis in a rat model.

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of a self-setting hydroxyapatite cement (HAC) as a carrier of gentamycin for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis in a rat model by using a void-fill placement technique. DESIGN: Osteomyelitis of the tibia was created with Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 49230) in sixty retired female breeder Sprague-Dawley rats by using the model by Korkusuz et al. (J Bone Joint Surg 1993;75B:111-114). At seven weeks after infection, all animals demonstrated clinical and radiographic signs of osteomyelitis and were debrided and divided into four treatment groups: A, debridement only; B, debridement and daily intraperitoneal gentamycin (0.2 milligram per kilogram per day); C, debridement and gentamycin-impregnated HAC in a void-fill model (1.0 milligram per kilogram of gentamycin); and D, debridement and gentamycin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads (1.0 milligram per kilogram of gentamycin). Tibiae were harvested at zero weeks (control, n = 6), three weeks (n = 3 per group), five weeks (n = 4 per group), and seven weeks (n = 4 per group) and analyzed with quantitative bacteriologic analysis. OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Qualitative bacteriologic analysis was performed by using serial dilution plating of homogenized tissue samples on standard soy trypticase agar plates. Reexamination by phage typing was performed to exclude contamination. RESULTS: The quantitative counts for Groups C (HAC) and D (PMMA) were significantly less (p < 0.003) than those for Group A (debridement alone) or Group B (intraperitoneal gentamycin) at all time points after time zero. There was no difference between Groups C and D at any time point. CONCLUSION: HAC is an effective adjuvant in treating chronic osteomyelitis in a rat model when using a void-fill placement technique.

Fractures of the posterior wall of the acetabulum.

Only 30% of posterior-wall acetabular fractures involve a single large fragment. The majority are multifragmentary or have areas of impaction. Unsatisfactory clinical results occur in more than 80% of patients treated non-surgically. Operative management usually offers the best chance of preserving long-term joint function, but only if an anatomically reconstructed acetabulum can be achieved without complication. The keys to surgical success include maintaining the viability of the fracture fragments and the femoral head itself, using bone grafts and buttress plating to support elevated and comminuted fragments, and protecting the neurovascular structures at risk. Complications can include sciatic nerve injury (incidence, 3% to 18%), heterotopic ossification (7% to 20%), and osteonecrosis of the femoral head (5% to 8%). Despite the relative simplicity of this acetabular fracture, unsatisfactory outcomes after surgical repair of the posterior wall occur in at least 18% to 32% of cases, results that are worse than for most of the other more complex acetabular fracture patterns.

Intramedullary versus extramedullary fixation for the treatment of intertrochanteric hip fractures.

One hundred thirty-one patients (135 fractures) who sustained an intertrochanteric fracture were assigned randomly to treatment with either a sliding hip screw or an intramedullary hip screw and followed up prospectively. In patients with unstable intertrochanteric fractures, the intramedullary device was associated with 23% less surgical time and 44% less blood loss; however, use of the intramedullary hip screw in patients who had a stable fracture pattern required 70% greater fluoroscopic time. Intraoperative complications occurred exclusively in patients in the intramedullary hip screw group. There were no differences in the rates of functional recovery between the two fixation groups.

Awareness of tip-apex distance reduces failure of fixation of trochanteric fractures of the hip.

We compared the results of the surgical treatment of trochanteric hip fractures before and after surgeons had been introduced to the tip-apex distance (TAD) as a method of evaluating screw position. There were 198 fractures evaluated retrospectively and 118 after instruction. The TAD is the sum of the distance from the tip of the screw to the apex of the femoral head on anteroposterior and lateral views. This decreased from a mean of 25 mm in the control group to 20 mm in the study group (p = 0.0001). The number of mechanical failures by cut-out of the screw from the head decreased from 16 (8%) in the control group at a mean of 13 months to none in the study group at a mean of eight months (p = 0.0015). There were significantly fewer poor reductions in the study group. Our study confirms the importance of good surgical technique in the treatment of trochanteric fractures and supports the concept of the TAD as a clinically useful way of describing the position of the screw.

Multifocal heterotopic ossification in a patient with sickle cell disease: a case report.

A patient had a sickle cell crisis and developed heterotopic ossification of multiple joints. Many disease entities have been associated with heterotopic ossification; however, heterotopic ossification has rarely, if ever, been associated with sickle cell disease. Only 10% of patients with heterotopic ossification develop ankylosis of their joints. This patient developed ankylosis of several joints. Surgical excision of the periarticular heterotopic ossification allowed full passive motion of the involved joints. After extensive rehabilitation, the patient could perform all activities of daily living and ambulate comfortably without devices.

The value of the tip-apex distance in predicting failure of fixation of peritrochanteric fractures of the hip.

Failure of fixation of peritrochanteric fractures that have been treated with a fixed-angle sliding hip-screw device is frequently related to the position of the lag screw in the femoral head. A simple measurement has been developed to describe the position of the screw. This measurement, the tip-apex distance, is the sum of the distance from the tip of the lag screw to the apex of the femoral head on an anteroposterior radiograph and this distance on a lateral radiograph, after controlling for magnification. To determine the value of this measurement in the prediction of so-called cutout of the lag screw, 198 peritrochanteric fractures (193 patients) were studied. The minimum duration of follow-up was three months (average, thirteen months), during which period all of the fractures either healed or had failure of the fixation. Of the nineteen failures that were identified, sixteen were due to the device cutting out of the femoral head. The average tip-apex distance was twenty-four millimeters (range, nine to sixty-three millimeters) for the successfully treated fractures compared with thirty-eight millimeters (range, twenty-eight to forty-eight millimeters) for those in which the screw cut out (p = 0.0001). None of the 120 screws with a tip-apex distance of twenty-five millimeters or less cut out, but there was a very strong statistical relationship between an increasing tip-apex distance and the rate of cutout, regardless of all other variables related to the fracture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

SSEP monitoring during pelvic and acetabular fracture surgery.

Forty-one consecutive patients requiring surgery for pelvic or acetabular fractures were reviewed to compare the 20 patients (20 fractures) who had SSEP monitoring to the twenty-one patients (22 fractures) in whom monitoring was not available. In the unmonitored group, five patients had a preoperative neurologic deficit (three major/two minor), whereas in the monitored group there were nine patients with deficits (two major/seven minor). Intraoperatively, significant somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) changes occurred in six of the monitored patients. In five patients the changes resolved on correction of the offending action and there was no postoperative deficit. In the remaining case, SSEP changes did not resolve and the patient awoke with a peroneal palsy. This one monitored patient with a new deficit compares with five patients with postoperative new deficits (or deteriorations) in the unmonitored group. The majority of intraoperative SSEP changes and iatrogenic deficits occurred during surgery through the ilioinguinal approach. During follow-up, the great majority of deficits resolved completely or had significant improvement.

Pilon fractures of the distal tibia.

Pilon fractures are relatively rare fractures of the distal metaphysis of the tibia resulting from axial and/or rotational forces. They involve varying degrees of metaphyseal disruption, articular damage, and malleolar displacement. When severe, these injuries represent a tremendous challenge to the orthopaedic trauma surgeon. Traditional treatment of high-grade pilon fractures by closed means has led to unsatisfactory results. Open reduction and internal fixation in accordance with AO/ASIF principles has greatly improved the outcome in these often disabling fractures. Surgical technique involves anatomic restoration of fibular length, reconstruction of the plafond, bond grafting of the metaphyseal defect, and buttress plating of the medial tibia. Thorough preoperative planning and meticulous surgical technique produce predictably good results in the majority of cases.

Arthroscopic debridement of the arthritic knee.

Arthroscopic debridement was carried out in 49 knees of 44 patients. These patients, who had a primary diagnosis of arthritis, were older than 50 years of age. Two-thirds had roentgenographic evidence of severe arthritis. Age, weight, compartment location of arthritis, and presurgical range of motion did not affect surgical results. Symptoms of long duration, arthritic severity as evidenced by roentgenograms, and malalignment predicted poor results. Conversely, shorter duration of symptoms, mechanical symptoms, mild to moderate roentgenographic changes, and crystal deposition correlated with improved results. Surgery offered no benefit for 39% of the patients. Another 9% had temporary improvement, averaging 15 months, but were judged failures at the final follow-up examination. Good or excellent results were achieved in 52% of the patients and maintained through the final follow-up examination in 40% of the patients. Of these, two-thirds had no visible deterioration within a 33-month average follow-up period.