Equivalent revision rates and patient reported outcomes with routine use of a short (125mm) cemented stem for total hip arthroplasty compared to a standard length (150mm) cemented stem. A two surgeon series of 1335 patients.

BACKGROUND: Routine total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a short cemented stem as compared with a standard length cemented stem may have benefits in terms of stress distribution, bone preservation, stem subsidence and ease of revision surgery. Two senior arthroplasty surgeons transitioned their routine femoral implant from a standard 150 mm Exeter V40 cemented stem to a short 125 mm Exeter V40 cemented stem for all patients over the course of several years. We analysed revision rates, adjusted survival, and PROMS scores for patients who received a standard stem and a short stem in routine THA. METHODS: All THAs performed by the two surgeons between January 2011 and December 2021 were included. All procedures were performed using either a 150 mm or 125 mm Exeter V40 stem. Demographic data, acetabular implant type, and outcome data including implant survival, reason for revision, and post-operative Oxford Hip Scores were obtained from the New Zealand Joint Registry (NZJR), and detailed survival analyses were performed. Primary outcome was revision for any reason. Reason for revision, including femoral or acetabular failure, and time to revision were also recorded. RESULTS: 1335 THAs were included. 516 using the 150 mm stem and 819 using the 125 mm stem. There were 4055.5 and 3227.8 component years analysed in the standard stem and short stem groups respectively due to a longer mean follow up in the 150 mm group. Patient reported outcomes were comparable across all groups. Revision rates were comparable between the standard 150 mm stem (0.44 revisions/100 component years) and the short 125 mm stem (0.56 revisions/100 component years) with no statistically significant difference found (p = 0.240). CONCLUSION: Routine use of a short 125 mm stem had no statistically significant impact on revision rate or PROMS scores when compared to a standard 150 mm stem. There may be benefits to routine use of a short cemented femoral implant.

Classification system for partial distal biceps tendon tears: a descriptive 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging study of tear morphology.

BACKGROUND: There is minimal literature on the morphology of partial distal biceps tendon (DBT) tears. We sought to investigate tear morphology by retrospectively reviewing 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (3T MRI) scans of elbows with partial DBT tears and to propose a basic classification system. METHODS: 3T MRI scans of elbows with partial DBT tears were retrospectively reviewed by two experienced observers. Basic demographic data were collected. Tear morphology was recorded including type, presence of retraction (>5 mm), and presence of discrete long-head and short-head tendons at the DBT insertion. RESULTS: For analysis, 44 3T MRI scans of 44 elbows with partial DBT tears were included. There were 9 isolated long-head tears (20%), 13 isolated short-head tears (30%), 2 complete long-head tears with a partial short-head tear (5%), 5 complete short-head tears with a partial long-head tear (11%), and 15 peel-off tears (34%). Retraction was seen in 5 or 44 partial tears (11%), and 13 of the 44 DBTs were bifid tendons at the insertion (30%). CONCLUSIONS: Partial DBT tears can be classified into five sub-types: long-head isolated tears, short-head isolated tears, complete long-head tears with partial short-head involvement, complete short-head tears with partial long-head involvement, and peel-off tears. Classification of tears may have implications for operative and non-operative management. Level of evidence: III.