Risk factors for failure of the 36 mm metal-on-metal Pinnacle total hip arthroplasty system: a retrospective single-centre cohort study.

AIMS: To determine ten-year failure rates following 36 mm metal-on-metal (MoM) Pinnacle total hip arthroplasty (THA), and identify predictors of failure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively assessed a single-centre cohort of 569 primary 36 mm MoM Pinnacle THAs (all Corail stems) followed up since 2012 according to Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Agency recommendations. All-cause failure rates (all-cause revision, and non-revised cross-sectional imaging failures) were calculated, with predictors for failure identified using multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: Failure occurred in 97 hips (17.0%). The ten-year cumulative failure rate was 27.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 21.6 to 33.7). Primary implantation from 2006 onwards (hazard ratio (HR) 4.30; 95% CI 1.82 to 10.1; p = 0.001) and bilateral MoM hip arthroplasty (HR 1.59; 95% CI 1.03 to 2.46; p = 0.037) predicted failure. The effect of implantation year on failure varied over time. From four years onwards following surgery, hips implanted since 2006 had significantly higher failure rates (eight years 28.3%; 95% CI 23.1 to 34.5) compared with hips implanted before 2006 (eight years 6.3%; 95% CI 2.4 to 15.8) (HR 15.2; 95% CI 2.11 to 110.4; p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: We observed that 36 mm MoM Pinnacle THAs have an unacceptably high ten-year failure rate, especially if implanted from 2006 onwards or in bilateral MoM hip patients. Our findings regarding implantation year and failure support recent concerns about the device manufacturing process. We recommend all patients undergoing implantation since 2006 and those with bilateral MoM hips undergo regular investigation, regardless of symptoms. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:592-600.

Can blood metal ion levels be used to identify patients with bilateral Birmingham Hip Resurfacings who are at risk of adverse reactions to metal debris?

AIMS: We investigated whether blood metal ion levels could effectively identify patients with bilateral Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) implants who have adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Metal ion levels in whole blood were measured in 185 patients with bilateral BHRs. Patients were divided into those with ARMD who either had undergone a revision for ARMD or had ARMD on imaging (n = 30), and those without ARMD (n = 155). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the optimal thresholds of blood metal ion levels for identifying patients with ARMD. RESULTS: The maximum level of cobalt or chromium ions in the blood was the parameter which produced the highest area under the curve (91.0%). The optimal threshold for distinguishing between patients with and without ARMD was 5.5 µg/l (83.3% sensitivity, 88.4% specificity, 58.1% positive and 96.5% negative predictive values). Similar results were obtained in a subgroup of 111 patients who all underwent cross-sectional imaging. Between 3.2% and 4.3% of patients with ARMD were missed if United Kingdom (7 µg/l) and United States (10 µg/l) authority thresholds were used respectively, compared with 2.7% if our implant specific threshold was used, though these differences did not reach statistical significance (p ≥ 0.248). CONCLUSION: Patients with bilateral BHRs who have blood metal ion levels below our implant specific threshold were at low-risk of having ARMD. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:1455-62.

Increased expression of inducible co-stimulator on CD4+ T-cells in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid of patients with failed hip arthroplasties.

OBJECTIVES: T-cells are considered to play an important role in the inflammatory response causing arthroplasty failure. The study objectives were to investigate the composition and distribution of CD4+ T-cell phenotypes in the peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) of patients undergoing revision surgery for failed metal-on-metal (MoM) and metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) hip arthroplasties, and in patients awaiting total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: In this prospective case-control study, PB and SF were obtained from 22 patients (23 hips) undergoing revision of MoM (n = 14) and MoP (n = 9) hip arthroplasties, with eight controls provided from primary hip osteoarthritis cases awaiting arthroplasty. Lymphocyte subtypes in samples were analysed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: The percentages of CD4+ T-cell subtypes in PB were not different between groups. The CD4+ T-cells in the SF of MoM hips showed a completely different distribution of phenotypes compared with that found in the PB in the same patients, including significantly decreased CD4+ T-central memory cells (p < 0.05) and increased T-effector memory cells (p < 0.0001) in the SF. Inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) was the only co-stimulatory molecule with different expression on CD4+ CD28+ cells between groups. In PB, ICOS expression was increased in MoM (p < 0.001) and MoP (p < 0.05) cases compared with the controls. In SF, ICOS expression was increased in MoM hips compared with MoP hips (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Increased expression of ICOS on CD4+ T-cells in PB and SF of patients with failed arthroplasties suggests that these cells are activated and involved in generating immune responses. Variations in ICOS expression between MoM and MoP hips may indicate different modes of arthroplasty failure.Cite this article: Professor P. A. Revell. Increased expression of inducible co-stimulator on CD4+ T-cells in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid of patients with failed hip arthroplasties. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:52-60. doi: 10.1302/2046-3758.52.2000574.

The utility of repeat ultrasound imaging in the follow-up of metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty patients.

INTRODUCTION: We assessed changes in metal-on-metal hip arthroplasties (MoMHAs) after repeat ultrasound examination. METHODS: This retrospective, single-centre cohort study involved all patients undergoing two ultrasound examinations of the same MoMHA. Between 2010 and 2014, 96 ultrasound examinations were performed in 48 MoMHAs (mean time between scans = 1.1 years). A radiologist assigned each scan to one of four grades and measured volumes of any solid/cystic masses. Changes in grade and lesion volume between scans were analysed. RESULTS: Change in grade between scans was significant (p=0.012); 27% (n=13) of MoMHAs increased in grade, 67% (n=32) had no grade change, and 6% (n=3) decreased in grade. The mean increase in lesion volume was 24.2cm(3) by the second scan, and was significant (p=0.023). Evidence of progression in findings was observed in 54% (26/48) of MoMHAs. Of patients with normal scans initially, 44% (8/18) developed abnormalities. No factors (including blood metal ion concentrations and cup position) were associated significantly with progression of ultrasound findings. CONCLUSIONS: Repeat ultrasound in MoMHA patients demonstrated that findings frequently progress in the short-term. Therefore, regular surveillance of MoMHA patients is important, with ultrasound representing an effective investigation for identifying the development and progression of lesions.

Predictors of time to revision and clinical outcomes following revision of metal-on-metal hip replacements for adverse reaction to metal debris.

We undertook a retrospective cohort study to determine clinical outcomes following the revision of metal-on-metal (MoM) hip replacements for adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD), and to identify predictors of time to revision and outcomes following revision. Between 1998 and 2012 a total of 64 MoM hips (mean age at revision of 57.8 years; 46 (72%) female; 46 (72%) hip resurfacings and 18 (28%) total hip replacements) were revised for ARMD at one specialist centre. At a mean follow-up of 4.5 years (1.0 to 14.6) from revision for ARMD there were 13 hips (20.3%) with post-operative complications and eight (12.5%) requiring re-revision. The Kaplan-Meier five-year survival rate for ARMD revision was 87.9% (95% confidence interval 78.9 to 98.0; 19 hips at risk). Excluding re-revisions, the median absolute Oxford hip score (OHS) following ARMD revision using the percentage method (0% best outcome and 100% worst outcome) was 18.8% (interquartile range (IQR) 7.8% to 48.3%), which is equivalent to 39/48 (IQR 24.8/48 to 44.3/48) when using the modified OHS. Histopathological response did not affect time to revision for ARMD (p = 0.334) or the subsequent risk of re-revision (p = 0.879). Similarly, the presence or absence of a contralateral MoM hip bearing did not affect time to revision for ARMD (p = 0.066) or the subsequent risk of re-revision (p = 0.178). Patients revised to MoM bearings had higher rates of re-revision (five of 16 MoM hips re-revised; p = 0.046), but those not requiring re-revision had good functional results (median absolute OHS 14.6% or 41.0/48). Short-term morbidity following revision for ARMD was comparable with previous reports. Caution should be exercised when choosing bearing surfaces for ARMD revisions.

Results of Birmingham hip resurfacing at 12 to 15 years: a single-surgeon series.

We report a 12- to 15-year implant survival assessment of a prospective single-surgeon series of Birmingham Hip Resurfacings (BHRs). The earliest 1000 consecutive BHRs including 288 women (335 hips) and 598 men (665 hips) of all ages and diagnoses with no exclusions were prospectively followed-up with postal questionnaires, of whom the first 402 BHRs (350 patients) also had clinical and radiological review. Mean follow-up was 13.7 years (12.3 to 15.3). In total, 59 patients (68 hips) died 0.7 to 12.6 years following surgery from unrelated causes. There were 38 revisions, 0.1 to 13.9 years (median 8.7) following operation, including 17 femoral failures (1.7%) and seven each of infections, soft-tissue reactions and other causes. With revision for any reason as the end-point Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed 97.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 96.9 to 97.9) and 95.8% (95% CI 95.1 to 96.5) survival at ten and 15 years, respectively. Radiological assessment showed 11 (3.5%) femoral and 13 (4.1%) acetabular radiolucencies which were not deemed failures and one radiological femoral failure (0.3%). Our study shows that the performance of the BHR continues to be good at 12- to 15-year follow-up. Men have better implant survival (98.0%; 95% CI 97.4 to 98.6) at 15 years than women (91.5%; 95% CI 89.8 to 93.2), and women < 60 years (90.5%; 95% CI 88.3 to 92.7) fare worse than others. Hip dysplasia and osteonecrosis are risk factors for failure. Patients under 50 years with osteoarthritis fare best (99.4%; 95% CI 98.8 to 100 survival at 15 years), with no failures in men in this group.

Outcomes of a metal-on-metal total hip replacement system.

INTRODUCTION: High short-term failure rates have been reported for a variety of metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip replacements (THRs) owing to adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD). This has led to the withdrawal of certain poorly performing THRs. This study analysed the outcomes of a MoM THR system. METHODS: Between 2004 and 2010, 578 uncemented MoM THRs (511 patients, mean age: 60.0 years) were implanted at one specialist centre. The THR system used consisted of the Corail(®) stem, Pinnacle(®) cup, Ultamet(®) liner and Articul/eze(®) femoral head (all DePuy, Leeds, UK). All patients were recalled for clinical review with imaging performed as necessary. RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 5.0 years (range: 1.0-9.1 years). Overall, 39 hips (6.7%) in 38 patients (all 36 mm femoral head size) underwent revision at a mean time of 3.5 years (range: 0.01-8.3 years) from the index THR with 30 revisions (77%) performed in women. The cumulative eight-year survival rate for all THRs was 88.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 78.5-93.4%), with no difference (p=0.053) between male (95.2%, 95% CI: 84.2-98.7%) and female patients (85.3%, 95% CI: 70.2-92.1%) at eight years. Seventeen revisions (44%) were performed for ARMD. There was no significant difference in absolute postoperative Oxford hip scores between men and women (p=0.608). The mean acetabular inclination in unrevised THRs was 44.0°. Forty-seven non-revised THRs (8.7%) had blood metal ion concentrations above recommended thresholds (seven had periprosthetic effusions). CONCLUSIONS: Although this MoM THR system has not failed as dramatically as other similar designs, we recommend against continued use and advise regular clinical surveillance to identify ARMD early.

An analysis of Oxford hip and knee scores following primary hip and knee replacement performed at a specialist centre.

The Oxford hip and knee scores (OHS and OKS) are validated patient-reported outcome measures used in patients undergoing total hip replacement (THR), hip resurfacing (HR), total knee replacement (TKR) and unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR). We analysed the absolute OHS and OKS and change in scores following THR, HR, TKR, and UKR performed at one specialist centre. All patients undergoing and completing at least one Oxford score were eligible for inclusion in the study which included 27 950 OHS and 19 750 OKS in 13 682 patients. Data were analysed using non-linear quantile regression. The median absolute Oxford scores for THR, HR, TKR and UKR were pre-operative 68.8% (15.0/48), 58.3% (20.0/48), 66.7% (16.0/48), 60.4% (19.0/48) respectively: and post-operative asymptote was 14.6% (41.0/48), 5.8% (45.2/48), 31.2% (33.0/48), 29.2% (34.0/48). The median asymptotic change from the pre-operative score for THR, HR, TKR and UKR were 47.9% (23.0/48), 47.9% (23.0/48), 33.3% (16.0/48) and 32.4% (15.5/48), respectively. The median time at which no further appreciable change in score was achieved post-operatively was 0.7 years for THR, 1.1 years for HR, 0.9 years for TKR and 1.1 years for UKR. The curves produced from this analysis could be used to educate patients, and to audit the performance of a surgeon and an institution. The time to achieve a stable improvement in outcome varied between different types of joint replacement, which may have implications for the timing of post-operative review.

The outcome of the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing in patients aged < 50 years up to 14 years post-operatively.

We report the long-term survival and functional outcome of the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) in patients aged < 50 years at operation, and explore the factors affecting survival. Between 1997 and 2006, a total of 447 BHRs were implanted in 393 patients (mean age 41.5 years (14.9 to 49.9)) by one designing surgeon. The mean follow-up was 10.1 years (5.2 to 14.7), with no loss to follow-up. In all, 16 hips (3.6%) in 15 patients were revised, giving an overall cumulative survival of 96.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 93.7 to 98.3) at ten years and 94.1% (95% CI 84.9 to 97.3) at 14 years. Using aseptic revision as the endpoint, the survival for men with primary osteoarthritis (n = 195) was 100% (95% CI 100 to 100) at both ten years and 14 years, and in women with primary osteoarthritis (n = 109) it was 96.1% (95% CI 90.1 to 99.9) at ten years and 91.2% (95% CI 68.6 to 98.7) at 14 years. Female gender (p = 0.047) and decreasing femoral head size (p = 0.044) were significantly associated with an increased risk of revision. The median Oxford hip score (OHS, modified as a percentage with 100% indicating worst outcome) at last follow-up was 4.2% (46 of 48; interquartile range (IQR) 0% to 24%) and the median University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score was 6.0 (IQR 5 to 8). Men had significantly better OHS (p = 0.02) and UCLA scores (p = 0.01) than women. The BHR provides excellent survival and functional results in men into the second decade, with good results achieved in appropriately selected women.

Mortality and implant revision rates of hip arthroplasty in patients with osteoarthritis: registry based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine mortality and revision rates among patients with osteoarthritis undergoing hip arthroplasty and to compare these rates between patients undergoing cemented or uncemented procedures and to compare outcomes between men undergoing stemmed total hip replacements and Birmingham hip resurfacing. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: National Joint Registry. POPULATION: About 275,000 patient records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hip arthroplasty procedures were linked to the time to any subsequent mortality or revision (implant failure). Flexible parametric survival analysis methods were used to analyse time to mortality and also time to revision. Comparisons between procedure groups were adjusted for age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, and complexity. RESULTS: As there were large baseline differences in the characteristics of patients receiving cemented, uncemented, or resurfacing procedures, unadjusted comparisons are inappropriate. Multivariable survival analyses identified a higher mortality rate for patients undergoing cemented compared with uncemented total hip replacement (adjusted hazard ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.07 to 1.16); conversely, there was a lower revision rate with cemented procedures (0.53, 0.50 to 0.57). These translate to small predicted differences in population averaged absolute survival probability at all time points. For example, compared with the uncemented group, at eight years after surgery the predicted probability of death in the cemented group was 0.013 higher (0.007 to 0.019) and the predicted probability of revision was 0.015 lower (0.012 to 0.017). In multivariable analyses restricted to men, there was a higher mortality rate in the cemented group and the uncemented group compared with the Birmingham hip resurfacing group. In terms of revision, the Birmingham hip resurfacings had a similar revision rate to uncemented total hip replacements. Both uncemented total hip replacements and Birmingham hip resurfacings had a higher revision rate than cemented total hip replacements. CONCLUSIONS: There is a small but significant increased risk of revision with uncemented rather than cemented total hip replacement, and a small but significant increased risk of death with cemented procedures. It is not known whether these are causal relations or caused by residual confounding. Compared with uncemented and cemented total hip replacements, Birmingham hip resurfacing has a significantly lower risk of death in men of all ages. Previously, only adjusted analyses of hip implant revision rates have been used to recommend and justify use of cheaper cemented total hip implants. Our investigations additionally consider mortality rates and suggest a potentially higher mortality rate with cemented total hip replacements, which merits further investigation.

Birmingham hip resurfacing: a minimum follow-up of ten years.

We report the survival, radiological and functional outcomes of a single surgeon series of his first 144 consecutive Birmingham hip resurfacing procedures (130 patients) at a minimum of ten years. There were ten revisions during this time. Although no patients were lost to follow-up some did not complete the scoring assessment or undergo radiological assessment at ten years. The ten-year survival for male patients was 98.0% (95% confidence interval 95.2 to 100). The ten-year survival for the total cohort with aseptic revision as the endpoint was 95.5% (95% confidence interval 91.8 to 99.0) and including revisions for sepsis was 93.5% (95% confidence interval 89.2 to 97.6). The median modified Oxford hip score at ten years was 4.2% (interquartile range 0 to 19) and the median University of California, Los Angeles score was 7.0 (interquartile range 5.0 to 8.0). This study confirms the midterm reports that metal-on-metal hip resurfacing using the Birmingham Hip provides a durable alternative to total hip replacement, particularly in younger male patients wishing to maintain a high level of function, with low risk of revision for at least ten years.

Sex and the orthopaedic surgeon: a survey of patient, medical student and male orthopaedic surgeon attitudes towards female orthopaedic surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether perceived negative attitudes regarding female orthopaedic surgeons impact on female medical student career choice of orthopaedic surgery and determine to what extent these perceptions hold true among orthopaedic surgeons and patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A structured questionnaire, distributed to three study cohorts; 311 medical students, 182 patients and 54 orthopaedic surgeons from two specialist orthopaedic hospitals, asked questions pertaining to views regarding female orthopaedic surgeons. Binary questions and 5-point Likert scale statements were scored. Analysis was undertaken using Fisher's exact test and the trend test for proportions. Qualitative responses were categorised into themes and reported. Significance levels were set at < or = 0.05. RESULTS: Only 24% of female students would consider orthopaedic surgical careers, differing significantly from male students (p = < 0.01). The reasons given included disinterest and male domination. Significantly greater female students had been exposed to negative attitudes regarding female surgeons (p = < 0.01), of which 62% would not consider surgery. Most patients (89%) had no sex-preference for orthopaedic surgeon. Seventy-five percent believed women are surgically as skilled as men and 4% of the patients stated they had more confidence in female orthopaedic surgeons compared to males. Fifty-eight percent of the surgeons had never encountered negative attitudes. Of those that had, skill and family responsibilities were questioned. All agreed there is a place for women in orthopaedic surgical careers and welcomed diversity. CONCLUSION: Rumoured negative attitudes regarding female orthopaedic surgeons still exist among some orthopaedic surgeons, but not patients, influencing the undergraduate teaching experience and ultimate career choice in orthopaedic surgery.

Oswestry Disability Index scoring made easy.

INTRODUCTION: Low back pain effects up to 80% of the population at some time during their active life. Questionnaires are available to help measure pain and disability. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is the most commonly used outcome measure for low back pain. The aim of this study was to see if training in completing the ODI forms improved the scoring accuracy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The last 100 ODI forms completed in a hospital's spinal clinic were reviewed retrospectively and errors in the scoring were identified. Staff members involved in scoring the questionnaire were made aware of the errors and the correct method of scoring explained. A chart was created with all possible scores to aid the staff with scoring. A prospective audit on 50 questionnaires was subsequently performed. RESULTS: The retrospective study showed that 33 of the 100 forms had been incorrectly scored. All questionnaires where one or more sections were not completed by the patient were incorrectly scored. A scoring chart was developed and staff training was implemented. This reduced the error rate to 14% in the prospective audit. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians applying outcome measures should read the appropriate literature to ensure they understand the scoring system. Staff must then be given adequate training in the application of the questionnaires.

Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing in developmental dysplasia: a case-control study.

Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing was performed for developmental dysplasia in 96 hips in 85 patients, 78 in women and 18 in men, with a mean age at the time of surgery of 43 years (14 to 65). These cases were matched for age, gender, operating surgeon and date of operation with a group of patients with primary osteoarthritis who had been treated by resurfacing, to provide a control group of 96 hips (93 patients). A clinical and radiological follow-up study was performed. The dysplasia group were followed for a mean of 4.4 years (2.0 to 8.5) and the osteoarthritis group for a mean of 4.5 years (2.2 to 9.4). Of the dysplasia cases, 17 (18%) were classified as Crowe grade III or IV. There were five (5.2%) revisions in the dysplasia group and none in the osteoarthritic patients. Four of the failures were due to acetabular loosening and the other sustained a fracture of the neck of femur. There was a significant difference in survival between the two groups (p = 0.02). The five-year survival was 96.7% (95% confidence interval 90.0 to 100) for the dysplasia group and 100% (95% confidence interval 100 to 100) for the osteoarthritic group. There was no significant difference in the median Oxford hip score between the two groups at any time during the study. The medium-term results of metal-on-metal hip resurfacing in all grades of developmental dysplasia are encouraging, although they are significantly worse than in a group of matched patients with osteoarthritis treated in the same manner.

Retrospective analysis of the impact of symptom duration on prognosis in soft tissue sarcoma.

The objective was to assess whether time to diagnosis is influenced by patient/tumour-related factors and whether or not duration of symptoms has any impact on survival in soft tissue sarcoma. The study was an analysis of prospectively collected data for patients treated at our centre over a 20-year period. Risk factors were assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model. Of 1,508 patients, 159 had metastatic disease at diagnosis and were excluded from analyses. In the remaining 1,349 patients overall 5-year survival was 60%. Duration of symptoms had a significant impact on survival (p=0.0037) with each additional week of symptoms reducing the monthly hazard rate by 0.2%. Patient and tumour-related factors significantly associated with longer symptom duration were low-grade, subcutaneous tumours, and epithelioid or synovial sarcoma. Symptom duration was not associated with age/gender or tumour size. Patients with long symptom durations tend to have low-grade disease and a more favourable outcome than patients who experience short symptom durations.

One- or two-stage bilateral metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty.

Patients considered suitable for total hip resurfacing arthroplasty often have bilateral disease. The peri-operative complications, transfusion requirements, hospital stay, outcome and costs in patients undergoing one-stage bilateral total hip resurfacing were compared with a group of patients undergoing a two-stage procedure. A total of 92 patients were included in the study, of which 37 (40%) had a one-stage and 55 (60%) had a two-stage resurfacing. There were no significant differences in age, gender, or American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade between the groups (p = 0.31, p = 0.23, p = 0.13, respectively). There were three systemic complications in the one-stage group (8.1%) and one in the two-stage group (1.8% of patients; 0.9% of procedures). There was no significant difference in the complication rate (p = 0.72) or the transfusion requirements (p = 0.32) between the two groups. The one-stage group had a reduced total hospital stay of five days (95% confidence interval 4.0 to 6.9; p < 0.001), reduced length of time to completion of all surgery of five months (95% confidence interval 2.6 to 8.3; p < 0.001), and the reduced cost was 35% less than that of a two-stage procedure. However, the total anaesthetic time was significantly longer for the one-stage group (p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval 31 to 52). This study demonstrates that consideration should be given to one-stage surgery for patients with bilateral symptomatic disease suitable for metal-on-metal hip resurfacing. A one-stage procedure appears to have benefits for both the patient and the hospital without additional complications.

Identification of the correct lumbar level using passive intersegmental motion testing.

This study aimed to assess the accuracy and agreement between examiners when attempting to identify a single lumbar spinal level using passive intersegmental motion testing, a technique commonly used by physical therapists. Thirty-five adults were examined independently by an experienced and a novice clinician. Each examiner was asked to identify and note the interspace between the fifth lumbar vertebra and the first sacral vertebra, and to mark it. The mark was invisible to the second clinician asked to identify the same lumbar interspace. The true level was then identified by fluoroscopic imaging and was correct in 54-57% of cases. Interobserver agreement was poor. A significant learning effect was found for the experienced examiner, with proportionately more correct levels identified during the second part of the study (79%) when compared to the first (31%). The results show that intersegmental motion testing is a relatively unreliable method of identifying the correct spinal level.

The validity of serum levels as a surrogate measure of systemic exposure to metal ions in hip replacement.

Metal ions generated from joint replacements are a cause for concern. There is no consensus on the best surrogate measure of metal ion exposure. This study investigates whether serum and whole blood concentrations can be used interchangeably to report results of cobalt and chromium ion concentrations. Concentrations of serum and whole blood were analysed in 262 concurrent specimens using high resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry. The agreement was assessed with normalised scatterplots, mean difference and the Bland and Altman limits of agreement. The wide variability seen in the normalised scatterplots, in the Bland and Altman plots and the statistically significant mean differences between serum and whole blood concentrations suggest that they cannot be used interchangeably. A bias was demonstrated for both ions in the Bland-Altman plots. Regression analysis provided a possible conversion factor of 0.71 for cobalt and 0.48 for chromium. However, even when the correction factors were applied, the limits of agreement were greater than +/-67% for cobalt and greater than +/-85% for chromium, suggesting that serum and whole blood cannot be used interconvertibly. This suggests that serum metal concentrations are not useful as a surrogate measure of systemic metal ion exposure.

Blood and urine metal ion levels in young and active patients after Birmingham hip resurfacing arthroplasty: four-year results of a prospective longitudinal study.

This is a longitudinal study of the daily urinary output and the concentrations in whole blood of cobalt and chromium in patients with metal-on-metal resurfacings over a period of four years. Twelve-hour urine collections and whole blood specimens were collected before and periodically after a Birmingham hip resurfacing in 26 patients. All ion analyses were carried out using a high-resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Clinical and radiological assessment, hip function scoring and activity level assessment revealed excellent hip function. There was a significant early increase in urinary metal output, reaching a peak at six months for cobalt and one year for chromium post-operatively. There was thereafter a steady decrease in the median urinary output of cobalt over the following three years, although the differences are not statistically significant. The mean whole blood levels of cobalt and chromium also showed a significant increase between the pre-operative and one-year post-operative periods. The blood levels then decreased to a lower level at four years, compared with the one-year levels. This late reduction was statistically significant for chromium but not for cobalt. The effects of systemic metal ion exposure in patients with metal-on-metal resurfacing arthroplasties continue to be a matter of concern. The levels in this study provide a baseline against which the in vivo wear performance of newer bearings can be compared.

Fracture of the femoral neck, the risk of serious underlying pathology.

Between 1997 and 2003, a total of 2223 patients presented to our hospital with the neck of femur fracture. This retrospective study examines the histological results of 90 patients (4%) suspected of having a fracture associated with serious underlying pathology. The mean age at the time of fracture was 80 years (44-97). The patients were divided into four groups. Group I: 34 patients with fracture without history of fall or trauma. Group II: 21 patients with suspicious lesions on the standard pelvic radiograph taken on admission. Group III: 27 patients with past history of malignancy without known bone metastases. Group IV: 8 patients with past history of malignancy and known bone metastases. None of the patients in groups I and II had significant abnormalities other than osteoporosis. Four patients (15%) in group III and six patients (75%) in group IV had metastases on histological examination. It is concluded that only groups III and IV are likely to have fractures due to metastatic disease.