Economic evaluation of high tibial osteotomy: Closing wedge is more cost-effective than open wedge technique when analysing the KOOS-12 improvement.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of two techniques for performing a knee valgus osteotomy: opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (OW-HTO) vs closing wedge high tibial osteotomy (CW-HTO). METHODS: In this economic evaluation study, a cost-effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the Spanish public healthcare system was performed, comparing OW-HTO with CW-HTO. All patients with medial knee osteoarthritis who underwent one of these procedures between 2018 and 2020 in our institution were included. The cost analysis included operating room, implant, graft and hospital admission costs. Functional outcomes (KOOS-12, Tegner activity scale, pain and satisfaction) and radiological outcomes (hip-knee-ankle angle, medial proximal tibial angle, tibial slope and patellar height) were analysed. The cost-effectiveness ratio was obtained by calculating the cost of improving the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of KOOS-12 for each procedure. All costs are expressed in 2020 euros. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients met the inclusion criteria (27 OW-HTO and 24 CW-HTO). Good to excellent functional outcomes, significant pain reduction (>6 points) and high patient satisfaction (>9/10) were observed in both groups. Both techniques yielded excellent radiological outcomes. N.s. differences in functional or radiological outcomes improvements between both procedures were found. However, the OW-HTO group presented a higher total cost than the CW-HTO group (4612.1 ± 765.6€ vs. 1827.1 ± 701.9€; p < 0.001). The cost-effectiveness ratio was 818.1 ± 46.8 €/MCID for the CW-HTO procedure and 2414.3 ± 115.2 €/MCID for the OW-HTO procedure (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: The CW-HTO procedure presented a cost-effectiveness ratio almost three times lower than the OW-HTO procedure. Both techniques allowed to achieve of good to excellent functional outcomes, significant pain reduction and high patient satisfaction while correcting the varus limb malalignment and the metaphyseal tibial varus in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III; economic study.

Clinical and Echocardiographic Findings in an Aged Population of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common cardiac disease in dogs. It varies from dogs without clinical signs to those developing left-sided congestive heart failure, leading to death. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs) are particularly susceptible to MMVD. We hypothesised that within the elderly CKCS population, there is a sub-cohort of MMVD-affected dogs that do not have cardiac remodelling. The objectives of the present study were (i) to determine the prevalence and the degree of cardiac remodelling associated with MMVD; and (ii) assess the effect of age, gender, and body weight on echocardiographic status in a population of aged CKCSs. A total of 126 CKCSs ≥ 8 years old were prospectively included. They all had a physical and echocardiographic examination. A systolic murmur was detected in 89% of dogs; the presence of clinical signs was reported in 19% of them; and echocardiographic evidence of MMVD was described in 100%. Despite the high prevalence, 44.4% of the dogs were clear of echocardiographic signs of cardiac remodelling. Age was significantly associated with the presence and severity of cardiac remodelling and mitral valve prolapse. Our results showed that a proportion of elderly CKCS with confirmed MMVD did not undergo advanced stages of this pathology.

Observational Study of Total Knee Arthroplasty in Aseptic Revision Surgery: Clinical Results.

OBJECTIVE: To review the long-term clinical results after revision surgery and the relationship between the different clinical variables involved with a failed total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and its evolution to provide a better understanding of the current treatment methods. METHODS: The present study involved 89 subjects with a failed knee arthroplasty that ended up requiring revision surgery and component replacement between 2011 and 2015. The study included patients with pain remaining after TKA and indication from the knee unit surgeon to review the implant, without presenting with thromboembolic or neurological changes that could bias the results. The demographic data, surgical information, type of implant, and causes of failure were analyzed. The patients subjected to replacement surgery were specifically asked to fill out clinical and satisfaction questionnaires (Lysholm and KOOS). The mean follow-up was 5.6 years (range, 3-11 years) and the analysis was divided into early revision (<5 years) and late revision (>5 years). The R statistical package version 3.2.5 for Windows was used, with significance less than 0.05 Cohort observational study. RESULTS: The results indicated that implant revisions accounted for 5.57% of total primary implants, with a mean survival of 6 years for primary prosthesis failure. The mean revision surgery result on the Lysholm knee scoring scale was 68.73 out of 100 points. A better score was obtained for revisions undertaken on TKA with over 5 years' survival and there were no significant differences in terms of the type of implant used. The causes of TKA failure were aseptic loosening (77.38%), instability (9.52%), and painful prosthesis (13.10%). The results were statistically significant when isolated revisions were performed on one component. Rating worse on most of the questionnaire subscales. CONCLUSION: The clinical results were better in primary implant replacements with at least 5 years' survival. The replacement of only one of the components (tibial or femoral) provided worse clinical results than total replacement.

A comparative study of the neuromuscular response during a dynamic activity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) not only causes mechanical instability but also produces proprioceptive deficit with an altered neuromuscular response. After ACL reconstruction, patients in general continue to complain of a feeling of knee instability. The objective of our study was to assess patient proprioception and its evolution over time by measuring the muscle latency time during a dynamic activity. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with an ACL tear following sports injuries were included in a prospective, comparative, matched controlled study. The study group consisted of the injured knees in those patients, while the control group consisted of the contralateral non-injured knee in the same patients. The neuromuscular response in five leg muscles (vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, semitendinosus and biceps femoris) was measured during a dynamic activity through the muscle latency time via the use of electromyography. RESULTS: The comparison of the reaction time in the vastus medialis showed that time in the injured knee was longer at pre-op, but it reduced over time reaching a value at 6 months post-op that was close to the reaction time in the non-injured knee group. In the rectus femoris, biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles, the reaction times in the injured knee group were similar to those in the non-injured knee group at pre-op and post-op visits. CONCLUSION: Before ACL surgery, the muscle latency time of the vastus medialis was significantly longer in the injured knee group than in the non-injured knee group. 'Muscle reflex reaction' as a response during a dynamic task improved in the ACL reconstructed patients at 6 months post-op. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prospective, comparative, matched controlled study.