Early Functional Outcomes After Evolutionary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Is New Always Better?

Total knee replacement (TKR) designs continue to evolve with the aim of improving patient outcomes; however, there remains a significant patient dissatisfaction rate. We report the early functional outcomes of an evolutionary knee design in the context of a single-blinded, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive either the P.F.C. SIGMA or ATTUNE knee implant systems (DePuy Synthes). All implants were fixed-bearing, cruciate-retaining, and cemented constructs. Patients were assessed at baseline and 6 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year postoperatively using clinical and functional outcome measures, including range of motion, Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Oxford Knee Score-Activity and Participation Questionnaire (OKS-APQ), Patient Knee Implant Performance (PKIP) score, 5-Level EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-5L), and Short Form-36 outcome measures. RESULTS: There were 150 patients who underwent a surgical procedure (76 with the ATTUNE implant and 74 with the P.F.C. SIGMA implant), with 147 patients remaining at the final review. No differences were observed in any of the outcome measures between the groups at any time point. Tourniquet time was significantly shorter in the P.F.C. SIGMA arm (p = 0.001); however, this had no clinical impact on the OKS (analysis of covariance [ANCOVA] test) at the final review (p = 0.825). There was no difference in the numbers of patients achieving the minimal clinically important difference for the OKS between the groups (p = 0.817). CONCLUSIONS: This trial did not show inferiority of the ATTUNE implant when compared with the P.F.C. SIGMA implant. The authors believe that implant innovation should continue and that modern implants should be introduced into the market following randomized controlled trials. Further work should assess the effect of non-implant-related factors on patient outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Outcomes of acute fix and replace in complex hip posterior fracture dislocations with acetabular fractures : a minimum of 3 years follow-up.

Simultaneous open reduction and internal fixation of acetabular fractures combined with total hip replacement (THR) have some potential advantages over the more traditional approach in specific patient subgroups. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients who had the "fix and replace" construct for complex posterior hip fracture dislocation treated at our tertiary referral pelvic unit. This was a retrospective review of prospectively collected data for patients who underwent this procedure between 2011-2018 with a minimum of 3 year follow up. Data collected were: patient demographics, date of injury, injury pattern, fixation methods, type of implants used and post-operative complications. There were 14 patients with a mean age of 63.2 years (range 43-94 years) who underwent this procedure between 2011-2018. The mean follow up was 58 months. All cases involved a posterior wall fracture and six cases had an associated posterior column involvement. Femoral head autograft was used in 13 patients (93%). Six patients (43%) had their posterior acetabular wall reconstructed with a femoral head autograft. Seven patients had a fully cemented (THR) and the seven others had a hybrid implant. There were no surgical related complications. From our study we can conclude that the acute "fix and replace" construct for complex posterior hip fracture dislocation yields good clinical outcomes in the short and medium term with low complication rate. It is best performed by a surgeon who specialises in both acetabular and hip arthroplasty surgery.

Is patient satisfaction related to patient reported sounds from ceramic on ceramic total hip arthroplasty? A study of 265 hips.

INTRODUCTION: The ideal method and implant to perform total hip arthroplasty (THA) is still a debated topic. Ceramic on ceramic (CoC) bearings have favourable wear properties, but squeaking has been reported as an unwanted side effect. We aimed to determine the rate of noise generation from CoC hips and investigate whether there is a relationship with patient satisfaction. METHODS: A total of 246 consecutive CoC bearing uncemented THA were retrospectively identified in a single institution. Post-operatively patients were sent a postal questionnaire to evaluate their reported sounds and satisfaction with their THA. Uni- and multi-variate analyses were performed to identify potential predictor variables for reported post-operative sounds. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 172 patients (70% return rate). 24% reported sounds from their hips with 11% reporting a squeak. Median satisfaction levels were minimally, but significantly less for "noisy" (9/10) than "quiet" hips (10/10) (median difference = - 1, 95% CI - 2 to 0, p < 0.001). Compared to those with "noisy" hips, patients with "quiet" hips were 1.7 times (95% CI 1.3-2.5, p = 0.0002) more likely to report a "forgotten" hip. Younger age (p < 0.043) and increased anteversion (p < 0.021) were predictors for reported sounds. CONCLUSION: We have identified a high rate of "noisy" hips in this series of CoC THA with a significant inverse relationship between "noisy" hips and patient satisfaction levels. In our unit, we are moving towards the use of ceramic on cross-linked polyethylene bearings as a result of these findings and the excellent survivorship of this bearing combination.

Complications of total hip arthroplasty: periprosthetic fractures of the acetabulum.

Periprosthetic fractures of the acetabulum are a rare but potentially disastrous complication of total hip arthroplasty. Such fractures occur either as early perioperative complications or late complications when they are associated with either significant trauma or as a result of the loss of the structural integrity of the bone supporting the prosthesis, such as aseptic osteolysis. The incidence of such fractures appears to be increasing with the increased use of uncemented acetabular components. This article explores the current literature on the epidemiology, etiology, and classification of periprosthetic acetabular fractures as well as offering potential treatment strategies.

Traumatic isolated coracoid fractures in the adolescent.

Coracoid fractures are rare injuries in themselves. Even rarer are isolated fractures of the coracoid in the skeletally immature patient. Due to the low numbers of these fractures, there is no true consensus on how to treat them. We report two cases of an isolated fracture of the coracoid. Case A is a 13-year-old boy who sustained the coracoid fracture following a skiing injury; case B is a 15-year-old boy who fell onto the right shoulder during a wheelbarrow race at school. Initial radiographs in case A suggested a displaced fracture; however, a CT scan taken after a short period of conservative treatment showed minimal displacement. In case B both the radiographs and CT scan showed no displacement. Both injuries were treated conservatively and united uneventfully with a full return to function. We advocate conservative management for these injuries in the skeletally immature patient.

False aneurysm of the anterior tibial artery following total knee arthroplasty.

We report a case of false aneurysm involving a branch of the anterior tibial artery following total knee arthroplasty, which presented as an enlarging swelling over the antero-lateral aspect of the leg. False aneurysms are a rare complication of total knee replacement and most of those that do occur arise from the popliteal artery. The swelling was investigated and diagnosed as a false aneurysm and the patient underwent successful percutaneous embolisation of the feeding vessel. This is currently the preferred treatment for small false aneurysms. This procedure, carried out under local anaesthesia, has a low rate of complications and avoids further surgical exploration.