Elective total knee arthroplasty in haemophilic patients. Proposal for a clinical pathway.

UNLABELLED: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) provides significant pain relief and better function in patients with end-stage haemophilic knee arthropathy. Peri- and postoperative care tends to be more complex than in non-haemophilic patients undergoing TKA and requires a multidisciplinary team approach. AIM: The implementation of standardized clinical pathways in non-haemophilic patients undergoing TKA has been shown to increase quality of care and to reduce postoperative complication rates. Consequently, the use of clinical pathways in haemophilic patients undergoing TKA may be beneficial to this particular subpopulation of patients. METHODS: A clinical pathway for TKA for haemophilic patients was designed in a consensus process involving all participating departments. RESULTS: We propose a specifically adjusted clinical pathway for TKA for haemophilic patients to show that standardization of elective orthopaedic surgery in haemophilia is feasible. CONCLUSION: The authors emphasize that there are limitations on categorizing haemophilic patients and stress that individual interdisciplinary treatment should take precedence over a standardized approach.

[Flexion contracture in haemophilic knee arthropathy--10-year follow-up after hamstring release and dorsal capsulotomy]. / Flexionskontraktur bei hämophiler Kniearthropathie--10-Jahres-Follow-up nach Hamstring-Release und dorsaler Kapsulotomie.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long term results of joint preserving surgery with hamstring release and dorsal capsulotomy for the treatment of therapy resistant knee flexion contracture in patients with severe haemophilia. METHODS: 16 patients having undergone hamstring release and dorsal capsulotomy were prospectively observed and clinically evaluated over a period of at least 10 years. Follow-up was on average 16.6 (10-26) years. The average age at the time of surgery was 29.4 (15-40) years and at the last follow-up 43.0 (29-65) years. Clinical assessment of the patients was performed at least twice per year and outcome was evaluated by using the Score of the Orthopaedic Advisory Committee of the World Federation of Haemophilia (WFH). RESULTS: The preoperative extension deficit of 21.1+/-1.82 degrees (10-40 degrees) was improved to 16+/-3.6 degrees (5-30 degrees; p=0.54) at the last follow-up. In the first 4 years after surgery there was a noticeable and continuous improvement of the preoperative extension deficit. The clinical score improved from 7.6+/-0.4 preoperatively to 3.8+/-0.4 one year after surgery. 14 years after surgery a significant difference to preoperative values was no longer evident for the remaining 10 patients. The first 4 years after surgery average range of movement (ROM) improved, yet these differences were not statistically significant. Based on the clinical outcomes as described by Rodriguez-Merchan, last follow-up showed one patient with a good, 11 patients with a moderate and 4 patients with a poor postoperative result. The Petterson score showed a marked and significant deterioration from 7 (5-10) to 9 (7-12) points at final follow-up. DISCUSSION: The joint preserving method of hamstring release and dorsal capsulotomy for the treatment of therapy resistant knee flexion contracture in patients with severe hemophilia does not prevent the progression of haemophilic arthropathy. Despite this, improvement of the flexion contracture leads to a better joint function over a number of years postoperatively. Especially for the younger patient suffering from manifest haemarthropathic changes of the knee joint, this management option is a feasible alternative to at least postpone joint replacement.

Osteoporosis in haemophilia - an underestimated comorbidity?

A relationship between haemophilia and osteoporosis has been suggested, leading to the initiative for a larger study assessing this issue. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by osteodensitometry using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in 62 male patients with severe haemophilia A; mean age 41 +/- 13.1 years, mean body mass index (BMI) 23.5 +/- 3.6 kg m(-2). Using the clinical score suggested by the World Federation of Hemophilia, all patients were assessed to determine the severity of their arthropathy. A reduced BMD defined as osteopenia and osteoporosis by World Health Organization criteria was detected in 27/62 (43.5%) and 16/62 (25.8%) patients, respectively. Fifty-five of sixty-two (88.7%) patients suffered from haemophilic arthropathy. An increased number of affected joints and/or an increased severity were associated with lower BMD in the neck of femur. Pronounced muscle atrophy and loss of joint movement were also associated with low BMD. Furthermore, hepatitis C, low BMI and age were found to be additional risk factors for reduced BMD in the haemophiliac. Our data shows that in haemophilic patients osteoporosis represents a frequent concomitant observation. The main cause for reduced bone mass in the haemophiliac is most probably the haemophilic arthropathy being typically associated with chronic pain and loss of joint function subsequently leading to inactivity. Further studies including control groups are necessary to elucidate the impact of comorbidities such as hepatitis C or HIV on the development of osteoporosis in the haemophiliac.

Successful pain treatment in arthropathic lower extremities by acupuncture in haemophilia patients.

Acupuncture is successfully used in the treatment of degenerative osteoarthritis. The treatment of haemophilic arthropathies can require strong painkillers with severe side-effects. Therefore, a special yet simple acupuncture technique was evaluated in the treatment of these joint problems. Twelve patients with a factor VIII activity<1% and at least one painful arthropathy in both lower extremities were included in this single-blinded study. The non-treated side served as a control. Treatment was assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and an orthopaedic clinical examination. Only one needle was inserted at the rear fontanelle once per week and in 15 cycles. Ten of 12 patients showed an improvement of their pain perception. The average VAS could be reduced from 6.8 to 5.0. The side not receiving treatment showed a reduction from 4.1 to 4.0. No side-effects were observed. Even though interpretation of our data are limited due to the small patient numbers, significant improvement of the VAS after treatment suggests that acupuncture has a measurable positive effect in pain management for haemophilic arthropathy of the lower extremities.

Three-dimensional ultrasonography in the diagnosis of rotator cuff lesions.

Two-dimensional (2-D) ultrasound (US) of rotator cuff lesions is a well-established tool. The aim of this study was to elucidate if the use of 3-D sonography can increase the diagnostic yield of US. A total of 40 patients were preoperatively evaluated using 2-D and 3-D sonography, and these results were compared to intraoperative findings. Ultrasound was performed on a 530D US machine (Kretztechnik, Zipf, Austria) with a 10-MHz transducer. We found an increased validity of 3-D imaging, mainly based on the higher reliability in the diagnosis of partial-thickness cuff lesions. Sensitivity and specificity were found to be 91% and 82% for 3-D sonography and 74% and 82% for 2-D sonography, respectively. With 3-D US partial-tear rotator cuff lesions can be predicted more accurately.

The three-dimensional ultrasound evaluation of the rotator cuff--an experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: An accurate sonographic diagnosis of rotator cuff lesions significantly depends on image quality and on the experience of the operator. The present study was performed to determine whether the use of three dimensional (3D) sonography further increases the diagnostic yield of ultrasound. METHODS: In an experimental study 22 artificial rotator cuff lesions (seven full thickness and 15 partial thickness tears) of cadaveric shoulder joints were evaluated by ultrasound with two and three dimensional imaging in a water basin. RESULTS: With 3D ultrasound, rotator cuff lesions were more often correctly diagnosed (sensitivity of 77%) than with conventional 2D sonography (sensitivity of 64%). Specificity was 85 and 69%, respectively. In partial thickness tears in particular, 3D imaging was the superior method reaching a sensitivity and specificity of 73 and 77%, respectively, compared to 53 and 61%, respectively, with 2D ultrasound. With 2D and 3D ultrasound eight and 11 out of 13 tendons, respectively, were correctly diagnosed as intact confirmed by histopathological examination. CONCLUSION: Although the results of an experimental study may not reflect the clinical situation, 3D ultrasound appears to facilitate diagnosis of partial thickness rotator cuff tears.

The fetal spinal canal--a three-dimensional study.

The size of the lumbar spinal canal was evaluated in a prospective cross-sectional ultrasound (US) study to determine normal size values for lumbar part of the vertebral canal. A total of 88 patients undergoing routine obstetric US were studied between 16-41 weeks gestation. Structural anomalies or growth restriction were excluded. Area and volume of the vertebral canal in L1, L3 and L5 were calculated by three-dimensional (3-D) US. The size of the spinal canal correlated well with gestational age and no major differences could be found between upper and lower lumbar spine. By 3-D US, in vivo assessment of the spinal canal becomes possible. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

[Functional fracture treatment of the forearm. The indications and results]. / Die funktionelle Knochenbruchbehandlung am Unterarm. Indikationen und Ergebnisse.

In a retrospective study from 1986 to 1995, 64 forearm fractures were treated with brace. Clinical and roentgenographic follow-up data were available for 49 patients (76.6%). There were 49.0% ulna shaft, 38.9% radius and 12.2% forearm fractures. The average time to healing was 10.2 weeks. Functional results were excellent in 57.1%, good in 34.7% and poor in 8.2% of cases. Two (4.1%) fractures (radius, forearm shaft) were not considered as healed and were re-operated with plate osteosynthesis. The ideal indication for fracture bracing is ulna shaft fracture. Radius and forearm shaft fractures can also be treated, but patients must be informed about the long time to healing and operative alternatives.