Evaluation of 1031 primary titanium nitride coated mobile bearing total knee arthroplasties in an orthopedic clinic.

AIM: To evaluate the influence of the titanium nitride (TiN) coating on the results of a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A total of 910 patients (338 men; 572 woman), with a mean age of 65 (range 36-94) undergoing 1031 primary TKAs were assessed. Clinical evaluation and patient-reported outcomes were gathered one year after surgery. The questionnaires included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)-Dutch version, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores in rest and during active knee movement, VAS-satisfaction scores, and EQ-5D-3L health scores. This was aimed to assess the overall knee function and patient satisfaction, and to enable us to make a gross comparison to other TKAs. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 46 mo (range 1-92) the overall implant survival was 97.7% and 95.1% for any operative reason related to the implant. Twenty-three knees (2.2%) required revision surgery. Arthrofibrosis was the most common indication for a re-operation. The clinical evaluation and patient-reported outcomes revealed good to excellent patient satisfaction and function of the arthroplasty. The median postoperative VAS-pain scores on a scale of 0-100, at one year after surgery were 1 in rest and 2 during movement. CONCLUSION: The TiN coated, mobile bearing TKA results are excellent and similar to those of other widely used TKA designs. Residual pain of the knee remains a concern and the TiN coating in combination with the mobile bearing does not seem to be the simple solution to this problem. Future research will have to show that the coating gives a better survival than the cobalt chrome version.

Promising short-term clinical results of the cementless Oxford phase III medial unicondylar knee prosthesis.

AIM: To investigate the short-term clinical results of the Oxford phase III cementless medial unicondylar knee prosthesis (UKP) compared to the cemented medial UKP. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a tertairy orthopedic centre between the period of May 2010 and September 2012. We included 99 medial UKP in 97 patients and of these UKP, 53 were cemented and 46 were cementless. Clinical outcome was measured using a questionnaire, containing a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, Oxford Knee score, Kujala score and SF-12 score. Knee function was tested using the American Knee Society score. Complications, reoperations and revisions were recorded. Statistical significance was defined as a P value < 0.05. RESULTS: In a mean follow-up time of 19.5 mo, three cemented medial UKP were revised to a total knee prosthesis. Reasons for revision were malrotation of the tibial component, aseptic loosening of the tibial component and progression of osteoarthritis in the lateral- and patellofemoral compartment. In five patients a successful reoperation was performed, because of impingement or (sub)luxation of the polyethylene bearing. Patients with a reoperation were significant younger than patients in the primary group (56.7 vs 64.0, P = 0.01) and were more likely to be male (85.7% vs 38.8%, P = 0.015). Overall the cementless medial UKP seems to perform better, but the differences in clinical outcome are not significant; a VAS pain score of 7.4 vs 11.7 (P = 0.22), an Oxford Knee score of 43.3 vs 41.7 (P = 0.27) and a Kujala score of 79.6 vs 78.0 (P = 0.63). The American Knee Society scores were slightly better in the cementless group with 94.5 vs 90.2 (P = 0.055) for the objective score and 91.2 vs 87.8 (P = 0.25) for the subjective score. CONCLUSION: The cementless Oxford phase III medial UKP shows good short-term clinical results, when used in a specialist clinic by an experienced surgeon.

Platelet-Rich-Plasma injection seems to be effective in treatment of plantar fasciitis: a case series.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Diverse non-operative treatment options are available. The purpose of this study was to determine if a single platelet-rich-plasma injection at the origin of the plantar fascia in patients with plantar fasciitis gives a functional improvement. Patients with plantar fasciitis and failed conservative treatment were included in this retrospective study. Included patients were sent four questionnaires after platelet-rich-plasma injection. Primary outcome is functional improvement, determined by foot function index in which lower scores correlates with a better foot function. A total of 61 feet in 58 patients were included. The median foot function index before treatment was 69.4 and after treatment 31.8, which is a significant decrease. In 80.3% of the patients the foot function index decreased. Therefore platelet-rich-plasma injection seems to be effective in treatment of patients with plantar fasciitis when conservative treatment failed.

Popliteal pseudoaneurysm after arthroscopic posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

This report presents the case of a 30-year-old motocross (BMX) cyclist with a third-degree posterior cruciate ligament rupture. The technique used for reconstruction was the transtibial single-bundle autologous hamstring technique. Unfortunately, the procedure was complicated by a popliteal pseudoaneurysm, which was located in line with the tibial canal. The pseudoaneurysm was treated with an end-to-end anastomosis and the patient recovered without further complaints. In this case, the popliteal artery was damaged most probably by the edge of the reamer or the guide wire during removal. Vascular complications can be limb- and life-threatening. This case report aims to increase the awareness of this serious complication with a review of the literature.

The triplane variant of the tibial apophyseal fracture: a case report and a review of the literature.

A rare case of tibial apophyseal fracture with extension in the antero-lateral physis and epiphysis in a 17-year-old boy is described. This type of fracture, which can be associated with intra-articular lesions and lesions of the extensor mechanism, resembles the better known distal tibial triplane fracture. Arthroscopic controlled anatomic reduction with restoration of the articular surface was achieved.