Arthroscopic hip surgery offers better early patient-reported outcome measures than targeted physiotherapy programs for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Targeted physiotherapy programs (TPP), and surgery, using either open surgical hip dislocation or hip arthroscopy (HA), are the treatment modalities available for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS). Randomized controlled trials have recently been performed to compare these treatment options. This review was performed to provide a focused synthesis of the available evidence regarding the relative value of treatment options. A systematic search was performed of Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials comparing treatment methods. The Cochrane Risk of Bias assessment tool (RoB2) was used to assess the selected studies. A meta-analysis was performed between homogenous studies. Four trials were identified including 749 patients (392 males). The mean ages of the cohorts ranged between 30.1 and 36.2 years old. Three hundred thirty-five patients underwent HA by 46 surgeons among all trials. Fifty-two patients crossed over from the TPP to the HA group. One of the trials was found to have a high risk of bias, while the other three were between low risk and some concerns. The iHOT-33 was the most commonly used patient-reported outcome measure followed by the HOS ADL and EQ-5D-5L. Others scores were also identified. Scores from two trials could be pooled together for meta-analysis. Apart from SF-12 and GRC, all other scores have shown significantly better outcomes with HA in comparison to TPP at 8- and 12-months follow-up points. HA offers better patient-reported outcomes than TPP for management of FAIS at 8- and 12-months follow-up.

Identification of the medial femoral safe zone for drilling during dynamic hip screw side plate fixation: A CT angiogram tracing of the profunda femoris artery.

OBJECTIVES: Iatrogenic injury of the Profunda Femoris Artery (PFA) at time of hip fixation surgery can increase morbidity and mortality and prolong the hospital stay. This is an injury that tends to pass unnoticed as a cause of postoperative deterioration despite being frequently reported in the literature. Our study aims to describe the anatomy of the PFA in relation to the medial femoral cortex with specific emphasis on its orientation relative to the position of a sliding hip screw side plate construct. By doing so we are able to present clear guidance to orthopaedic surgeons on how to avoid iatrogenic PFA injury at the time of hip fracture fixation. METHODS: Using Computed Tomography Angiographic (CTA) studies, the course of the PFA in relation to the medial femoral cortex was traced in 44 patients (28 males and 16 females) with mean age of 65.6 years. Coronal and axial CT sections were cross-linked to specify the position of the PFA at 1 cm intervals. RESULTS: The course of the artery could be divided into three parts relative to a fixed reference point. Proximal and distal parts of the artery were in a safer position in comparison to the middle part of the artery that was found very close to the femoral cortex and along the coronal axis of the femur (mean angle 2.9° from the femoral coronal axis and 13.8 mm from the medial femoral cortex). Using the commercially available side plate constructs, this part of the artery corresponded to the distal part of the plate (third and fourth holes). CONCLUSION: Special attention needs to be practiced by the operating surgeon while drilling into the third and fourth holes of the side plate.

The use of foot pumps compression devices in the perioperative management of ankle fractures: Systematic review of the current literature.

BACKGROUND: Ankle fractures account for 9% of all fractures seen in the United Kingdom. 15,000 of these fractures undergo operative fixation each year. Soft tissue swelling impacts on timing of fixation due to fears of infection and wound dehiscence. The use of arterio-venous foot pumps (AVFP) is increasing in this population although the evidence for their efficacy is unclear. In order to address this, we present an overview of the evidence for AVFP device use following ankle fracture. METHODS: In September 2015 an electronic literature search was undertaken of studies comparing two or more methods of swelling reduction in patients with ankle fractures. Of 326 screened, 5 papers ultimately were included. RESULTS: Two studies reported a statistically significant reduction in swelling (p=0.03) and (p=0.03 at 24 hours, p=0.05 at 48 hours) after using AVFP devices compared to the controls (leg elevation +/ ice therapy). Stockle et al. reported a greater reduction in the preoperative ankle, midfoot and forefoot circumference at 24 hours in their AVFP group (53% versus 32% and 10% in their continuous cryotherapy and cool pack cryotherapy groups respectively). Whereas, Rohner-Spengler et al. observed improved preoperative swelling reduction in patients treated with a multilayer compression bandage when compared to their AVFP group. Keehan et al. reported that time to surgery was considerably reduced in patients treated with an AVFP device, (2.3 days) compared to those treated with leg elevation (4.6 days) (p=0.02). Length of stay (LOS) was not influenced by any of the tested interventions. CONCLUSIONS: AVFP devices have been shown to reduce time to surgery and degree of swelling before operative intervention better than other methods but the strength of evidence to support this remains poor.

A systematic review of the concept and clinical applications of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate in Orthopaedics.

INTRODUCTION: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC's) are believed to have multipotent plasticity with the capability to differentiate along multiple cell lineages such as cartilage, bone, tendon, muscle, and nerve. Such multipotency has the potential to play an important role in the repair and reconstruction of multiple tissues across a number of orthopaedic specialties. Bone marrow and fat are the most abundant and accessible source of MSC's with bone marrow aspirate the most commonly being reported to stimulate healing. METHODS: This review examines the current reported 20 Q2 clinical applications of bone marrow aspirate concentrate and its effectiveness. RESULTS: The published studies reported techniques of collection and preparation of BMAC in addition to its applications in a number of orthopaedic sub-specialities. Studies could be sub-categorised into: techniques of extraction, processing and microscopic examination of BMAC (31), reconstruction of osseous defects/non-union (20), treatment of avascular necrosis (9), repair of cartilage defects (8), treatment of sports injuries and tendon injury/repair (9), injection in regenerative therapy (4), treatment of spine conditions (4) including enhancing postoperative fusion and degenerative disc pathology and orthopaedic oncology (4). A few published studies combined the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with BMAC (4) or compared them in different applications (5). CONCLUSIONS: BMAC has been used in bone, cartilage and tendon injuries with encouraging results.

Salvage Procedures for Management of Prosthetic Joint Infection After Hip and Knee Replacements.

BACKGROUND: The increasing load placed by joint replacement surgery on health care systems makes infection, even with the lowest rates, a serious concern that needs to be thoroughly studied and addressed using all possible measures. METHODS: A comprehensive review of the current literature on salvage procedures for recurrent PJIs using PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL has been conducted. RESULTS: Prolonged suppressive antibiotic therapy (PSAT), resection arthroplasty and arthrodesis were the most common procedures performed. Suppressive antibiotic therapy is based on the use of well tolerated long term antibiotics in controlling sensitive organisms. Resection arthroplasty which should be reserved as a last resort provided more predictable outcomes in the hip whereas arthrodesis was associated with better outcomes in the knee. Various methods for arthrodesis including internal and external fixation have been described. CONCLUSION: Despite good union and infection control rates, all methods were associated with complications occasionally requiring further surgical interventions.

Management of Mason type 1 radial head fractures: a regional survey and a review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: Despite being the most common fracture around the elbow, the management of Mason type 1 radial head fractures lacks a clear protocol in literature. The aims of this study were to assess our practice of managing this injury and to create guidance for the management of these fractures based on literature review. METHODS: We designed a survey investigating the practice of orthopaedic surgeons in the management of Mason type 1 fracture. The literature review was carried out looking for the best practice guidelines. RESULTS: Forty-nine surgeons (out of 56) responded, and mean duration of immobilisation was 11.69 days with the collar and cuff sling as the preferred method. 65.3% offered physiotherapy service to their patients. 20.4% recommended plain radiographic imaging follow-up. Mean duration of follow-up was 43.9 days. Decision to discharge the patient was mostly (77.6%) dependent on clinical improvement at time of last examination. 4.1% of treatment decisions were evidence based. CONCLUSION: We observed a wide variation in the management of this common injury. Based on the current literature, the best protocol for the management of type 1 radial head fractures should be joint aspiration, followed by immobilisation in a broad arm sling for 2 days. At the first outpatient visit, assessment of the collateral stability should be performed. Patients with stable elbows should be encouraged to stretch these beyond the painful range. Patients can be discharged at this stage with an advice to come back for a clinical and radiographic assessment if there is no improvement at 6 weeks.

Primary total knee arthroplasty infected with Serratia marcescens.

We report an unusual case of a Serratia marcescens infection of total knee arthroplasty 4 weeks after the procedure following aspiration carried out on the ward (contrary to local protocol). This was successfully treated with thorough wound debridement, irrigation, change of the polyethylene liner and systemic antibiotics using intravenous meropenem for 3 weeks followed by oral ciprofloxacin for another 3 weeks. Our patient made an uneventful recovery and there was no reported recurrence of infection at 8 months of follow-up. We are unsure as to whether the infection was introduced at the time of the joint aspiration or was a complication of the initial procedure despite all the standard aseptic measures taken at the time of surgery.