Factors associated with failure of fixation of Vancouver B fractures around a cemented polished tapered stem: A 5 to 14 year follow up study.

AIMS: There is increasing evidence for fixation as opposed to revision for Vancouver B fractures around polished taper slip stems, however it is remains unclear whether fixation is associated with stem loosening in the longer term. This study aims to assess survival of plate-fixation of Vancouver-B-fractures around a polished-taper- slip cemented stem and identify factors associated with failure. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study assessed 129 consecutive unilateral Vancouver-B-fractures around cemented Exeter stems at a minimum of 5 years following open-reduction-internal-fixation (ORIF) with unilateral non-locked unilateral plating+/-cerclage cables. The primary outcome measure was reoperation for any reason. Kaplan Meier survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: Fractures (B1 n = 31 (24%); B2 n = 91 (71%); and B3 n = 7 (5%)) occurred at median of 6 years (IQR 1.2-9.2) after primary surgery. Mean patient age was 78.2 (SD10.56, range 46-96) and 54 (42.9%) were female. Mean follow up was 8.7 years (SD 2.48, 5.7 to 14.4). Symptomatic femoral stem loosening requiring revision occurred in two B2 fractures of metaphyseal split and short spiral patterns. The most common mode of failure was non-union (n = 7, 5%). Both fixation failure (n = 6/31 Vs n = 3/91 vs n = 0/7, p = 0.008) and reoperation (n = 8/31 vs n = 6/91 vs n = 0/7, p = 0.008) were significantly higher following fixation of B1 fractures compared to B2 and B3 fractures. Overall 5year survival free from reoperation was 88.8% (82.0-94.7 95%CI). B1 fracture types were associated with an increase risk of failure (endpoints fixation failure p = 0.010; and reoperation p = 0.016). Transverse fractures (B1) were associated with a relative risk of reoperation of 4.22 (1.63-10.9 95% CI, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Fixation of Vancouver-B fractures around cemented Exeter stems, when the bone-cement interface is intact and the fracture is anatomically reducible, had an excellent 5-year survival. Only 2 (1.6%) cases of late femoral stem loosening occurred, however, B1 type transverse fractures were associated with a higher rate of reoperation.

A multicentre comparative analysis of fixation versus revision surgery for periprosthetic femoral fractures following total hip arthroplasty with a cemented polished taper-slip femoral component.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with revision surgery for the surgical management of Unified Classification System (UCS) type B periprosthetic femoral fractures around cemented polished taper-slip femoral components following primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Data were collected for patients admitted to five UK centres. The primary outcome measure was the two-year reoperation rate. Secondary outcomes were time to surgery, transfusion requirements, critical care requirements, length of stay, two-year local complication rates, six-month systemic complication rates, and mortality rates. Comparisons were made by the form of treatment (ORIF vs revision) and UCS type (B1 vs B2/B3). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed with two-year reoperation for any reason as the endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 317 periprosthetic fractures (in 317 patients) with a median follow-up of 3.6 years (interquartile range (IQR) 2.0 to 5.4) were included. The fractures were type B1 in 133 (42.0%), B2 in 170 (53.6%), and B3 in 14 patients (4.4%). ORIF was performed in 167 (52.7%) and revision in 150 patients (47.3%). The two-year reoperation rate (15.3% vs 7.2%; p = 0.021), time to surgery (4.0 days (IQR 2.0 to 7.0) vs 2.0 days (IQR 1.0 to 4.0); p < 0.001), transfusion requirements (55 patients (36.7%) vs 42 patients (25.1%); p = 0.026), critical care requirements (36 patients (24.0%) vs seven patients (4.2%); p < 0.001) and two-year local complication rates (26.7% vs 9.0%; p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the revision group. The two-year rate of survival was significantly higher for ORIF (91.9% (standard error (SE) 0.023%) vs 83.9% (SE 0.031%); p = 0.032) compared with revision. For B1 fractures, the two-year reoperation rate was significantly higher for revision compared with ORIF (29.4% vs 6.0%; p = 0.002) but this was similar for B2 and B3 fractures (9.8% vs 13.5%; p = 0.341). The most common indication for reoperation after revision was dislocation (12 patients; 8.0%). CONCLUSION: Revision surgery has higher reoperation rates, longer surgical waiting times, higher transfusion requirements, and higher critical care requirements than ORIF in the management of periprosthetic fractures around polished taper-slip femoral components after THA. ORIF is a safe option providing anatomical reconstruction is achievable.Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2023;105-B(2):124-134.

The reversal of pulmonary vascular remodeling through inhibition of p38 MAPK-alpha: a potential novel anti-inflammatory strategy in pulmonary hypertension.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) system is increasingly recognized as an important inflammatory pathway in systemic vascular disease but its role in pulmonary vascular disease is unclear. Previous in vitro studies suggest p38 MAPKα is critical in the proliferation of pulmonary artery fibroblasts, an important step in the pathogenesis of pulmonary vascular remodeling (PVremod). In this study the role of the p38 MAPK pathway was investigated in both in vitro and in vivo models of pulmonary hypertension and human disease. Pharmacological inhibition of p38 MAPKα in both chronic hypoxic and monocrotaline rodent models of pulmonary hypertension prevented and reversed the pulmonary hypertensive phenotype. Furthermore, with the use of a novel and clinically available p38 MAPKα antagonist, reversal of pulmonary hypertension was obtained in both experimental models. Increased expression of phosphorylated p38 MAPK and p38 MAPKα was observed in the pulmonary vasculature from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, suggesting a role for activation of this pathway in the PVremod A reduction of IL-6 levels in serum and lung tissue was found in the drug-treated animals, suggesting a potential mechanism for this reversal in PVremod. This study suggests that the p38 MAPK and the α-isoform plays a pathogenic role in both human disease and rodent models of pulmonary hypertension potentially mediated through IL-6. Selective inhibition of this pathway may provide a novel therapeutic approach that targets both remodeling and inflammatory pathways in pulmonary vascular disease.