Current concepts in the techniques, indications and outcomes of meniscal repairs.

Knee arthroscopy for meniscal tears is one of the most commonly performed orthopaedic procedures. In recent years, there has been an increasing incidence of meniscal repairs, as there are concerns that meniscectomy predisposes patients to early osteoarthritis. Indications for meniscal repair are increasing and can now be performed in older patients who are active, even if the tear is in the avascular zone. Options for meniscal tear management broadly fall into three categories: non-operative management, meniscal repair or meniscectomy. With limited evidence directly comparing each of these options optimal management strategies can be difficult. Decision making requires thorough assessment of patient factors (e.g. age and comorbidities) and tear characteristics (e.g. location and reducibility). The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to review the management options of meniscal tears and summarize the evidence for meniscal tear repair.

The Diagnostic Utility and Clinical Impact of After-Hours CT Scans of the Abdomen and Pelvis Investigating Abdominal Pain.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility and impact on clinical management of after-hours CT scans investigating abdominal pain in surgical patients. METHODS: After-hours CT A/P reports investigating the acute surgical abdomen were compared with clinical outcomes and histopathological findings to assess sensitivity and specificity of CT reporting. Comparisons between CT reports and clinical notes were made. CT scans were categorised as having direct effects on clinical management, ruling out a serious pathology, ruling out a nonserious pathology, or having no effect. Discrepancies between information in case-notes and information provided to radiologists were also analysed. RESULTS: 79 clinical notes were located. After-hours CT demonstrated 91% sensitivity and 82% reporting specificity using clinical outcomes as the standard. In the 26 patients with histopathological findings, CT reports demonstrated 91% sensitivity. In 79.7% of cases, CT scanning had an impact on management. In 35.4% of cases, an indication for scanning was not documented with variation in clinical information in 8.9% of cases. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates after-hours CT A/P reports result in significant impacts on clinical management of surgical patients with acute abdominal pain. Improvements in providing information when requesting scans are however needed to facilitate accurate reporting.

5 year follow up of a hydroxyapatite coated short stem femoral component for hip arthroplasty: a prospective multicentre study.

Short stem, uncemented femoral implants for hip arthroplasty are bone conserving achieving stability through initial metaphyseal press-fit and biological fixation. This study aimed to evaluate the survivorship, mid-term function and health related quality of life outcomes in patients who have undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA) with a fully hydroxyapatite coated straight short stem femoral component with up to 5 years follow-up. 668 patients were recruited to a multicentre study investigating the performance of the cementless Furlong Evolution® stem for THA. 137 patients withdrew at various time points. The mean follow-up was 49 months. Clinical (Harris Hip Score (HHS), radiographic and patient-reported outcome measures-Oxford Hip Score (OHS) and EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D), were recorded pre-operatively and at 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, 3 year and 5 year follow ups. At 5-year follow-up, 12 patients underwent revision surgery, representing a cumulative revision rate of 1.8%. Median OHS, HHS and EQ5D scores improved significantly: OHS improved from a pre-operative median of 21 (IQR 14-26) to 47 (IQR 44-48) (p < 0.001). HHS improved from 52 (IQR 40-63) to 98 (IQR 92-100) (p < 0.001) and EQ5D improved from 70 (IQR 50-80) to 85 (IQR 75-95) (p < 0.001). This fully HA-coated straight short femoral stem implant demonstrated acceptable mid-term survivorship and delivered substantial improvements in function and quality of life after THA.

Enhancing acetabular reaming accuracy: optimal techniques and a novel reamer design.

INTRODUCTION: Successful press-fit implantation relies on an accurately reamed bone cavity. Inaccurate reaming can lead to a suboptimal press-fit risking fracture and cup deformation or excessive micromotion and loosening. Several factors may impact reaming accuracy including the reamer design, the surgeon's technique and the bone quality. The aim of this study is to investigate the accuracy of reaming techniques and the accuracy of a novel reamer design. METHODS: Eighty composite bone models, half high density and half low density, were reamed with either a conventional or an additively manufactured reamer with a novel design employing either a straight or 'whirlwind' reaming technique. Reamed cavities were scanned using a 3D laser scanner and the median difference between achieved and expected diameters compared. RESULTS: The novel reamer design was more accurate than the unused conventional reamer, using both whirlwind (0.1 mm (IQR 0-0.2) vs. 0.3 mm (IQR 0.3-0.4); p < 0.001) and straight techniques (0.3 mm (IQR 0.1-1.0) vs. 1.2 mm (IQR 1-1.6); p = 0.001). Whirlwind reaming was more accurate than straight reaming using both conventional (0.3 mm (IQR 0.3-0.4) vs. 1.2 mm (IQR 1-1.6); p < 0.0001) and single use reamers (0.1 mm (IQR 0-0.2) vs. 0.3 mm (IQR 0.1-1.0); p = 0.007). Reaming errors were higher in low-density bone compared to high-density bone, for both reamer types and reaming techniques tested (0.6 mm (IQR 0.3-1.5) vs. 0.3 mm (IQR 0.1-0.8); p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: We present a novel reamer design that demonstrates superior accuracy to conventional reamers in achieving the desired reaming diameter. Improved reaming accuracy was also demonstrated using both devices and in both bone models, using a 'whirlwind' technique. We recommend the use of this novel reamer design employing a 'whirlwind' technique to optimize reaming accuracy. Particular attention should be paid toward patients with lower bone quality which may be more susceptible to higher inaccuracies.

A Safety Evaluation of the Resumption of Elective Orthopaedic Services in Higher Risk Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mass disruption to all aspects of society, with elective orthopaedics not spared. The pandemic has the potential to cause a tsunami of health burden in the community if elective services are not resumed to pre-pandemic levels of activity. Studies have shown that elective orthopaedics can be safely carried out in a COVID-19 free hospital. This study reviewed the transition in operating at an independent COVID-19 free hospital to an NHS hospital concurrently treating patients with COVID-19. Methods A strategy of phased relaxation of clinical comorbidity criteria was followed. Patients from the orthopaedic waiting list were selected according to these criteria and observed recommended preoperative isolation protocols. Operations were undertaken in the independent sector under the COVID-19 contract and the NHS site. Patients were assessed from all phases in the resumption of services. In-hospital and post-operative complications with specific enquiries regarding the development of COVID-19 symptoms or the need and outcome for COVID-19 testing at 14 days and six weeks was recorded. Results This study included 263 patients, of which 155 were female. The mean age of patients was 52.45. The mean BMI of all patients was 29.1 kg/m2. Additionally, 124 patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade 1, 117 ASA grade 2 and 22 ASA grade 3 and 167 patients underwent a major operation, with total hip replacement being the most common operation. There were no in-hospital complications. No patients had a positive test result or symptoms of COVID-19 in the six-week post-operative period. Conclusion In summary, we demonstrated that elective orthopaedic surgery can be safely undertaken via a green pathway in a higher risk patient cohort when COVID-19 is prevalent in the community.

Can guided wave ultrasound predict bone mechanical properties at the femoral neck in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty?

The bone quality of patients undergoing hip replacement surgery is poorly predicted by radiographs alone. With better bone quality information available to a surgeon, the operation can be performed more safely. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ultrasound signals of cortical bone at peripheral sites such as the tibia and radius can be used to predict the compressive mechanical properties of cortical bone at the femoral neck. We recruited 19 patients undergoing elective hip arthroplasty and assessed the radius and tibia of these patients with the Azalée guided wave ultrasound to estimate the porosity and thickness of the cortex. Excess bone tissues were collected from the femoral neck and the compressive mechanical properties of the cortex were characterised under a mechanical loading rig to determine stiffness, ultimate strength, and density. The correlations between the ultrasound measurements and mechanical properties were analysed using linear regression, Pearson correlation statistics, and multiple regression analysis. Cortical mechanical properties were weakly to moderately correlated with the ultrasound measurements at various sites (R2 = 0.00-0.36). The significant correlations found were not consistent across all 4 peripheral measurement sites. Additionally, weak to moderate ability of the ultrasound to predict mechanical properties at the neck of femur with multiple regression analysis was found (R2 = 0.00-0.48). Again, this was inconsistent across the different anatomical sites. Overall, the results demonstrate the need for ultrasound scans to be collected directly from clinically relevant sites such as the femoral neck due to the inconsistency of mechanical properties across various sites.

Trainee performed total knee arthroplasty is safe and effective: A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing outcomes between trainees and consultants.

BACKGROUND: There are concerns that trainee performed knee arthroplasty (KA) may adversely affect patient outcomes. Demand for KA is projected to increase, and trainees must therefore be competent to perform it. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed identifying articles comparing outcomes following trainee versus consultant surgeon performed primary KA. Outcomes included rate of revision surgery, rate of infection, operation time, length of stay and functional outcomes. A meta-analysis was conducted using Odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMD). A quality assessment of studies and qualitative analysis was performed. RESULTS: The analysis included 9 studies of 92,309 arthroplasties, 80,655 were performed by consultants, 11,654 by trainees. The mean age was 69.2. There was no significant difference between the two groups' rate of revision (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.61-1.02; p = 0.07. Trainees were associated with a lower rate of infection (5 studies; OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.97; p = 0.03). There was no difference in the rate of neurological deficit, transfusion rate or thrombosis. There was no difference in operation time (5 studies; WMD 3.50; 95% CI -3.9-10.89; p = 0.35). The trainee group had less favourable functional outcome scores (7 studies; WMD -1.26; 95% CI -1.44--1.07; p < 0.01). However, this difference was not clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that supervised trainees can achieve similar outcomes to consultant surgeons andin selected cases, trainee performed supervised KA is therefore safe and effective.

The impact of COVID-19 on elective and trauma spine service in a district general hospital.

AIMS: The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of COVID-19 on spine surgery services in a district general hospital in England in order to understand the spinal service provisions that may be required during a pandemic. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was undertaken between 17 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 and compared with retrospective data from same time period in 2019. We compared the number of patients requiring acute hospital admission or orthopaedic referrals and indications of referrals from our admission sheets and obtained operative data from our theatre software. RESULTS: Between 17 March to 30 April 2020, there were 48 acute spine referrals as compared to 68 acute referrals during the same time period last year. In the 2019 period, 69% (47/68) of cases referred to the on-call team presented with back pain, radiculopathy or myelopathy compared to 43% (21/48) in the 2020 period. Almost 20% (14/68) of spine referrals consisted of spine trauma as compared to 35% (17/48) this year. There were no confirmed cases of cauda equine last year during this time. Overall, 150 spine cases were carried out during this time period last year, and 261 spine elective cases were cancelled since 17 March 2020. RECOMMENDATIONS: We recommend following steps can be helpful to deal with similar situations or new pandemics in future:24 hours on-call spine service during the pandemic.Clinical criteria in place to prioritize urgent spinal cases.Pre-screening spine patients before elective operating.Start of separate specialist trauma list for patients needing urgent surgeries. CONCLUSION: This paper highlights the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in a district general hospital of England. We demonstrate a decrease in hospital attendances of spine pathologies, despite an increase in emergency spine operations.Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-6:281-286.

The effect of COVID-19 on the trauma burden, theatre efficiency and training opportunities in a district general hospital: planning for a future outbreak.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to determine the effects of the UK lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on the orthopaedic admissions, operations, training opportunities, and theatre efficiency in a large district general hospital. METHODS: The number of patients referred to the orthopaedic team between 1 April 2020 and 30 April 2020 were collected. Other data collected included patient demographics, number of admissions, number and type of operations performed, and seniority of primary surgeon. Theatre time was collected consisting of anaesthetic time, surgical time, time to leave theatre, and turnaround time. Data were compared to the same period in 2019. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in median age of admitted patients during lockdown (70.5 (interquartile range (IQR) 46.25 to 84) vs 57 (IQR 27 to 79.75); p = 0.017) with a 26% decrease in referrals from 303 to 224 patients and 37% decrease in admissions from 177 to 112 patients, with a significantly higher proportion of hip fracture admissions (33% (n = 37) vs 19% (n = 34); p = 0.011). Paediatric admissions decreased by 72% from 32 to nine patients making up 8% of admissions during lockdown compared to 18.1% the preceding year (p = 0.002) with 66.7% reduction in paediatric operations, from 18 to 6. There was a significant increase in median turnaround time (13 minutes (IQR 12 to 33) vs 60 minutes (IQR 41 to 71); p < 0.001) although there was no significant difference in the anaesthetic time or surgical time. There was a 38% (61 vs 38) decrease in trainee-led operations. DISCUSSION: The lockdown resulted in large decreases in referrals and admissions. Despite this, hip fracture admissions were unaffected and should remain a priority for trauma service planning in future lockdowns. As plans to resume normal elective and trauma services begin, hospitals should focus on minimising theatre turnaround time to maximize theatre efficiency while prioritizing training opportunities. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Lockdown has resulted in decreases in the trauma burden although hip fractures remain unaffected requiring priorityTheatre turnaround times and training opportunities are affected and should be optimised prior to the resumption of normal services.Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-8:494-499.

Primary Gallbladder Lymphoma in a Male Patient with No Risk Factors Detected Incidentally by CT Colonography.

Primary gallbladder lymphoma, although rare, usually presents in females with symptoms mimicking cholecystitis. We present a rare case of primary gallbladder in an 81-year-old male with no risk factors whose only symptom was weight loss. Routine blood tests including liver function tests were unremarkable. A CT colonography was carried out to exclude colonic malignancy. Unilateral gallbladder wall thickening and lymphadenopathy were incidentally detected and confirmed by ultrasound and a decision for the patient to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy and intraoperative cholangiogram was made. Histology confirmed extranodal marginal zone lymphoma with follow-up staging and biopsy of the bone marrow not demonstrating spread. Cholecystectomy was therefore deemed curative and no adjuvant therapy was necessary. Thickening of the gallbladder wall on any imaging with or without symptoms should not be ignored or assumed to be cholecystitis, even in males with no risk factors. In these patients urgent cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiogram is indicated with histology and haematology follow-up.

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasties: robot vs. patient specific instrumentation.

BACKGROUND: The technical reliability demonstrated by semi active robots in implant placement could render unicompartmental knee arthroplasties (UKAs) more favourable than they are currently. The relatively untested method using patient specific instrumentation (PSI), however, has the potential to match the accuracy produced by robots but without the barriers that have prevented them from being used more widely in clinical practice, namely operative time. Therefore this study took a step towards comparing the accuracy and time taken between the two technologies. METHODS: Thirty-six UKAs were carried out on identical knee models, 12 with the Sculptor, 12 with PSI and 12 conventionally under timed conditions. Implant placement in these knees was then judged against that in a pre-operative plan. RESULTS: Tibial implant orientations and femoral implant positions and orientations were significantly more accurate in the PSI group with mean errors of 6°, 2 mm and 4° respectively, than the conventional group which had means of 9°, 4 mm and 10°. There was no significant difference between the robot and PSI generally except in tibial implant orientation (mean robotic error 3°) and tibial implant position did not vary significantly across all three groups. It was also found that use of PSI and conventional methods took half the time taken by the robot (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: With further development, PSI can match and possibly surpass the accuracy of the robot, as it does with the conventional method, and achieve planned surgery in less time. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This work sets the foundation for clinical trials involving PSI.

Robotic assistance enables inexperienced surgeons to perform unicompartmental knee arthroplasties on dry bone models with accuracy superior to conventional methods.

Robotic systems have been shown to improve unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) component placement accuracy compared to conventional methods when used by experienced surgeons. We aimed to determine whether inexperienced UKA surgeons can position components accurately using robotic assistance when compared to conventional methods and to demonstrate the effect repetition has on accuracy. Sixteen surgeons were randomised to an active constraint robot or conventional group performing three UKAs over three weeks. Implanted component positions and orientations were compared to planned component positions in six degrees of freedom for both femoral and tibial components. Mean procedure time decreased for both robot (37.5 mins to 25.7 mins) (P = 0.002) and conventional (33.8 mins to 21.0 mins) (P = 0.002) groups by attempt three indicating the presence of a learning curve; however, neither group demonstrated changes in accuracy. Mean compound rotational and translational errors were lower in the robot group compared to the conventional group for both components at all attempts for which rotational error differences were significant at every attempt. The conventional group's positioning remained inaccurate even with repeated attempts although procedure time improved. In comparison, by limiting inaccuracies inherent in conventional equipment, robotic assistance enabled surgeons to achieve precision and accuracy when positioning UKA components irrespective of their experience.