Total elbow replacement.

Thirty-one patients who underwent thirty-six total elbow replacements between 1974 and 1977 were followed for a minimum of two years with an average of 3.7 years. A scoring system was used to quantitate results. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and functional disability primarily related to pain benefited most from the operation. Patients with post-traumatic arthritis and disability secondary to loss of motion benefited least. The over-all complication rate was 53 per cent and the reoperation rate was 22 percent. However, only one-fourth of the complications adversely affected the final outcome. Total elbow replacement can give good results in carefully selected patients.

Effect of aspirin on heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty in men who have osteoarthrosis.

The severity of heterotopic ossification was determined from the radiographs of eighty-three men in whom osteoarthrosis had been treated with a primary total hip arthroplasty with cement. The medical records of these patients were then reviewed, with the reviewer having no knowledge of the radiographic findings. A similar operative approach and technique had been used in all patients. There was no association between the amount of intraoperative loss of blood or the duration of the operation and the severity of formation of heterotopic bone. The over-all rate of occurrence of heterotopic ossification was 72 per cent. Of the fifty-eight patients who had received aspirin throughout their course in the hospital, two (3 per cent) had severe ectopic ossification (grade III or IV8). In contrast, twelve (48 per cent) of the twenty-five patients who had received no aspirin or in whom aspirin had been discontinued so that anticoagulation could be begun had severe heterotopic ossification. The difference in the severity of the ossification between the two groups is significant (p less than 0.0001).

Bipolar hemiarthroplasty for fracture of the femoral neck. Clinical review with special emphasis on prosthetic motion.

The results of a consecutive series of 120 bipolar replacements of the femoral head that had been done for the treatment of a fracture of the femoral neck were reviewed. Ninety patients were followed for a minimum of two years. At the latest follow-up, eighty-two (91 per cent) of the patients were free of major pain, and eighty-three (92 per cent) were considered to have satisfactory motion and muscle power. Postoperative function often was limited by underlying medical problems. Seventy-five patients (83 per cent) either returned to the level of function that they had had before the fracture or used only a cane, which they had not needed previously. There was no important deterioration of the results with time. For twenty-six of the prostheses, roentgenograms were made with the patient bearing weight in order to determine the relative motion at the two sites of articulation of the bipolar prosthesis. The roentgenograms demonstrated the presence and maintenance of motion at both bearing surfaces.

Mechanical failures in total hip replacement requiring reoperation.

During the years 1971 through mid-1977, approximately 3,000 total hip replacements were performed at The Hospital for Special Surgery using metal-to-plastic prostheses. During that period of time, thirty-five operations were done for mechanical failure in the absence of infection. The mechanical failures were distributed as follows: Fourteen patients had dislocations of the prostheses and seven patients had loosening of the femoral component, mostly with varus positioning of the femoral stem. Six patients, most of them heavy, active men, had fractures of the femoral stem. Three patients had loosening of the acetabular component. (In two of three there was insufficient bone stock over the acetabulum.) Four patients had proximal migration of the greater trochanter and one had a fracture-dislocation of the acetabulum. In all cases a technical or anatomical problem could be identified as the reason for mechanical failure necessitating reoperation. By careful preoperative planning, proper selection of procedures and positioning of prostheses, bone-grafting when necessary, and stricter attention to the technique of using cement, we could conceivably have avoided two-thirds of these failures.

Perforation of the femoral shaft during total hip replacement.

Perforation of the femoral shaft by the prosthetic stem as a complication of total hip replacement is not well described in the literature. We studied twelve patients with this complication in order to define the predisposing factors, optimum management, and long-term outcome. Each patient was found to have one or more of the following factors: female sex, osteoporosis, previous fracture, or previous surgery. Once the complication was recognized, management consisted of protected weight-bearing for six weeks. All but two of the patients were asymptomatic after an average follow-up of five years. Judging from the long-term roetgenographic follow-up, penetration of the femoral shaft does not appear to seriously compromise the fixation of the femoral component.

Autogenous bone grafts from the femoral head for the treatment of acetabular deficiency in primary total hip arthroplasty with cement. Long-term results.

Thirty-five consecutive total hip arthroplasties in twenty-eight patients were performed with use of cement and insertion of an autogenous graft from the femoral head. Five patients (six hips) subsequently died or were lost to follow-up. The results for the remaining twenty-three patients (twenty-nine hips) were reviewed retrospectively at a mean of eleven years (range, seven to seventeen years) after the operation. All of the grafts united. The mean estimated coverage of the acetabular component by the autogenous graft was 27 per cent (range, 15 to 45 per cent). Three sockets (10 per cent) were revised because of symptomatic loosening without infection at a mean of ten years (eight, ten, and twelve years) after the index procedure. All three hips were found to have viable, bleeding bone in the region of the remaining graft. An additional eight acetabular components had a nonprogressive, asymptomatic, continuous radiolucent line at the cement-bone interface. This finding was assumed to indicate loosening of the socket, so the total prevalence of loosening was 38 per cent (eleven of twenty-nine sockets). There was no significant difference between the loose and the well fixed components in terms of the amount of coverage by the graft (p > 0.2) or the method of fixation (p > 0.4). There was no collapse or resorption of the graft that was of mechanical consequence. Autogenous femoral-head bone-grafting is a useful technique with a good potential for long-term success when the amount of coverage by the graft is limited to less than 40 per cent of the surface of the acetabular component.

Complications after total hip replacement. The contralateral limb.

Six patients who had a total hip replacement, as well as a trochanteric osteotomy, while they were in the lateral decubitus position had complications involving the contralateral side. The complications included transient paresthesias, massive swelling of the thigh with myonecrosis, acute renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria, and arterial insufficiency that resulted in a below-the-knee amputation. In order to elucidate the causes of the complications, the external pressure of the contralateral femoral triangle and the blood flow to the contralateral foot were monitored intraoperatively in seventeen patients. The results supported the postulate that pressure at the groin is increased intraoperatively and that this can cause vascular compromise. Other proposed causes of the complications were pre-existing vascular disease, obesity, the lateral decubitus position of the patient on the operating table, and the use of hypotensive anesthesia. We found several techniques that may minimize complications in the contralateral limb during operations on the hip.

Total hip replacement for Paget's disease of the hip.

We reviewed our experience with total hip replacement for coxarthrosis due to Paget's disease. The clinical and radiographic results in twenty-one patients who had a total hip replacement between October 1972 and February 1982 were analyzed. The ages of the patients averaged 68.6 years (range, fifty-seven to eighty years) and there were twelve women and nine men. The follow-up averaged five years and two months (range, two years to eleven years and four months). A good or excellent result was achieved in eighteen patients. Of the other three patients, two required a revision operation at two and one-half and five years postoperatively for symptomatic mechanical loosening of the femoral component. The remaining patient had a fair result because of activity of the Paget's disease. Special problems that we encountered included varus deformity of the proximal end of the femur predisposing to varus placement of the femoral component, protrusio acetabuli, increased blood loss, sclerotic bone that made reaming difficult, and heterotopic ossification.

Acetabular reconstruction with a bipolar prosthesis and morseled bone grafts.

The results of eighteen acetabular reconstructions in which a bipolar prosthesis and morseled bone grafts were used for a major acetabular defect were evaluated. Thirteen Type-II (cavitary) and five Type-III (combined) acetabular deficits were treated. All of the patients were followed for at least two years. The procedure failed in eleven patients: six had radiographic evidence of complete resorption of the bone grafts and migration of the acetabular component; three, deep infection; one, recurrent dislocation; and one, pain of undetermined cause despite a satisfactory radiographic appearance of the hip. The remaining seven patients had a satisfactory clinical outcome. However, an improved acetabular bone structure, as judged by radiographic evidence of incorporation of the bone grafts, was maintained in only four patients. In our experience, acetabular reconstruction with morseled bone grafts and a bipolar prosthesis was associated with a high rate of failure, and we do not recommend that it be performed routinely. It should be considered only as a salvage procedure in elderly or infirm patients, as a possible alternative to more extensive procedures.

Successive bilateral total knee replacement.

We studied the results of 304 posterior stabilized condylar knee arthroplasties, performed over a two and a half-year period, to compare unilateral, bilateral one-stage, and bilateral staged arthroplasty. The minimum length of clinical follow-up was two years. Using The Hospital for Special Surgery rating system, we found the clinical results to be identical for all three groups. The medical complications were similar in each group except that there was a higher incidence of thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism, as seen venographically, in the patients with staged procedures. We concluded that one-stage bilateral knee arthroplasty is preferable in a patient who requires replacement for severely arthritic knees.

Results of revision for mechanical failure after cemented total hip replacement, 1979 to 1982. A two to five-year follow-up.

From January 1979 to February 1982, 143 patients (seventy-nine women and sixty-four men) with 146 uninfected cemented total hip arthroplasties had revision cemented hip arthroplasty at The Hospital for Special Surgery for what was considered to be mechanical failure. The average age of the patients at primary arthroplasty was 56.1 years and at revision, 62.1 years. Loosening of the femoral component before revision correlated with varus positioning in 50 per cent of the hips, inadequate cement in 34 per cent, and a relatively young age in 16 per cent. The average age of the patients (fifteen hips) with a loose femoral component that had been placed in a neutral or valgus position with good cementing technique was 48.2 years at the time of primary arthroplasty. Loosening of the acetabular component was attributed to high placement of the cup in 41 per cent, inadequate bone in 18 per cent, a vertical orientation of the opening of the cup in 7 per cent, and poor cementing technique in 3 per cent. Complications associated with revision included perforation of the femoral cortex in 13 per cent, postoperative deep infection in 3.4 per cent, postoperative dislocation in 8.2 per cent, trochanteric complications in 6.2 per cent, and sciatic palsy in 0.7 per cent. Of the 139 hips that were followed for an average of 3.6 years (range, two to five years) after revision, the results were excellent in 59 per cent, good in 7 per cent, fair in 16 per cent, and poor in 18 per cent. After revision of the 139 hips, 29 per cent showed progressive radiolucencies; 18 per cent, femoral subsidence; and 9 per cent, acetabular migration. Definite mechanical failure after revision was identified in 15.8 per cent of the hips. These failures were due to loosening in 12.2 per cent of the hips, femoral fracture in 2.2 per cent, and disabling dislocation in 1.4 per cent. At the time of follow-up, twelve hips (8.6 per cent) had been revised a second time: six (4.3 per cent) for loosening of one or both components, three (2.2 per cent) for femoral fracture, and three (2.2 per cent) for infection. Mechanical failure and progressive radiolucencies were associated with poor quality of bone (p less than 0.001) and inadequate anatomical reconstruction (p less than 0.03).

Metallic wear in failed titanium-alloy total hip replacements. A histological and quantitative analysis.

We conducted extensive histological examination of the tissues that were adjacent to the prosthesis in nine hips that had a failed total arthroplasty. The prostheses were composed of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The average time that the prosthesis had been in place in the tissue was 33.5 months (range, eleven to fifty-seven months). Seven arthroplasties were revised because of aseptic loosening and two, for infection. In eight hips cement had been used and in one (that had a porous-coated implant for fifty-two months) no cement had been utilized. Intense histiocytic and plasma-cell reaction was noted in the pseudocapsular tissue. There was copious metallic staining of the lining cells. Polyethylene debris and particles of cement with concomitant giant-cell reaction were present in five hips. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry revealed values for titanium of fifty-sic to 3700 micrograms per gram of dry tissue (average, 1047 micrograms per gram; normal, zero microgram per gram), for aluminum of 2.1 to 396 micrograms per gram (average, 115 micrograms per gram; normal, zero micrograms per gram), and for vanadium of 2.9 to 220 micrograms per gram (average, sixty-seven micrograms per gram; normal, 1.2 micrograms per gram). The highest values were found in the hip in which surgical revision was performed at fifty-seven months. The concentrations of the three elements in the soft tissues were similar to those in the metal of the prostheses. The factors to which failure was attributed were: vertical orientation of the acetabular component (five hips), poor cementing technique on the femoral side (three hips), infection (two hips), and separation of a sintered pad made of pure titanium (one hip). A femoral component that is made of titanium alloy can undergo severe wear of the surface and on the stem, where it is loose, with liberation of potentially toxic local concentrations of metal debris into the surrounding tissues. It may contribute to infection and loosening.

Bone density adjacent to press-fit acetabular components. A prospective analysis with quantitative computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The status of periprosthetic bone stock is an important concern when revision total hip arthroplasty is undertaken. Remodeling of periprosthetic femoral bone after total hip arthroplasty has been studied extensively, and the phenomenon of femoral stress-shielding has been well characterized. Finite element analysis and computer-simulated remodeling theory have predicted that retroacetabular bone-mineral density decreases after total hip arthroplasty; however, remodeling of periprosthetic pelvic bone in this setting has yet to be well defined. This study was conducted to evaluate the short-term natural history of periacetabular bone-mineral density following primary total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: Periacetabular bone-mineral density was studied prospectively in a group of twenty-six patients who underwent primary hybrid total hip arthroplasty for the treatment of advanced osteoarthritis. Density within the central part of the ilium (directly cephalad to a press-fit acetabular component) was assessed with serial quantitative computed tomography. Baseline density was measured within the first five days following the total hip arthroplasty. Ipsilateral density measurements were repeated at an average of 1.28 years postoperatively. Density values at corresponding levels of the contralateral ilium were obtained at both time-points in all patients to serve as internal controls. RESULTS: Bone-mineral density decreased significantly (p< or =0.001) between the two time-points on the side of the operation. The mean absolute magnitude of the interval density reduction (75 mg/cc) was greatest immediately adjacent to the implant (p<0.001), but it was also significantly reduced (by 35 mg/cc) at a distance of 10 mm cephalad to the implant (p = 0.001). Relative declines in mean density ranged from 33% to 20% of the baseline values. No focal bone resorption (osteolysis) was detected at the time of this short-term follow-up study. With the numbers available, no significant interval alteration in bone-mineral density was found on the untreated (internal control) side (p> or =0.07). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the observed decline in bone-mineral density represents a remodeling response to an altered stress pattern within the pelvis that was induced by the presence of the acetabular implant. This finding corroborates the predictions of finite element analysis and computer-simulated remodeling theory. It remains to be seen whether this trend of atrophy of retroacetabular bone stock will continue with longer follow-up or will ultimately affect the long-term stability of press-fit acetabular components.

Contralateral total hip arthroplasty or ipsilateral total knee arthroplasty in patients who have a long-standing fusion of the hip.

We studied the cases of twenty patients who had had an ipsilateral total knee arthroplasty or a contralateral total hip arthroplasty, or both, long after one hip had been fused in an acceptable position. Between 1972 and 1986, we performed twenty-one total joint arthroplasties (on thirteen hips and eight knees) and followed two additional patients (one hip and one knee) in whom the operation had been performed elsewhere. The average age of the patients at the time of arthroplasty was fifty-seven years (range, thirty-one to eighty-one years), and the average time from arthrodesis to arthroplasty was thirty-two years (range, eleven to fifty-four years). The results of eighteen of the twenty-three arthroplasties were evaluated at an average of seven years and nine months postoperatively. Four of the remaining five patients, who were followed for an average of eight years, died of a cause that was unrelated to the arthroplasty. After the hip arthroplasty, five hips were rated excellent; five, good; one, fair; and three, poor. Each hip that had a poor result was revised twice for mechanical loosening. Three hips for which the result was not considered poor had progressive radiolucency. After the knee arthroplasty, three knees were rated excellent; four, good; one, fair; and one, poor (because of infection). Seven knees were manipulated a total of fifteen times. Only one patient had progressive symptomatic radiolucency, nine years after the insertion of a posterior stabilized prosthesis. Clinically important ligamentous instability was not encountered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Long-term results of revision total hip replacement. A follow-up report.

The results of 110 revision total hip replacements performed for aseptic failure, with an average follow-up of 3.4 years, were reported in 1982. We were able to continue to follow ninety-nine of these patients for an average of 8.1 years (range, five to 12.5 years). With this longer follow-up, we found that twenty-nine (29 per cent) of these revised arthroplasties have since failed. Most of the failures after 1982 occurred in the hips that were known to have a progressive radiolucency at the time of the first evaluation. We concluded that there is an increased failure rate with longer follow-up of revision total hip replacement, and that progressive radiolucency at an interface indicates a poor prognosis for the arthroplasty.

Femoral preparation in cemented total hip arthroplasty: reaming or broaching?

Surgical techniques continue to be refined to improve the results of primary cemented total hip arthroplasty. Although there has been much research in the areas of cementation and implant design, little work has specifically addressed how bone preparation can be optimized on the femoral side. On the basis of available scientific data, it appears that the broach-only system has several potential advantages over the traditional ream-and-broach technique. Broaching is usually faster, leaves behind more bone stock, and may improve both microinterlock and macrointerlock. Additionally, the excess bone resulting from broaching without reaming does not seem to compromise fixation at the bone-cement interface. Such differences may become even more important as the indications for cemented hip arthroplasty broaden to include increasingly younger and more active patients, because revision in these individuals is likely. In most cases, reaming is probably counterproductive, although it may be advantageous when used to open the femoral canal, to prevent varus stem orientation, and to manage sclerosis or deformity of bone due to a preexisting hip disorder or the presence of internal fixation devices. Regardless of which method is chosen, good bone surface cleansing and cement penetration remain paramount. More studies comparing reamed and nonreamed preparation are necessary to resolve this controversial issue definitively.

Long-term follow-up of total hip replacement in patients with osteonecrosis.

Patients with osteonecrosis who undergo total hip replacement experience an overall failure rate four times greater than that of patients with osteoarthritis who undergo the procedure. Different etiologic factors associated with osteonecrosis appear to carry different prognoses for the durability of total hip replacements. In addition to discouraging total hip replacement in patients under 30 to 40 years of age and making all possible efforts at reduction of the patient's weight and activity, improvement of bone quality, surgical and cementing techniques, prosthetic design, and materials will prolong the durability of total hip replacement. Despite the inferior long-term results of total hip replacement performed for advanced osteonecrosis, we believe the procedure should not be abandoned for patients in their fifth decade or older because it provides a painless, functional hip more consistently than any other form of arthroplasty. These patients should be informed about the importance of protecting the hip replacement by avoiding strenuous activities, impact, and obesity and about the possibilities of future mechanical failure, requiring revision surgery.

The nine- to fifteen-year follow-up of one-stage bilateral total hip arthroplasty.

Careful selection and preoperative evaluation of patients with bilateral hip disease for one-stage bilateral total hip arthroplasty can yield satisfactory results consistent with those published for unilateral hip disease. These patients are generally younger and more active than patients undergoing unilateral total hip arthroplasty and require meticulous attention to both technique and prosthetic design. The authors found that the Charnley design remains the gold standard against which other prostheses must be measured in the long-term follow-up.

Fracture of the femoral component. Analysis of failure and long-term follow-up of revision.

Although fracture of the femoral component is an uncommon mode of mechanical failure, when it does occur, symptoms may be dramatic. In addition, it presents the surgeon with one of the more challenging problems in revision total hip arthroplasty surgery. This study reviews the problem of femoral stem fracture and evaluates the stem failures and long-term follow-up of the revision for femoral component fractures performed at The Hospital for Special Surgery.

Results of acetabular revisions with newer cement techniques.

It is the purpose of this article to evaluate the authors' results of cemented acetabular reconstructions in revision surgery for massive osseous deficiencies with the previously stated techniques. In addition, the authors will examine the results with respect to bone allografting and bone autografting and their compatibility with methyl methacrylate.