Over ten-year follow-up results of a prospective and consecutive series of primary total hip arthroplasty with an original cementless total hip prosthesis.

PURPOSE: High survival rates up to ten  years have been reported for non-cemented hip replacements. Publications beyond ten years have more diverse conclusions. To study the long-term survival of uncemented total hip replacement (THR), we examined a series of 125 THR, all with a minimum follow-up of ten  years. METHODS: This is a prospective study of 203 patients operated for coxarthrosis between 2007 and 2011, by six senior surgeons. The original ellipsoidal stem and the impacted acetabulum were systematically cementless; the acetabulum had either a fixed ceramic or polyethylene insert, or a dual-mobility insert. At the date of the follow-up check, 44 patients were deceased and 34 patients were lost to follow-up. This left 125 complete files for our study. RESULTS: They were a revision of the cup in four cases and a revision of the femoral stem in three cases (3.4%). The Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival rate of the THR, by considering revision for any reason as endpoint, at ten  years (120 months) is estimated at 96.6% (CI 92.7-98.7). Radiologically, on 86 analyses (68.8%) at ten  years and more reported, no significant evolution of the appearance of the cancellous bone around the acetabular cup was noted, nor any ossification. Some periprosthetic osteogenesis reactions were noted around the 1/3 distal but no periprosthetic edging. CONCLUSION: In this minimum ten-year follow-up study, a cementless THR with a straight ellipsoidal cementless stem and a press-fit cup provides excellent implant survival and high patient satisfaction. (Clinically felt minimal difference.).

Fast-track procedures after primary total knee arthroplasty reduce hospital stay by unselected patients: a prospective national multi-centre study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of fast-track procedures (FTPs) on length of hospital stay after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a prospective, national, multicentric analysis. The innovative point was that no patient selection was used. The hypothesis was that FTPs reduce hospital stay after primary TKA for non-traumatic conditions compared with the national database. METHODS: An observational prospective study was conducted in ten centres throughout France. A total of 839 patients included in FTPs were followed up for three months. The average LOS, direct return home rate, unscheduled re-admission rate, and re-intervention rate were compared with those in the national database (93,329 TKAs). Knee society and Oxford score were collected. RESULTS: The mean LOS was 4.4 ± 3.3 days, while the national base LOS was 6.4 ± 3.1 days (p < 0.001). A total of 560 patients (66.7%) were able to return home, compared with 47,617 (49.6%) in the national database (p < 0.001). Thirty-five patients (4.2%) were re-admitted within 90 days of the intervention, compared with 10,399 (10.8%) in the national database (p < 0.001). Seventeen patients (2.0%) were re-operated upon within 90 days after the TKA, compared with 529 (0.5%) in the national database (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The FTPs used by unselected patients allowed a significant decrease in the mean LOS and in the rate of re-admission and a significant increase of the rate of direct home return after primary TKA compared with the national database. The significant increase in the re-operation rate warrants further investigation. However, FTP should become the standard of care after this intervention.

How to reduce osteopenia in total knee arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND: Osteopenia of the front half of the distal femur is a well-known problem after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with secondary issues after years, especially when must be addressed fractures or revisions for loosening. Stress shielding has been recognized as a cause in different biomechanical studies of the bone. QUESTION/PURPOSES: It was logical to look for a solution by changing the design to minimize stress shielding behind the femoral shield. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It was proved that radiological measure of bone density was reliable although not so early and accurate as densitometry. We used a shield without posterior fixation of the trochlea in a series of 21 TKA with radiological measures, preoperative, at 3 months and at 5 years. We compared the results with those of a series of classical TKA in the same category of age and sex. RESULTS: The TKA without trochlea posterior fixation presented a significantly reduced osteopenia compared to the classical design of the femoral shield. CONCLUSION: It seems that the non-fixation of the posterior surface of the trochlea may reduce osteopenia in TKA and so the risk of fractures and complications when revision surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2a.

Enhanced recovery after posterior minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty with continuous intraarticular anaesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible complications specific to the continuous intraarticular anaesthesia (CIA) in a minimally invasive posterior approach in total hip arthroplasty and its possible effects on the recovery, especially on pain and the length of hospitalisation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The surgical procedure is first precisely described step by step with numerous per-operating photographs. Particular technical points are detailed. The errors to be avoided are specified. A prospective series of 70 first-line total hip arthroplasties (one half with and one half without CIA) are analysed for the well-known results of total hip arthroplasty but specifically assessing: (a) specific possible complications to the minimally invasive posterior technique with the prolonged local anaesthesia and (b) effects on pain, duration of hospitalisation and satisfaction in patients (questionnaire). RESULTS: (a) Very low level of immediate post-operative pain was observed in almost all of the patients. (b) Patient satisfaction was high in our series. (c) A repeated education was provided multiple times to avoid specific complications following the absence of pain and consequent inattention. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The minimally invasive posterior approach with continuous intraarticular anaesthesia is an entirely reliable hip arthroplasty procedure. The patients exhibited a significantly less pain and a fast rate of recovery, but preparatory education must be even more significant.

Minimally invasive opening wedge tibia outpatient osteotomy, using screw-to-plate locking technique and a calcium phosphate cement.

Medial knee osteoarthritis on angular varus deformity of a lower limb is very common. Open-wedge high tibial osteotomy is a treatment of choice if cartilage is not excessively worn (Allback 1 or 2). The technique based on a plate fixation and the bone defect filled with calcium phosphate cement is thoroughly described. Data at 1, 3, 6 months and 1 year of a 19 cases continuous and prospective series are collected and analysed. Mean age at the time of operation was 55 years. The average preoperative varus deformity was 5° and corrected to an average postoperative valgus of 4° (range 3°-6°). Each control includes the collection of eventual complications, the measurement of health status (quality of life and functional scores) and antero-posterior and lateral X-rays. All osteotomies were considered healed at 6 weeks without any correction loss except one, probably result of a technical error. There was no difference in clinical and functional results between the group and the literature, but the final result occurred earlier in the treatment when the bone defect was filled with either calcium phosphate cement. Faster recovery involved no specific complication and enabled outpatient treatment in a majority of patients.

Future of 34 meniscectomies after bucket-handle meniscus tear: a retrospective study with a follow-up over 22 years.

After a bucket-handle meniscus tear, a partial meniscectomy by arthroscopy is recommended, when a meniscal suture is impossible. Short-term results of meniscectomy after bucket-handle meniscus tear, without cartilage or ligament additional injury, are mostly excellent: pain and blocking disappear, return to sports activities is possible. The aim of this retrospective study is to follow a partial meniscectomy evolution with a long follow-up between March 1990 and April 1994, and a senior surgeon operated 34 meniscectomies for bucket-handle meniscus tear by 34 patients (29 male and 5 female) with a mean age of 31.7 years (16-52 years) at time of surgery. The bucket-handle meniscus tear had a traumatic etiology on a knee with no cartilage lesion. The functional results were assessed by IKDC subjective score (International Knee Documentation Committee) and ARPEGE score (Association pour la Recherche et la Promotion de l'Etude du Genou). These scores were obtained by phone call questionnaire in March 2014 with a mean follow-up of 22.7 years (20-24 years). In this study, patients were reviewed and got a clinical examination to determine the Lequesne score, a radiological knee assessment according to Ahlbäck classification and a weight-bearing teleradiography. With an IKDC mean score of 85.8 after surgery, we observed that 29 patients go back to sports activities with the same level as before injury. The level of sports activity, with a regular practice after a mean follow-up of 22.7 years, was the same as immediately after surgery or just the level under for 85.3 % of patients. With ARPEGE score, 48.5 % of patients had a global excellent result and 38.2 % had a global good result after a long follow-up. With a mean Lequesne score of 2.38, osteoarthritis of knee is still clinical minimal after meniscectomy at long term. The score was worse after external meniscectomy (EM) than after an internal meniscectomy (IM). 57.7 % of patients have osteoarthritis on X-rays. In our study, functional results after partial meniscectomy for bucket-handle meniscus tear are similar than in the literature. More than half of our patients, reviewed after a long follow-up, had radiological osteoarthritis of knee with a variable clinical result, but often minimal to moderate, intensity modulated by the lower limb axis.

Bleeding and thromboembolism risk of standard antithrombotic prophylaxis after hip or knee replacement within an enhanced recovery program.

INTRODUCTION: Prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) generally consists of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) after total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols may reduce the VTE risk after these procedures. The aim of this study was to compare the risk of VTE and the risk of bleeding complications in a non-selected population of primary THA and TKA cases done within an ERAS protocol. HYPOTHESIS: The risk of postoperative VTE after primary THA and TKA is lower than the risk of bleeding complications within an ERAS protocol. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study conducted on a national scale in France. All patients who underwent primary unilateral THA or TKA at one of 11 participating hospitals between October 2016 and October 2017 were enrolled and followed for 3 months. The occurrence of a VTE or major bleeding event was recorded. No patients were lost to follow-up at 3 months. RESULTS: Of the 1110 THA cases, there were 5 VTE (0.4%) and 19 bleeding events (1.7%). Of the 893 TKA cases, there were 9 VTE (1.0%) and 14 bleeding events (1.7%). There was no significant difference in the VTE incidence and bleeding event incidence after THA and TKA. The overall incidence of bleeding complications (1.7%) was significantly greater than the overall incidence of VTE complications (0.7%) (p=0.005). This was the case after THA (p=0.004) but not after TKA. DISCUSSION: The primary finding of this study is that bleeding complications are significantly more common than VTE complications after THA or TKA within an ERAS protocol. Based on these findings, the cost-benefit ratio of antithrombotic prophylaxis by LMWH or DOACs in this context should be reassessed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV; Prospective cohort study without control group.