What is the Level of Evidence Substantiating Commercial Payers' Coverage Policies for Total Joint Arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in the United States has drawn the attention of health care stakeholders. The payers have also used a variety of strategies to regulate the medical necessity of these procedures. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of evidence of the coverage policies being used by commercial payers in the United States. METHODS: The references of the coverage policies of four commercial insurance companies were reviewed for type of document, level of evidence, applicability to a TJA population, and success of nonoperative treatment in patients with severe degenerative joint disease. RESULTS: 282 documents were reviewed. 45.8% were primary journal articles, 14.2% were level I or II, 41.2% were applicable to patients who were candidates for TJA, and 9.9% discussed the success of nonoperative treatment in patients who would be candidates for TJA. CONCLUSION: Most of the references cited by commercial payers are of a lower level of scientific evidence and not applicable to patients considered to be candidates for TJA. This is relatively uniform across the reviewed payers. The dearth of high-quality literature cited by commercial payers reflects the lack of evidence and difficulty in conducting high level studies on the outcomes of nonoperative versus operative treatment for patients with severe, symptomatic osteoarthritis. Patients, surgeons, and payers would all benefit from such studies and we encourage professional societies to strive toward that end through multicenter collaboration.

Arthrodesis of the knee.

The most common indication for arthrodesis of the knee is an infection at the site of a total knee arthroplasty. Deficiencies in bone stock and poor bone apposition adversely affect the success of a knee arthrodesis. Arthrodesis of the knee can provide a stable, painless extremity for high-functioning patients who are able to walk. Patient function after arthrodesis of the knee is superior to that after above-the-knee amputation. Conversion of a solid knee fusion to a total knee arthroplasty has a substantial complication rate.

Simultaneous revision and contralateral primary total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: There is controversy regarding whether simultaneous or staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty should be performed in patients with bilateral gonarthrosis. In addition, revision total knee arthroplasties have been less successful than primary arthroplasties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of simultaneous revision and contralateral primary total knee arthroplasties performed during the same setting. METHODS: The study cohort included 150 knees in seventy-five patients who had undergone revision arthroplasty because of aseptic failure of a total knee arthroplasty and a contralateral primary arthroplasty for severe gonarthrosis under the same anesthetic. The study group was compared with a control group of sixty patients who had severe arthritis in one knee and had undergone unilateral revision total knee arthroplasty on the contralateral side. The duration of follow-up averaged five years in the group treated with the simultaneous arthroplasties and eight years in the control group. Clinical and radiographic results were evaluated with the Knee Society rating system. RESULTS: In the study group, the average knee score improved by 48 points on the side of the primary arthroplasty and by 37 points on the side of the revision. At the last follow-up visit, most (sixty-five) of the seventy-five patients stated that the knee with the revision felt better than the knee with the simultaneously performed primary arthroplasty. In the control group, the average knee score improved by 30 points on the side of the revision arthroplasty. However, forty-five of the sixty patients had a primary total knee arthroplasty on the contralateral side within two years after the index revision arthroplasty; by four years, all sixty patients had undergone a contralateral primary arthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS: We found a favorable outcome in patients who had undergone simultaneous revision and contralateral primary total knee arthroplasties. Despite a lower mean knee score and less motion, most patients seemed to prefer the knee with the revision arthroplasty to the knee with the primary procedure. These results suggest that this combined procedure is a safe and favorable alternative to a staged procedure consisting of revision and subsequent contralateral primary total knee arthroplasty.

Preoperative use of recombinant human erythropoietin before total joint arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports have suggested that the use of recombinant human erythropoietin is effective for decreasing the need for perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of erythropoietin in combination with, and compared with, preoperative autologous donation for reducing allogeneic blood requirements for total joint arthroplasty. METHODS: Two hundred and forty patients undergoing primary and revision total hip or knee arthroplasty were enrolled into three groups with different treatment regimens: (1) erythropoietin and preoperative autologous donation (Group 1), (2) erythropoietin alone (Group 2), and (3) preoperative autologous donation alone (Group 3). Patients were evaluated with regard to requirements for allogeneic transfusion, change from the baseline to the lowest postoperative hemoglobin value, postoperative complications, and adverse reactions. RESULTS: The rate of allogeneic transfusion was 11% in Group 1 (erythropoietin and preoperative autologous donation) compared with 28% in Group 2 (erythropoietin alone) and 33% in Group 3 (preoperative autologous donation alone). Within Group 1, patients who had a unilateral primary arthroplasty had an allogeneic transfusion rate of 4% and those who had a bilateral or revision arthroplasty had an allogeneic transfusion rate of 17%. In Groups 2 and 3, the allogeneic transfusion rates were 14% and 15%, respectively, for the patients who had a unilateral primary arthroplasty and 35% and 47%, respectively, for those who had a bilateral or revision arthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative use of erythropoietin in conjunction with preoperative autologous donation reduces the need for allogeneic blood transfusion associated with total joint arthroplasty more effectively than does either erythropoietin or preoperative autologous donation alone.

Morbidity of sequential bilateral revision TKA performed under a single anesthetic.

UNLABELLED: There are little data reporting perioperative morbidity and postoperative complications of bilateral sequential revision total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) performed in one anesthetic setting. We retrospectively reviewed 49 patients undergoing 51 complete (tibial and femoral components) bilateral revision TKAs under a single anesthetic between 1999 and 2006. The average age was 65 years; the minimum followup was 1 month (average, 12 months; range, 1-38 months). Comorbidities included cardiovascular (n = 32), pulmonary (n = 13), endocrine (n = 22), gastrointestinal (n = 30), and neurologic (n = 18). Average surgical time was 64 minutes per limb. Six patients received no stems, six received two stems, two patients received three stems, and 37 received four stems. We encountered no intraoperative complications and no patients with postoperative cardiovascular compromise, stroke, or death. Postoperative complications included confusion in three patients, one pulmonary embolism treated successfully with extended anticoagulation, one patient with posterior compartment syndrome treated with fasciotomy, and one with bilateral stiffness who underwent manipulation under anesthesia at 3 months. In our patients the perioperative medical risks of bilateral TKA performed under a single anesthetic were low, even with the use of stemmed components. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Incidence of patellar clunk with a modern posterior-stabilized knee design.

Patellar clunk is an uncommon complication of posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty (TKA), though the incidence has been reported to be as high as 7.5% with some posterior-stabilized implants, and the etiology is multifactorial. Femoral component design has been implicated as a major cause of this complication. This series compares the incidence of patellar clunk with 2 different knee prostheses, the Insall-Burstein II (IB) and the NexGen Legacy PS (NG), both manufactured by Zimmer (Warsaw, Ind). One-hundred fifty consecutive posterior-stabilized TKAs were in each group, and the groups were similar in surgical approaches and techniques. Insall-Salvati (IS) ratios and joint-line positions were measured on preoperative and postoperative x-rays. Knee Society Clinical and Functional scores were calculated. Incidence of patellar clunk was reduced from 4% with the IB design to 0% with the NG design. IS ratios, joint-line positions, and clinical outcomes were no different between the groups. It appears that femoral component design may play a substantial role in development of patellar clunk after posterior-stabilized TKA.

Corrective osteotomies of the radius and ulna for supination contracture of the pediatric and adolescent forearm secondary to neurologic injury.

PURPOSE: To present the authors' experience with internal fixation of the radius and ulna as a surgical option for correction of supination contracture of the forearm. METHODS: Twelve patients (13 limbs) had an osteotomy of the radius and ulna for a supination deformity secondary to a residual brachial plexus or spinal cord injury. Surgery consisted of proximal ulna and distal radius osteotomies combined with plate fixation. RESULTS: The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 11 years. Five limbs had fixed supination deformities and 8 limbs lacked pronation beyond neutral. The average preoperative supination deformity (either fixed or measured at midarc) was 76 degrees. The average intraoperative correction was 86 degrees. The average follow-up period was 16 months. The average midrange resting position maintained at final follow-up evaluation was 2 degrees of pronation. All limbs ultimately obtained radiographic and clinical union of the osteotomy sites. Complications included 6 plate fractures; however, only 1 patient required revision internal fixation. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of a proximal ulna and distal radius osteotomy with internal fixation can provide excellent correction, but the implant must be strong enough to hold the osteotomies rigidly in the corrected position during the time needed for union. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, Level IV.

Distal femoral allograft reconstruction for massive osteolytic bone loss in revision total knee arthroplasty.

Massive osteolytic bone loss in revision total knee arthroplasty has been an uncommon challenge. From 2001 to 2002, 11 knees in 10 patients underwent revision of failed modular PFC (Johnson and Johnson Orthopaedics, Raynham, Mass) total knee arthroplasties with distal femoral allografts and long-stemmed revision implants for massive osteolytic induced femoral bone loss. The mean follow-up was 42 months (range, 36-48 months). Radiographic graft incorporation was demonstrated in all 11 knees with no cases of loosening. The Knee Society Pain Scores improved by an average of 25.4 points, and the function scores improved by an average of 23.3 points. The outcomes of distal femoral allografts in the reconstruction of massive osteolytic bone loss associated with failed modular PFC (Johnson and Johnson Orthopaedics) total knee arthroplasties are favorable.

Haemophilus influenza infection complicating a total knee arthroplasty.

Haemophilus influenza is rarely a cause of septic arthritis in adults. It has not been reported as a cause of infection in total knee arthroplasties. Haemophilus influenza septic arthritis is a late stage, hematogenous infection. A 43-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis was found to have Haemophilus influenza infection 3 years after the index total knee arthroplasty. The patient was treated with debridement and systemic antibiotics. At the 5-year followup, the patient was comfortable and free of clinical signs of infection. This approach was successful at eradicating infection and salvaging the total knee arthroplasty.

The incorporation of morselized bone grafts in cementless acetabular revisions.

The treatment of large osteolytic lesions is a challenge during acetabular revisions. Periprosthetic bone loss can compromise the stability of new implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 5- to 10-year clinical and radiographic results of morselized bone grafting for acetabular osteolysis during cementless acetabular revisions. Ninety-nine patients (108 hips) who had an acetabular revision hip arthroplasty for osteolysis were retrospectively reviewed. There were 44 men and 55 women who had a mean age of 66 years. At the index revision, the acetabular defects were debrided of granulomatous tissue and packed tightly with morselized cancellous femoral head allograft. All the revision acetabular components were implanted using cementless fixation. At a mean followup of 85 months (range, 60-118 months), the results of 103 of 108 hips (95%) were clinically and radiographically successful. The mean preoperative Harris hip score was 37 points, which improved to a mean of 91 points at the last followup. All cavitary defects had complete radiographic incorporation of the bone grafts except for two lesions. The results of this study indicate that morselized bone graft incorporates into cementless acetabular revisions. This treatment method provided a stable reconstruction in 98% of patients at a mean of 7 years followup.

Long-term results of trapeziometacarpal silicone arthroplasty.

Long-term results of trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joint silicone arthroplasty were evaluated. From 1975 to 1990, 90 TMC joint silicone implants were placed in 85 patients with TMC joint arthritis caused by osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis. Sixty-two implants in 58 patients were available for follow-up evaluation averaging 16.4 years (range, 10-25 years) with a 10-year minimum. Patient satisfaction; range of motion; grip, key pinch, and tip pinch strengths; and radiographs were recorded. Eighty-four percent of the thumbs had satisfactory results with good-to-excellent pain relief and function. Grip, key pinch, and tip pinch strengths increased. The number of thumb tips able to touch the palmar base of the small finger increased. Subluxation was apparent in 19% of implants but was not clinically important; however, implant fracture occurred in 6% and required revision. None of the 62 implants had frank silicone synovitis. Silicone arthroplasty seems to be a reliable option for disabling TMC joint arthritis and is associated with a high degree of patient satisfaction.

Periprosthetic supracondylar femur fractures following total knee arthroplasty.

Periprosthetic supracondylar femur fractures following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are an infrequent, but devastating, complication. From 1998 to 2000, we treated 30 supracondylar femur fractures above TKAs. Eighteen fractures were managed with retrograde intramedullary rod fixation (FIMR) and the other 12 fractures with traditional open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF). Follow-up averaged 3 years, with Knee Society knee scores being 84 and 82, respectively. Complications included 1 above-knee amputation for deep sepsis and 1 nonunion with varus alignment. FIMR appears to be the treatment of choice when it is feasible. However, traditional ORIF also may yield satisfactory results in those designs that cannot accommodate retrograde FIMR fixation.

Cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly.

Controversy exists regarding the use of cementless femoral fixation for hip arthroplasties in elderly patients. This study reviews the clinical and radiographic outcomes of cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasties in patients older than 65 years of age. From 1998 to 2000, 256 cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasties were performed in 248 patients with displaced femoral neck fractures who had a mean age of 77 years. The mean final follow-up was 3.5 years and Harris hip scores averaged 82 points. Two loose femoral stems were revised and the rest of the implants were radiographically stable and demonstrated evidence of bone ingrowth. Six patients had debilitating groin pain necessitating conversion to total hip arthroplasty. Cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasty can be safely performed in elderly patients and can provide predictable clinical and radiographic results.