Charcot Spinal Arthropathy with Extensive Vertebral BodyDestruction and Cerebrospinal Fluid Collection:A Case Report Mimicking Infective Spondylitis / 대한정형외과학회잡지

A 68-year-old man presented with a bed sore with pus discharge on lower back. Radiographs showed extensive destruction of the L4vertebral body. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed fluid collection with an enhanced wall at the defect of the L4 vertebral bodyextending into both psoas muscles. The primary diagnosis was neuropathic spondylopathy, but infective spondylitis was not ruled out.Initially, he was treated with antibiotics for two weeks. A follow-up MRI showed no improvement of the abscess, so surgical explorationwas done. Charcot spinal arthropathy resulted in extensive vertebral

Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Rectangular Tapered Cementless Stem According to Proximal Femoral Geometry in Elderly Asian Patients / 대한고관절학회지

PURPOSE: A retrospective analysis of mid- to long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of Korean patients over 60 years of age who underwent hip arthroplasty using a cementless rectangular tapered stem according to Dorr proximal femur geography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2007 to December 2013, 107 patients (112 hips) underwent hip arthroplasty using the C2 stem. The mean age of patients was 77.4 years (range, 60–91 years) and the mean follow-up duration was 91.1 months (range, 60–116 months). All patients were evaluated clinically and radiologically with special attention to Dorr femoral bone classification, implant fixation, radiolucent line (RLL), and thigh pain. RESULTS: All implants demonstrated radiographic evidence of stable fixation by bone ingrowth without any change in position. The mean Harris hip score improved from 65.5±16.0 (preoperative) to 90.5±15.9 (final follow-up) (P<0.001). Incidence of RLLs, stress shielding, and thigh pain was highest in patients with Dorr type A (RLL, P=0.021; stress shielding, P=0.030; thigh pain, P<0.001). One stem revision was performed due to deep infection. The Kaplan–Meier survival rate of the femoral stem was 97.6%. CONCLUSION: The overall survival rate of the C2 stems was greater than 97%; there were no significant differences in survival of the C2 stem according to the Dorr classification. The incidences of RLL of thigh pain and RLL were significantly different among Dorr classifications and (highest in patients with Dorr type A).

Is the Oral Chemical Prophylaxis Necessary for the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism after Joint Arthroplasty in a Korean Population? / 대한고관절학회지

PURPOSE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication that may occur after a major orthopedic surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine the necessity of a chemical thromboprophylactic agent (rivaroxaban [RXB]) by analyzing the prevalence of VTE in Korean arthroplasty patients who received RXB for prophylaxis compared with those who did not receive RXB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2,603 patients who underwent knee or hip arthroplasty between 1996 and 2017 were prospectively evaluated. Of these, 1,608 patients underwent surgery before January 2010 and were not administered any type of prophylaxis after surgery; the remaining 995 underwent surgery after 2010 and received oral RXB once daily for 5–13 days from the day after hemovac drain removal to postoperative day 14. RESULTS: The primary study outcome was the prevalence of VTE, pulmonary embolism or death during follow up. The overall incidence of VTE was 1.69% (n=44); of these, 12 occurred in the RXB group and 32 in the non-prophylactic group. The odds ratio of VTE in the RXB group was 0.61. However, the statistical power of the study was 0.313 due to the low incidence of VTE. CONCLUSION: Treatment with oral chemical prophylaxis decreased the incidence of VTE after knee or hip arthroplasty in a Korean population. Furthermore, no serious complications occurred after administering oral RXB, which, coupled with its convenience, suggests oral RXB offers an attractive alternative to other agents. However, we recommend that further studies, including a multicenter study, be conducted to achieve adequate statistical power.

Prognostic Factors and Clinical Outcomes after Treatment of Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures Using a Cable-plate / 대한고관절학회지

PURPOSE: To analyze prognostic factors for the treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) using the cable-plate construct. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of a consecutive series of 41 PFFs treated by osteosynthesis using the cable-plate system. The mean age of patients was 67.3±12.1 years (range, 42-86 years) and the mean follow-up period was 31.5±11.6 months (range, 12–58 months). Fresh frozen cortical strut allografts were leveraged in three cases for additional stability. Prognostic factors that may potentially affect clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: At the time of final follow-up, fracture union was obtained in 29 hips (70.7%; Group I) after an average of 13.5 weeks (range, 12–24 weeks). Healing failure after surgical treatment was observed in 12 cases (29.3%; Group II), including delayed union (n=10) cases and nonunion (n=2). Factors significantly associated with fracture union included fracture pattern (P=0.040), plate overlap percentage to stem length (P<0.001) and T-score at the preoperative bone mineral density (P=0.011). Transverse-type fractures around or just distal to a well-fixed femoral stem were observed in six cases (50.0%) of Group II. CONCLUSION: The cable-plate osteosynthesis of PFFs should be performed with caution in transverse-type fractures or in cases with severe osteoporosis. Fixation with sufficient plate overlap to stem length may be critical to prevent healing failure.