Limb-salvage reconstruction following resection of pelvic bone sarcomas involving the acetabulum.

AIMS: Limb salvage for pelvic sarcomas involving the acetabulum is a major surgical challenge. There remains no consensus about what is the optimum type of reconstruction after resection of the tumour. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes in these patients according to the methods of periacetabular reconstruction. METHODS: The study involved a consecutive series of 122 patients with a periacetabular bone sarcoma who underwent limb-salvage surgery involving a custom-made prosthesis in 65 (53%), an ice-cream cone prosthesis in 21 (17%), an extracorporeal irradiated autograft in 18 (15%), and nonskeletal reconstruction in 18 (15%). RESULTS: The rates of major complications necessitating further surgery were 62%, 24%, 56%, and 17% for custom-made prostheses, ice-cream cone prostheses, irradiated autografts and nonskeletal reconstructions, respectively (p = 0.001). The ten-year cumulative incidence of failure of the reconstruction was 19%, 9%, 33%, and 0%, respectively. The major cause of failure was deep infection (11%), followed by local recurrence (6%). The mean functional Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) scores were 59%, 74%, 64%, and 72%, respectively. The scores were significantly lower in patients with major complications than in those without complications (mean 52% (SD 20%) vs 74% (SD 19%); p < 0.001). For periacetabular resections involving the ilium, the mean score was the highest with custom-made prostheses (82% (SD 10%)) in patients without any major complication; however, nonskeletal reconstruction resulted in the highest mean scores (78% (SD 12%)) in patients who had major complications. For periacetabular resections not involving the ilium, significantly higher mean scores were obtained with ice-cream cone prostheses (79% (SD 17%); p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: Functional outcome following periacetabular reconstruction is closely associated with the occurrence of complications requiring further surgery. For tumours treated with periacetabular and iliac resection, skeletal reconstruction may result in the best outcomes in the absence of complications, whereas nonskeletal reconstruction is a reasonable option if the risk of complications is high. For tumours requiring periacetabular resection without the ilium, reconstruction using an ice-cream cone prosthesis supported by antibiotic-laden cement is a reliable option. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(4):795-803.

Navigation-assisted pelvic resections and reconstructions for periacetabular chondrosarcomas.

OBJECTIVES: Survival in patients with chondrosarcomas has not improved over 40 years. Although emerging evidence has documented the efficacy of navigation-assisted surgery, the prognostic significance in chondrosarcomas remains unknown. We aimed to assess the clinical benefit of navigation-assisted surgery for pelvic chondrosarcomas involving the peri-acetabulum. METHODS: We studied 50 patients who underwent limb-sparing surgery for periacetabular chondrosarcomas performed with navigation (n = 13) without it (n = 37) at a referral musculoskeletal oncology centre between 2000 and 2015. RESULTS: The intralesional resection rates in the navigated and non-navigated groups were 8% (n = 1) and 19% (n = 7), respectively; all bone resection margins were clear in the navigated group. The 5-year cumulative incidence of local recurrence was 23% and 56% in the navigated and non-navigated groups, respectively (p = 0.035). There were no intra-operative complications related to use of navigation. There was a trend toward better functional outcomes in the navigated group (mean MSTS score, 67%) than the non-navigated group (mean MSTS score, 60%; p = 0.412). At a mean follow-up of 63 months, the 5-year disease-specific survival was 76% and 53% in the navigated and non-navigated group, respectively (p = 0.085), whilst the 5-year progression-free survival was 62% and 28% in the navigated and non-navigated group, respectively (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: This study confirmed improved local control and progression-free survival with the use of computer navigation in patients with limb-salvage surgery for periacetabular chondrosarcomas, although the advancement in other treatment modalities is required for improvement of disease-specific survival.

Surgical treatment for pelvic Ewing sarcoma: What is a safe and functional acetabular reconstruction when combined with modern multidisciplinary treatments?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to clarify which local treatment is oncologically and functionally effective in pelvic Ewing sarcoma (ES). METHODS: A consecutive series of patients who underwent pelvic resections and acetabular reconstructions after chemotherapy between 1986 and 2016 at a supra-regional center were evaluated. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 35 patients. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was 61% and 72%, respectively. Preoperative radiotherapy (RT) and surgery provided an excellent/good histological response in 92% and achieved significantly better OS (5 years, 64%) and LRFS (5 years, 100%) than surgery alone or surgery with postoperative RT. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional scores were significantly better in patients with hip transposition than those with structural reconstructions (74% vs 57%; P = .031) using custom-made prostheses, irradiated autografts, and ice-cream cone prostheses. These scores were significantly lower if patients had deep infection (P = .035), which was the most common complication (28%) in structural reconstructions but did not occur in hip transposition even when performed after preoperative RT. CONCLUSION: Acetabular reconstruction with hip transposition resulted in no deep infection and superior function in patients with pelvic ES even when combined with preoperative RT, which improved tumor necrosis and rate of local control and survival.

CT grading scales for splenic injury: why can't we agree?

INTRODUCTION: Computed tomography (CT) has been proven to be able to accurately diagnose splenic injury. Many have published CT splenic injury grading scales to quantify the extent of injury. However, these scales have failed at predicting clinical outcomes and therefore cannot be used to accurately predict the need for intervention. We hypothesised that low interrater reliability is the reason why these scales have failed at predicting clinical outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This is a retrospective study of patients who were admitted to the Royal Perth Hospital with blunt splenic injury as coded in the trauma registry. The abdominal CT images of these patients were reviewed by three consultant radiologists and were graded using the six different splenic injury grading scales. We assessed interrater reliability between each of the scales using generalised kappa and proportion of agreement calculations. RESULTS: The images of 64 patients were reviewed. The interrater reliability yielded a generalised kappa score of 0.32-0.60 and proportion of agreement ranging from 34.4% to 65.5%. CONCLUSION: The six studied CT splenic injury grading scales did not have a high enough interrater reliability to be adequate for clinical use. The poor interrater reliability is likely to contribute to the failure of the scales at predicting clinical outcomes. Further research to improve the interrater reliability is recommended.