Periprosthetic fracture around total knee arthroplasty: What are the advantages of minimal-invasive surgery?

OBJECTIVES: Periprosthetic femur fractures after total knee arthroplasty in older adults are mostly treated by internal fixation. Members of the GETRAUM (French Orthopedic Trauma Society) sought to compare two surgical techniques - conventional open surgery and minimally invasive surgery - with the aim of analyzing the patients' functional recovery. We hypothesized that a minimally invasive technique would produce better early functional outcomes with recovery of independence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study of patients treated between 2009 and 2015 consisted of 90 fractures with a follow-up of 1 year. Demographic, preoperative data and the characteristics of fractures, type of fixation and the surgeon's experience level were collected. The endpoints were the Parker Mobility score, Katz ADL, place of residence at the time of fracture and at 6 months and one-year follow-up. All complications and one-year mortality during the follow up were searched. RESULTS: At 6 months follow-up, the minimally invasive technique contributed to significantly better functional recovery as measured by the Parker (p < 0.05) and Katz scores (p < 0.05). However, there were no differences in these scores at one-year follow-up. The complication rate was 31% at one year follow-up. Mortality rate was 12 % (11 patients). CONCLUSION: Our hypothesis was confirmed, as there was a difference between techniques that impacted functional recovery and independence, but only in the early postoperative phase. A minimally invasive technique appears to be beneficial in the short term for distal femur fractures after total knee arthroplasty but must be evaluated in a comparative and prospective study to fully confirm its reliability.

Clinical and functional outcomes of 405 Achilles tendon ruptures after a minimum follow-up of 1 year.

OBJECTIVE: The results of surgical versus conservative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures are still controversial. The objective of this study was to compare surgical and conservative treatment at a minimum follow-up of 1 year in terms of the complications, functional outcomes and clinical results. HYPOTHESES: There is no difference in the complications, clinical results and functional outcomes between the two treatment groups. There is no difference in the occurrence of complications or the clinical results due to the immobilization or rehabilitation protocols. METHODS: This was a retrospective comparative, multicenter, non-randomized study of acute Achilles tendon ruptures treated between 01/01/2018 and 31/12/2019 at 21 study sites in France. All patients who received surgical or conservative treatment were included. The demographics, sports participation, nature of treatment, immobilization parameters (type, duration, position) and rehabilitation protocol were collected. Rerupture, general and specific complications, clinical results (heel-rise test, single-leg hop, calf circumference, ankle dorsiflexion) and the functional outcomes (ATRS, VISA-A, EFAS, SF-12) were collected at the final review. RESULTS: Four hundred five patients were reviewed at a mean follow-up of 24 (±7) months. Surgical treatment was done in 372 patients (92%) and conservative treatment in 33 patients (8%), with these two sets of patients having comparable preoperative characteristics. There was a similar number of reruptures in the conservative group (3 cases, 9%) as in the surgical group (15 cases, 4%) (p=0.176). There were more general complications in the conservative group (24%) than in the surgical group (11%) (p=0.04). There was a 9% rate of surgery-related complications (infection, nerve damage, anesthesia after-effects). The ATRS (p=0.017), EFAS Total (p=0.013), EFAS daily living (p=0.008), and SF-12 physical (p=0.01) were better in the surgical group. Strict then relative immobilization provided the best balance between functional recovery (EFAS total of 33, p<0.01) and tendon lengthening (0°, p=0.01) without increasing the occurrence of rerupture (2%, p=0.18). Early weightbearing accompanied by immobilization and rehabilitation within 30 days did not lead to more reruptures than if it was started beyond 30 days (p=0.082 and p=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: This study found no differences in the number of reruptures between surgical treatment and conservative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. Surgical treatment led to better clinical results but had a variable effect on improving the functional scores. No matter which treatment is used, in the ideal case, 3 weeks of strict immobilization in equinus should be followed by progressive reduction over the next 3 weeks. Early weightbearing and mobilization within 30 days did not increase the risk of rerupture; it actually optimized the clinical and functional outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III; retrospective comparative, non-randomized.

Mortality and functional consequences after revision osteosynthesis for peritrochanteric fractures treated by intramedullary nail: A retrospective study of 312 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Osteosynthesis of peritrochanteric fractures by intramedullary nail is associated with a 3 to 15% rate of complications requiring revision surgery. The objective of our study was to compare mortality and autonomy between patients who required revision surgery after osteosynthesis, and patients without revision surgery. HYPOTHESES: Patients who underwent revision surgery after osteosynthesis of a peritrochanteric fracture by intramedullary nail did not exhibit excess mortality or loss of autonomy compared to those who did not undergo revision surgery. METHODS: Between January 2017 and October 2019, 312 consecutive patients were operated on for a peritrochanteric fracture by intramedullary nail. Among them, 23 patients (7.4%) required revision surgery (change, nail removal, total hip arthroplasty). Mortality at 90 days and at one year was evaluated and compared between the group of "revision" patients and "no revision" patients. The level of autonomy was assessed by the Parker and Palmer score, one year postoperatively and compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The patients requiring revision surgery were younger: 73 years old vs. 86 years old (p<0.011). The overall mortality was 7.25% at 90 days after surgery and 15% at one year. Mortality was zero at 90 days, and at 1 year, postoperatively for patients requiring revision surgery. There was no significant difference for the mortality at 90 days (p=0.39) between the 2 groups, however at 1 year, it was significantly less for the revision patients (0% vs. 17%, p=0.032). There was no significant difference for the Parker score between the "revision" group; 5 (4-9) and the "no revision" group; 4 (3-7), at one year postoperatively (p=0.24). CONCLUSION: This study did not show any excess mortality, nor loss of autonomy at 1 year postoperatively, for patients who required osteosynthesis for a trochanteric fracture, and who presented with a complication requiring revision surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, comparative retrospective study.