ABSTRACT
Pain secondary to loosening of a total hip prosthesis is a common complaint and a major complication after surgery. Periprosthetic lucency is a well-recognized result of loosening of the prosthesis and of infection. We describe histiocytic proliferation as an additional cause of periprosthetic lucency and lytic change in two patients. To our knowledge, this has not been previously reported in the radiological literature.
Subject(s)
Foreign-Body Reaction/diagnostic imaging , Hip Joint/diagnostic imaging , Hip Prosthesis/adverse effects , Histiocytes/pathology , Acetabulum/diagnostic imaging , Acetabulum/pathology , Aged , Female , Femur Neck/diagnostic imaging , Femur Neck/pathology , Foreign-Body Reaction/etiology , Foreign-Body Reaction/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , RadiographyABSTRACT
Quantitative microchemical study of the tissues comprising fracture callus has been undertaken to correlate the biochemical activity of the bone repair process with its previously established morphological features. Areas of proliferating fibrous tissue, hypertrophic cartilage, new bone and undifferentiated granulation tissue were analyzed for their content of carbohydrate metabolizing and phosphatase enzymes. Fracture callus cartilage is biochemically similar to epiphyseal cartilage. Carbohydrate metabolism provides structural intermediates and energy for bone repair. Inorganic pyrophosphatase removes the inorganic pyrophosphate which accumulates from structural synthesis and prevents its inhibition of new bone calcification. The individual parts of the callus have identical biochemical function regardless of the age or healing time of the fracture callus.
