Reliability of two different measuring techniques with computer tomography for penetration and distribution of cement in the proximal tibia after total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the reliability of two different techniques for measuring penetration and distribution of the cement mantle in the proximal tibia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with Computer Tomography (CT) in vivo. METHODS: Standardized CT scans of the proximal tibia were taken 1 to 2 years after total knee arthroplasties implanted with a surface cementing technique. These prospectively acquired transversal CT images of the surface of the proximal tibia were divided into four quadrants and were assessed once manually and once with a numerical computing program (MATLAB® Update 2, The MathWorks, Inc.) based on Hounsfield Units by one of the researchers. The assessments were repeated by the same and a second researcher. The ratio cement/trabecular bone was calculated 1, 3 and 5 mm distal of the tibia tray per quadrant. Kruskall-Wallis tests with multiple pairwise comparisons (Dunn's test) were used to determine differences between the quadrants. Intra- and inter-rater reliability as well as the inter method reliability were assessed with the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) per level of depth and with Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: A total of 92 CT scans were included. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of the manual method ranged from 0.22 and 0.52. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of the matlab method varied between 0.98 to 0.99. The median percentage cement measured with the matlab method 1 mm underneath the tibial tray varied between 82 and 88%; at 3 mm depth between 38 and 54% and at 5 mm between 15 and 25%. There was significantly (p < 0.05) less cement in the antero-medial quadrant compared to the antero-lateral and postero-lateral quadrant at 3 mm and 5 mm depth. CONCLUSIONS: Distribution and penetration of cement in the proximal tibia in a total knee arthroplasty can be measured reliably with CT in combination with the matlab method presented in this manuscript. This method can be used for clinical purposes as well as for scientific research. TRIAL REGISTRATION: METC-nr: 06-104 Dossier NL14807.098.06/versie 06.

The effectiveness of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid for knee osteoarthritis in patients in the working age: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: High molecular weight (HMW) hyaluronic acid (HA) is a treatment option for knee osteoarthritis (OA). The efficacy of HMW-HA in knee OA is investigated extensively, but the effectiveness in patients in the working age is unknown. Nevertheless, the number knee OA patients in the working age is increasing. Surgical treatment options are less eligible in these patients and productivity losses are high. In this study the effectiveness of intra-articular HMW-HA added to regular non-surgical usual care in everyday clinical practice (UC) compared to UC over 52 weeks in symptomatic knee OA patients in the working age was investigated. METHODS: In this open labelled randomized controlled trial, subjects aged between 18 and 65 years with symptomatic knee OA (Kellgren and Lawrence I-III) were enrolled and randomized to UC + 3 weekly injections with HMW-HA (intervention) or UC only (control). The primary outcome was the between group difference in responders to therapy according to OMERACT-OARSI criteria after 52 weeks. These criteria include the domains pain, knee related function and patient's global assessment (PGA). Function was evaluated with the KOOS questionnaire. Pain was assessed with the Numeric Rating Scale. Secondary outcome comprised the between group difference on the individual responder domains, as analysed with a random effects model. Odds Ratios (OR) were calculated by logistic regression analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: In total, 156 subjects were included (intervention group 77, control group 79). Subjects in the intervention group (HMW-HA + UC) were more often responder compared to the controls (UC). Depending on whether pain during rest or pain during activity was included in the responder domains, 57.1% versus 34.2% (p = 0.006) and 54.5% versus 34.2% (p = 0.015) was responder to therapy respectively. The results of the secondary outcome analyses show that scores on individual responder domains over all follow-up moments were statistically significant in favour of the intervention group in the domains pain during rest (δ 0.8, 95%CI 0.2; 1.4, p = 0.010), knee related function (δ - 6.8, 95%CI -11.9; - 1.7, p = 0.010) and PGA (δ - 0.7, 95%CI -0.9; - 0.4, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Intra-articular HMW-HA added to usual care is effective for knee OA in patients in the working age. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.trialregister.nl , NTR1651, registered 2009-3-3.

Comparison of Mini-Midvastus and Conventional Total Knee Arthroplasty with Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial with 5-Year Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this prospective randomized study was to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the mini-midvastus (MMV) approach with the conventional approach for total knee arthroplasty at the 5-year follow-up. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients (100 knees) with osteoarthritis were assigned to the MMV group or to a group receiving conventional total knee arthroplasty. Intraoperative and postoperative clinical data were collected. At 6 weeks and at 1, 2, and 5 years postoperatively, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the Oxford Knee Score (OKS), the Knee Society Score (KSS), and the Short Form (SF)-12 were completed. Radiographs of the knee were made preoperatively and at 1 day and 1 and 5 years postoperatively. Computed tomography (CT) scans were performed 2 years postoperatively. RESULTS: In the MMV group, the mean skin incision was 2.5 cm shorter (p < 0.001) and the mean duration of the operation was 6 minutes longer than in the conventional total knee arthroplasty group (p < 0.05). Eight patients in the conventional group had a lateral parapatellar retinacular release compared with 1 in the MMV group; the difference was significant (p = 0.01). Three intraoperative complications, including 2 small lateral femoral condylar fractures and 1 partial patellar tendon laceration, occurred in the MMV group. Seven patients in the MMV group had postoperative blisters; all of them had a relatively large femoral component and 4 of them were large men. The radiographs and CT scans of the prostheses showed no significant differences between the MMV and conventional groups except for the posterior slope of the tibial component. In addition, no significance differences were detected between the groups with respect to the KOOS, OKS, KSS, and SF-12 scores determined at the 6-week and the 1, 2, and 5-year follow-up evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: In the rehabilitation period and at the short and mid-term follow-up, no relevant clinical and radiographic differences were found between the MMV and the conventional approach for total knee arthroplasty, making the advantage of MMV total knee arthroplasty cosmetic. We discourage the use of the MMV approach in large male patients because of the increased number of intraoperative complications and skin blisters postoperatively. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

First quantification of calcium intake from calcium-dense dairy products in Dutch fracture patients (the Delft cohort study).

Recommendations for daily calcium intake from dairy products are variable and based on local consensus. To investigate whether patients with a recent fracture complied with these recommendations, we quantified the daily dairy calcium intake including milk, milk drinks, pudding, yoghurt, and cheese in a Dutch cohort of fracture patients and compared outcomes with recent data of a healthy U.S. cohort (80% Caucasians). An observational study analyzed dairy calcium intakes of 1526 female and 372 male Dutch fracture patients older than 50. On average, participants reported three dairy servings per day, independently of age, gender or population density. Median calcium intake from dairy was 790 mg/day in females and males. Based on dairy products alone, 11.3% of women and 14.2% of men complied with Dutch recommendations for calcium intake (adults ≤ 70 years: 1100 mg/day and >70 years: 1200 mg/day). After including 450 mg calcium from basic nutrition, compliance raised to 60.5% and 59.1%, respectively, compared to 53.2% in the U.S. cohort. Daily dairy calcium intake is not associated with femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) T-scores or WHO Fracture Assessment Tool (FRAX) risk scores for major fracture or hip fracture. However, when sub analyzing the male cohort, these associations were weakly negative. The prevalence of maternal hip fracture was a factor for current fracture risks, both in women and men. While daily dairy calcium intake of Dutch fracture patients was well below the recommended dietary intake, it was comparable to intakes in a healthy U.S. cohort. This questions recommendations for adding more additional dairy products to preserve adult skeletal health, particularly when sufficient additional calcium is derived from adequate non-dairy nutrition.

Technical aspects of the syndesmotic screw and their effect on functional outcome following acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury.

INTRODUCTION: Much of the currently available data on the technical aspects of syndesmotic screw placement are based upon biomechanical studies, using cadaveric legs with different testing protocols, and on surgeon preference. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the level of syndesmotic screw insertion on functional outcome. Further, the effects of number of cortices engaged, the diameter of the screw, use of a second syndesmotic screw and the timing of removal on functional outcome were tested. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All consecutive patients treated for an ankle fracture with concomitant acute distal tibiofibular syndesmotic injury that had a metallic syndesmotic screw placed, between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2010, were included. Patient characteristics (i.e., age at injury and gender), fracture characteristics (i.e., affected side, trauma mechanism, Weber fracture type and number of fractured malleoli), and surgical characteristics (i.e., level of screw placement, screw diameter, tri- or quadricortical placement, number of syndesmotic screws used and the timing of screw removal) were recorded. Outcome was measured using validated questionnaires, which were sent by post, and consisted of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot score (AOFAS), the Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS) and a single question Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for patient satisfaction with outcome. RESULTS: During the 7-year study period, 122 patients were treated for syndesmotic injury. A total of 93 patients (76%) returned the questionnaire. The median follow-up was 51 months. The outcome scoring systems showed an overall score for the entire group of 92 points for the AOFAS, 77 for the OMAS and 8.2 for the VAS. Outcome was statistically significantly influenced by the number of fractured malleoli, age, trauma mechanism and the level of screw insertion. CONCLUSION: Overall, the functional outcome of acute syndesmotic injuries treated with a syndesmotic screw was good and mainly influenced by patient and fracture characteristics. Most different technical aspects of placement appeared not to influence these results. Only screw placement above 41 mm negatively influenced outcome.

Delirium risk screening and haloperidol prophylaxis program in hip fracture patients is a helpful tool in identifying high-risk patients, but does not reduce the incidence of delirium.

BACKGROUND: Delirium in patients with hip fractures lead to higher morbidity and mortality. Prevention in high-risk patients by prescribing low dose haloperidol is currently under investigation. METHODS: This prospective cohort surveillance assessed hip fracture patients for risk of developing a delirium with the Risk Model for Delirium (RD) score. High-risk patients (score ≥ 5 points) were treated with a prophylactic low-dose of haloperidol according to hospital protocol. Primary outcome was delirium incidence. Secondary outcomes were differences between high- and low-risk patients in delirium, length of stay (LOS), return to pre-fracture living situation and mortality. Logistic regression analysis was performed with age, ASA-classification, known dementia, having a partner, type of fracture, institutional residence and psychotropic drug use as possible confounders. RESULTS: 445 hip fracture patients aged 65 years and older were admitted from January 2008 to December 2009. The RD-score was completed in 378 patients, 173 (45.8%) high-risk patients were treated with prophylactic medication. Sensitivity was 71.6%, specificity 63.8% and the negative predictive value (NPV) of a score < 5 was 85.9%.Delirium incidence (27.0%) was not significantly different compared to 2007 (27.8%) 2006 (23.9%) and 2005 (29.0%) prior to implementation of the RD- protocol.Logistic regression analysis showed that high-risk patients did have a significant higher delirium incidence (42.2% vs. 14.1%, OR 4.1, CI 2.43-7.02). They were more likely to be residing at an alternative living situation after 3 months (62.3% vs. 17.0%, OR 6.57, CI 3.23-13.37) and less likely to be discharged from hospital before 10 days (34.9% vs. 55.9%, OR 1.63, CI 1.03-2.59). Significant independent risk factors for a delirium were a RD-score ≥ 5 (OR 4.13, CI 2.43-7.02), male gender (OR 1.93, CI 0.99-1.07) and age (OR 1.03, CI 0.99-1.07). CONCLUSIONS: Introducing the delirium prevention protocol did not reduce delirium incidence.The RD-score did identify patients with a high risk to develop a delirium. This high-risk group had a longer LOS and returned to pre-fracture living situation less often.The NPV of a score < 5 was high, as it should be for a screening instrument. Concluding, the RD-score is a useful tool to identify patients with poorer outcome.