Proximal femoral allograft treatment of Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic femoral fractures after total hip arthroplasty. Surgical technique.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic femoral fractures following total hip arthroplasty are becoming more prevalent. When a fracture occurs in a femur with substantial proximal bone deficiency, the surgical options for revision are limited. One option includes the use of a proximal femoral allograft. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed the results and complications of the use of a proximal femoral allograft to treat twenty-five Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic fractures in twenty-four patients. The mean duration of follow-up was 5.1 years. Clinical results were graded with use of the Harris hip score. Radiographs were assessed for evidence of trochanteric union, host-allograft union, allograft resorption, and component loosening or fracture. Failure of the procedure was defined as the need for revision surgery requiring graft removal. RESULTS: The mean postoperative Harris hip score was 70.8. At the time of the final follow-up, twenty-one of the twenty-four patients reported no or mild pain and twenty-three patients were able to walk; fifteen required a walking aid. The greater trochanter united in seventeen of the twenty-five hips (68%), and osseous union of the allograft to the host femur occurred in twenty hips (80%). There was mild graft resorption in four hips and moderate graft resorption in two. Four (16%) of the twenty-five hips required repeat revision. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a proximal femoral allograft for the treatment of a Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic femoral fracture can provide a satisfactory result in terms of pain relief and function at five years.

Proximal femoral allograft treatment of Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic femoral fractures after total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic femoral fractures following total hip arthroplasty are becoming more prevalent. When a fracture occurs in a femur with substantial proximal bone deficiency, the surgical options for revision are limited. One option includes the use of a proximal femoral allograft. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed the results and complications of the use of a proximal femoral allograft to treat twenty-five Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic fractures in twenty-four patients. The mean duration of follow-up was 5.1 years. Clinical results were graded with use of the Harris hip score. Radiographs were assessed for evidence of trochanteric union, host-allograft union, allograft resorption, and component loosening or fracture. Failure of the procedure was defined as the need for revision surgery requiring graft removal. RESULTS: The mean postoperative Harris hip score was 70.8. At the time of the final follow-up, twenty-one of the twenty-four patients reported no or mild pain and twenty-three patients were able to walk; fifteen required a walking aid. The greater trochanter united in seventeen of the twenty-five hips, and osseous union of the allograft to the host femur occurred in twenty hips. There was mild graft resorption in four hips and moderate graft resorption in two. Four (16%) of the twenty-five hips required repeat revision. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a proximal femoral allograft for the treatment of a Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic femoral fracture can provide a satisfactory result in terms of pain relief and function at five years.

A large-scale statistical analysis of barefoot impressions.

In an earlier paper, outlines of footprints of persons walking normally were studied to determine whether different people make verifiably distinct footprints. Our basic null hypothesis is: given a footprint outline trace made by Subject A (Alice), then Subject B (Bob), a distinct person, cannot produce a footprint outline trace indistinguishable from that of Alice. We showed in the previous work that the probability of a chance match is less than 10(-8). In this paper we report two new advances in our research. First, we establish a rigorous mathematical framework for calculating worstcase and average chance-match probabilities. Second, we repeat the previous experiment to substantiate the earlier results, but with an expanded population sample size and a more representative and significantly bigger repeated sample. These improvements and a new automated tracing procedure for extracting all numerical measures lead to a sharpened accuracy with average chance match probabilities of 7.88 x 10-(10) for a general population. In other words, the odds of a chance match are one in 1.27 billion.

Modified sliding trochanteric osteotomy in revision total hip arthroplasty.

Traditional trochanteric sliding osteotomy preserves the lateral aspect of the greater trochanter, the abductors, and vastus lateralis in continuity. Our modification uses a lateral approach to the hip and osteotomy immediately anterior to the insertion of the posterior capsule and external rotators onto the greater trochanter. The osteotomy and attached abductors and vastus lateralis are translated anteriorly, leaving the posterior capsule and external rotators attached to the proximal femur. This surgical approach preserves the posterior soft-tissue stabilizing structures that resist posterior dislocation of the hip. In a retrospective review of 2 consecutive 2-year series of acetabular component revisions only between 1997 and 2001, 4 of 27 acetabular revisions using a traditional trochanteric slide subsequently dislocated; only 1 of 30 subsequent cases using a modified sliding trochanteric osteotomy dislocated. Modified sliding trochanteric osteotomy facilitated surgical exposure and produced a trend toward a lower dislocation rate that did not reach statistical significance with the small numbers of patients available.

Management of periprosthetic femoral fractures after total knee arthroplasty using a distal femoral allograft.

This study is a review and discussion of 12 consecutive patients who were revised with a distal femoral allograft for periprosthetic supracondylar fractures of the femur associated with poor bone quality by the same surgeon between 1990 and 2001. Two were lost to follow-up. The average age was 65 years, and the mean follow up was 6 years. Charts were reviewed to identify complications and graft survivorship. Functional assessment consisted of the modified Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and the MOS 36-ITEM Short Form Health Survey. Radiographs were evaluated by 3 independent observers to determine graft union, resorption, and component loosening. The average postoperative HSS score and SF-36 were 75 and 88, respectively. Mean flexion was 100 degrees. Nine patients achieved union and were able to fully bear weight. Three patients required more surgery as a result of postoperative complications. Radiographs showed no migration, no loosening, and good interface union in 9 of the 10 patients available for follow-up. We concluded that this is a viable salvage procedure for this type of injury.

Acetabular metastases: planning for reconstruction and review of results.

The treatment of acetabular bone metastases presents numerous clinical challenges including the necessity for careful patient selection for surgery, determination of the extent of bone destruction, and providing the patient with stable surgical reconstruction of the pelvis. There are relatively few patient series reported in the literature to inform treatment planning, surgical reconstruction techniques, and patient outcomes. We describe a rationale for assessment of patients with acetabular metastases and options for reconstruction. The three general principles for surgical treatment of metastatic bone disease (tumor removal, filling of the resultant bone defect, and bypass of the defect) are defined for acetabular metastases. The results of surgical treatment are described with reference to recent articles in the literature. The reconstruction of acetabular metastatic disease is a major surgical procedure with a significant risk of complications. The surgeon must be certain that the patient's longevity and potential improvement in quality of life justify the risk of the operation.

Long-term follow-up of fresh tibial osteochondral allografts for failed tibial plateau fractures.

BACKGROUND: The management of large posttraumatic full-thickness osteochondral defects in the proximal part of the tibia remains a challenge. The goal of treatment is a pain-free range of motion of the knee that provides enduring function and enables a young patient to participate in a wide range of activities. The use of fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation for tibial plateau lesions has been well documented. The purpose of the present study was to assess the survivorship and the long-term functional outcome following fresh osteochondral transplantation for unipolar posttraumatic tibial plateau defects in young, high-demand patients. METHODS: A cohort study was carried out to assess outcome in patients who had undergone fresh tibial osteochondral grafting for the treatment of a posttraumatic defect that measured at least 3 cm in diameter and 1 cm in depth. Sixty-five (97%) of sixty-seven patients were identified and were evaluated clinically and radiographically. A modified Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score was calculated for each patient. Radiographic examination was directed toward the identification of graft union, resorption, or collapse. Degeneration of the joint and alignment of the limb (on standing radiographs) was assessed. The end points that defined survivorship were an HSS score of <70 points, a patient's decision to undergo knee arthroplasty, or revision of the graft for any reason. RESULTS: At a mean of twelve years, forty-four patients had an intact graft and twenty-one had had conversion to a total knee arthroplasty. The mean modified HSS Score for the patients with an intact graft was 85 points. Radiographs, reviewed for thirty-five of the forty-four patients with an intact graft, revealed union of the graft to host bone in all cases and an 8.6% prevalence of graft collapse in excess of 3 mm. Forty percent of these thirty-five patients demonstrated moderate to severe degenerative changes. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis showed that the survival rate was 95% at five years, 80% at ten years, 65% at fifteen years, and 46% at twenty years. A trend toward increased survivorship (p = 0.08) was seen among patients who had undergone meniscal transplantation in conjunction with osteochondral grafting. CONCLUSIONS: Fresh osteochondral allografts for large traumatic defects of the tibial plateau have provided a long-lasting and reliable reconstructive solution for a high-demand population. Meniscal allografts should be used when clinically warranted. In the present study, all grafts were protected with a coincident realignment osteotomy when preoperative radiographs suggested that the allograft would be placed under increased load. Conversion to knee arthroplasty was required for approximately one-third of the patients at an average of ten years.

A review of ski injuries resulting in combined injury to the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligaments.

Alpine skiing is a global winter recreational sport with 15 million participants in the United States alone, and an overall injury rate of 2.5 per 1,000 ski person-days. Isolated injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is common among ski injuries; however, combined injury to these structures is rare. Controversy in the management of ACL instability following alpine ski injury is diminishing with improvements in the techniques of intra-articular cruciate reconstruction. However, the management of the combined ACL-MCL injury remains something of an enigma. Evidence exists to support both surgical and nonsurgical management strategies for the medial structures, but little consensus exists for the timing of the repair. This paper highlights the mechanisms of ski injuries that can result in combined injury to the ACL and MCL. The anatomy and biomechanics of the medial complex as it relates both to stability and operative repair are reviewed, and literature on the techniques and indications used for MCL repair in the setting of a combined injury is presented. On the basis of this review, we believe that an injury to the MCL does not need to be repaired if the ACL is reconstructed after a combined injury.

Statistical analysis of barefoot impressions.

Comparison of the shapes of barefoot impressions from an individual with footprints or shoes linked to a crime may be useful as a means of including or excluding that individual as possibly being at the scene of a crime. The question of the distinguishability of a person's barefoot print arises frequently. This study indicates that measurements taken from the outlines of inked footprint impressions show a great degree of variability between donors and a great degree of similarity for multiple impressions taken from the same donor. The normality of the set of measurements on footprint outlines that we have selected for this study is confirmed. A statistical justification for the use of the product rule on individual statistical precisions is developed.