Bilateral staged total knee arthroplasty in obese patients.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and functional results and complications associated with staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed 4-11 days apart during a single hospitalization in patients who were obese and patients who were not obese. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 48 (96 knees) patients who were obese and divided into two groups based on their body mass indices (BMI). Morbidly obese patients (group A1, BMI > or = 40 kg/m2) consisted of 21 patients (42 knees), and obese patients (group A2, BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) consisted of 27 patients (54 knees). The control group (group B, BMI < 30 kg/m2) consisted of 20 non-obese patients (40 knees), who were undergoing staged bilateral procedure within the same time frame. All patients had cemented TKAs with use of posterior cruciate sparing prosthesis without patellar resurfacing. If medically stable after the first arthroplasty the patients then underwent the second arthroplasty 4-11 days later. The data on major complications and minor complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Although, there was no statistically significant difference in overall complication rates in any of the groups, the non-obese group had fewer wound complications than the other groups (P > 0.05). No significant differences in preoperative or postoperative Knee Society score, and functional score could be demonstrated between the three groups (P > 0.05). Both obese and nonobese patients showed improvements in pain and function from pre-surgery to a minimum 2 years follow-up. CONCLUSION: Results of bilateral staged TKAs in obese patients have low complication and high success rates and increased BMI has no negative effect on the early outcome. Bilateral staged TKA might be a good treatment alternative for the improvement of the patient's quality of life and functional and clinical outcomes.

[Development of osteonecrosis after arthroscopic meniscal and chondral knee surgery: a report of five cases]. / Artroskopik menisküs ve kikirdak cerrahisinden sonra osteonekroz gelisimi: bes olgu sunumu.

The development of osteonecrosis after arthroscopic surgery has been associated with meniscectomy, chondral surgery, and the use of thermal energy. This paper presents five cases, four of which fulfilled the temporal criteria for postarthroscopy necrosis, i.e. presurgical magnetic resonance imaging was obtained at least four weeks after the onset of symptoms). Four cases were treated conservatively while one underwent arthroscopic debridement and microfracturing. The diagnosis of osteonecrosis should be kept in mind in osteoarthritic patients whose knee symptoms manifest a sudden increase without trauma, and in cases with worsening knee symptoms after arthroscopic surgery. The optimal treatment strategy in these patients is still debatable.

[Early results of kyphoplasty in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures]. / Osteoporotik vertebra kompresyon kiriklarinda kifoplasti sonrasi erken dönem sonuçlar.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated early results of kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with regard to the level of pain, activity levels of patients, and radiographic restoration of the vertebra bodies. METHODS: Sixteen patients (4 males, 12 females; mean age 63 years; range 55 to 72 years) with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the lumbar spine were treated with kyphoplasty. The procedure was performed at 21 levels, with a minimum of 3 ml (range 3 to 6 ml) of cement per level. The mean time from the onset of symptoms to the application was six days (range 2 to 16 days). The effectiveness of the procedure was evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS: 0 no pain; 10 very severe pain) before kyphoplasty, and after the first day and one month of the procedure. In addition, restoration of the vertebra bodies was assessed on pre- and postoperative radiographs by measuring the anterior, middle, and posterior heights. The mean follow-up was 11 months (range 4 to 30 months). RESULTS: The mean VAS scores were 8.8 (range 7 to 10), 2.4 (range 1 to 5), and 1.6 (range 0 to 3) before kyphoplasty, and after the first day and one month of the procedure, respectively (p<0.0001). All the patients returned to preinjury levels of activity within the first month. No collapse or refracture occurred in the treated vertebrae. Changes in the anterior, middle, and posterior heights of the vertebra bodies after the procedure were not significant. The only complication was the development of an additional fracture in the nearby segment in two patients, for which kyphoplasty was performed. CONCLUSION: With proper patient selection, kyphoplasty is an effective and reliable option for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, yielding 80% to 95% success rates.

Treatment of pelvic aneurysmal bone cysts in two children: selective arterial embolization as an adjunct to curettage and bone grafting.

Treatment options of aneurysmal bone cysts include complete resection, curettage, curettage with bone grafting, selective arterial embolization (as a primary treatment or preoperative adjuvant therapy), and percutaneous injection of fibrosing agent. Treatment in pelvic locations is difficult because of the relative inaccessibility of the lesions, the proximity of the lesions to neurovascular structures, and the vulnerability of the acetabulum. Herein, we present 2 pediatric cases of pelvic aneurysmal bone cysts successfully treated with curettage with bone grafting following preoperative selective arterial embolization.

[Osteochondritis dissecans]. / Osteokondritis dissekans.

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a disease of unknown etiology, characterized by separation of necrotic bone from its bony bed. While the juvenile form seen in patients with open physes has a 60-90% rate of spontaneous resolution, the adult form has virtually no chance of spontaneous healing. Plain X-rays are sufficient for the diagnosis, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential for evaluation of disease progression and/or healing. The clinical correlation of MRI criteria defined in recent years to determine stability of the lesion is high. Juvenile OCD can be treated conservatively if there are no signs of instability on magnetic resonance images. Adult patients or unstable lesions in children should be treated surgically. For stable lesions, arthroscopic antegrade perforation is indicated to increase vascularity and stimulate healing. Unstable or displaced lesions should be treated with debridement, internal fixation, and cancellous bone grafting. Although cannulated metal screws are the most widely used implants for internal fixation, biodegradable implants have also been utilized in recent years. Loose fragments that are too deformed to be internally fixed should be removed and cartilage reconstruction techniques should be employed for the remaining crater. Long-term results of loose body removal alone are unsatisfactory. Modern cartilage restoration techniques are technically demanding due to the large, deep, and unconfined nature of the defect in the femoral condyle.

Glove punctures in major and minor orthopaedic surgery with double gloving.

We assessed the frequency of glove perforation during major and minor orthopaedic surgeries, in order to determine the efficacy of double gloving. A total number of 1528 gloves (622 inner and 906 outer) used in 200 procedures (100 major-100 minor), and 100 pairs of unused gloves were examined. Glove perforation rate, incidence among surgical team, location of perforation and duration of surgery were compared. The overall perforation rate was 15.8% (242/1528). Perforation rates for major versus minor surgical procedures were 21.6% and 3.6%, respectively. The perforation rate for the unused control group was 1% (2/200). Inner-outer gloves perforation rates were 3.7% (23/622) and 22.7% (206/906), respectively. Surgeons had a higher perforation rate compared with the other staff. The right thumb and left index finger had more punctures than other fingers. Routine use of double gloving during orthopaedic procedures is recommended, because this significantly reduces the perforation of inner gloves.

[A case of pigmented villonodular synovitis of the elbow joint with bone invasion]. / Dirsek ekleminde kemik invazyonlu pigmente villonodüler sinovit.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis is a benign proliferative disorder of the joint and of the tendon sheath synovium. It has a predilection for the lower extremities, particularly the knee and the hip. The elbow joint is rarely affected. A 56-year-old woman had complaints of pain and swelling in the left elbow for three years. She had no history of trauma. On physical examination, she had swelling of the left elbow, varus deformity, and flexion contracture of 20 degrees. Active and passive joint movements were painful. Magnetic resonance imaging showed synovial thickening and signal changes. An incisional biopsy yielded a diagnosis of pigmented villonodular synovitis. She underwent subtotal synovectomy and excision of the radius head. No evidence of clinical or radiologic recurrence was detected within a follow-up of 16 months.