Cementless Primary Stems in Revision Hip Arthroplasty: A Narrative Review.

Cementless primary stems in revision hip arthroplasties may be conservative options to preserve bone stock and provide adequate reconstruction of the hip biomechanics. However, there is still little evidence about indications, limitations, and outcomes. This narrative review showed that conventional standard stems were adopted in different revision settings, up to Paprosky IIIA grade bone defects. In cases of acceptable metaphyseal bone stock, when a scratch fit of at least 4 cm can be achieved, a conventional cementless stem may be an adequate solution. Mid-term clinical and radiographic outcomes and survival rates were similar to long revision stems, whereas complications, surgical time, and costs were lower among conventional stems. However, unsuitable contexts for conventional stems included canal diameters larger than 18 mm and failed revision stems with cortical weakening. Even short stems can be considered in revisions, in order to preserve bone stock and stay proximal to femoral remodeling zones and bone/cement plugs. Short stems were successfully adopted up to Paprosky IIIA bone defects, achieving mid-term survival rates not inferior to long revision stems. Ageing, osteoporosis, and intraoperative femoral fractures were the main negative prognostic factors. In very select cases, a downsizing technique (from longer to shorter stems) may be adopted to simplify the procedure and reduce complications.

Platelet-Rich Plasma Combined with Hyaluronic Acid versus Leucocyte and Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Conservative Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis. A Retrospective Study.

Background and objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KO) is one of the most common joint diseases, determining knee pain and reduction of mobility, with a negative effect on quality of life. Intra-articular injections of different formulations of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are an increasingly common non-surgical treatment for KO. Recently, in order to combine the anti-inflammatory effect of platelet rich plasma and the viscosupplementation effect of hyaluronic acid, a formulation of PRP combined with hyaluronic acid (PRP + HA) has been proposed. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively compare the effectiveness of plasma with high concentration of platelets and leukocytes (L-PRP) with PRP + HA in patients with mild to moderate (Kellgren-Lawrence scale II-III grade) KO. Materials and Methods: Among the 51 patients included, 28 have been treated with L-PRP, while 23 with PRP + HA. A retrospective evaluation at baseline (T0), after 3 months (T1) and 1 year (T2) has been performed. The outcome analyzed are the Knee Society Score (KSS), the Visuo Analogic Scale (VAS) (at T0, T1, and T2) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) (T0 and T2). We evaluated change in mean scores within and between groups among different time points using repeated measures ANCOVA. Results: Although the two treatments have been both effective in reducing VAS, the group treated with PRP + HA showed a significantly lower KSS. Conclusions: Our results show that the use of both treatments may help to reduce pain in patients with mild to moderate KO. PRP + HA showed better results in improving knee mobility and function. These results should be considered only preliminary: Further research is needed to completely describe the clinical effectiveness of these formulations.