Safe placement of S1 and S2 iliosacral screws: the "vestibule" concept.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the optimal starting points for placement of S1 and S2 iliosacral screws as well as the pertinent anatomy surrounding the S1 and S2 vertebral bodies. DESIGN: Normal subject study evaluating helical CT scans of thirty normal posterior pelvic rings. SETTING: Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana, Level I trauma center. PARTICIPANTS: Consenting adults for limited pelvis CT. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The three-dimensional anatomy of the posterior pelvic ring pertinent to S1 and S2 iliosacral screw placement. Safety of simulated S1 iliosacral screw placement using different lateral ilium starting points. RESULTS: The transversely placed (horizontal) iliosacral screw was the least safe of the screws tested. The safest lateral ilium starting point for our entire population was at the posterior sacral body sagittally and at the inferior S1 foramen coronally. S2 iliosacral screws had less cross-sectional area for placement than S1 screws. Placement of the S2 screw slightly to the S1 foraminal side of the S2 vertebral body increased the safety of placement. CONCLUSION: The iliosacral screw starting point at the posterior sacral body and inferior S1 foramen was the safest when considering the entire population. Careful attention to the size and orientation of the S2 vertebral body should be taken if S2 iliosacral screws are placed.

Ilizarov bone transport treatment for tibial defects.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the results and complications of Ilizarov bone transport in the treatment of tibial bone defects. DESIGN: Retrospectively reviewed consecutive series. METHODS: Nineteen patients with tibial bone defects were treated by the Ilizarov bone transport method. The mean bone defect was ten centimeters, and there were eight soft-tissue defects. The mean external fixation time was sixteen months. Ten patients required debridement of the bone ends and/or bone grafting of the docking site at the end of transport. RESULTS: Union was achieved in all cases. One refracture of the docking site required retreatment with the Ilizarov apparatus to achieve union. There was one residual leg length discrepancy greater than 2.5 centimeters and two angular deformities greater than 5 degrees. There were no recurrent or residual infections. Seven of the eight soft-tissue defects were closed by soft-tissue transport; the eighth required a free-vascularized flap. The bone results were graded as fifteen excellent, three good, and one fair. The functional results were graded as twelve excellent, six good, and one poor. There were twenty-two minor complications, sixteen major complications without residual sequelae, and three major complications with residual sequelae. To treat the bone defect and the complications, a mean of 2.9 operations per patient was required. CONCLUSIONS: Our results compare favorably with those for other methods of bone grafting as well as with those from other published accounts of the Ilizarov method, especially considering the large defect size in this series. The main disadvantage of the Ilizarov method is the lengthy external fixation time.

Fractures of the ipsilateral femur after hip arthroplasty. A statistical analysis of outcome based on 487 patients.

A complete review of the literature revealed 487 patients in 26 published reports with ipsilateral femur fractures occurring about the femoral prosthetic stem. This review included general surveys, multicenter studies, and case reports. Based on these studies, the authors divided the fractures into six types: type 1, intertrochanteric; type 2, proximal femur; type 3, spanning the prosthesis tip; type 4, distal to the prosthesis tip; type 5, comminuted blowout; and type 6, supracondylar. Type 1-5 fractures were stratified into the following treatment groups: traction, casting and partial weight bearing, cerclage wiring, screw/plate fixation, long-stem revision with plus/minus supplementation fixation or bone-graft, and other less frequently reported techniques. A statistical analysis of each type of fracture in terms of the various treatments used and the clinical outcome was performed. The best results based on the literature would be cerclage wiring or long-stem revision for types 2, 3, and 5 fractures (P < .02). For type 4 fractures, traction and long-stem revisions were about equally successful (at 77 and 74%, respectively), and were both superior to screw/plate fixation or cerclage fixation (P < .01). Other factors, such as cemented versus cementless prostheses, stable versus unstable prostheses, overall medical condition of the patient, and other parameters, should be analyzed and considered when choosing a treatment course. Based on the authors' results, suggestions for the treatment of each fracture type are offered.

New concepts in high tibial osteotomy for medial compartment osteoarthritis.

Medial compartment osteoarthritis remains a clinical challenge for the orthopedic surgeon. Accurate preoperative planning is an integral part of management. MCOA with genu varum is not a single condition but a family of related deformities. One single technique may not be appropriate for all the permutations. An individualized approach is necessary to address the many facets of this complex disorder. Treatment must begin with recognition of all of these facets through careful history and physical examination and radiographic evaluation and through preoperative planning of the location of the deformity (femur, tibia, or knee joint), level of angulation, magnitude of the deformity, and plane of the angulation. One can then formulate a treatment plan to address the problems identified. Surgeons should not become rigid in their choice of method or device, but also consider its appropriateness to address the problems to be corrected. Because the patient seeks to prolong the life of the knee before joint replacement, a comprehensive approach achieving as accurate a correction as possible should be associated with the best possible outcome. In total knee replacement, the important emphasis has been on achieving correct bony alignment and soft-tissue balance. With osteotomy, the emphasis has been on bony alignment. However, soft-tissue balance should also be considered an important element in preserving the knee in osteotomy surgery.

A new neck preserving total hip arthroplasty for the young patient.

A retrospective review of a femoral neck preserving custom total hip replacement was performed on seven young patients with disabling hip arthrosis. This design was created to provide greater rotational control to off-axis load and to provide greater proximal medial support to counteract varus bending forces. Eight hip arthroplasties, with a minimum follow up of 24 months, were reviewed and all had good and excellent clinical Harris scores. Presented is a treatment alternative to the standard total hip replacement.

Avascular necrosis of the humeral head treated by core decompression. A retrospective review.

Thirty shoulders, in 20 patients, which had undergone core decompression for symptomatic avascular necrosis of the humeral head were reviewed 2 to 14 years later (average 5.6). Twenty-two showed good or excellent clinical results; the other eight shoulders had required arthroplasty. All 14 shoulders with stage I or II radiological changes (Ficat and Arlet 1980) at operation had good or excellent results. We advocate early core decompression for symptomatic avascular necrosis of the humeral head.

Surgical decompression for peroneal nerve palsy after total knee arthroplasty.

Five patients were treated by operative exploration and decompression of the peroneal nerve for peroneal nerve palsy complicating total knee arthroplasty (TKA). All patients had failed to demonstrate improvement in the peroneal nerve function despite extended conservative care. The procedure was performed five to 45 months after the index TKA. Patients were evaluated and graded preoperatively and postoperatively using the Modified Nerve Palsy Scale of Weber, Daube, and Coventry. All patients demonstrated improved nerve function. Four of five patients had full peroneal nerve recovery. All patients were able to discontinue their ankle-foot orthoses. This is a rare complication of TKA, and when conservative nonoperative measures do not lead to sufficient improvement in nerve function, consideration may be given to operative decompression of the peroneal nerve.

Total hip replacement without cement for non-inflammatory osteoarthrosis in patients who are less than forty-five years old.

Forty-two patients (forty-four hips) who, at an age of less than forty-five years, had a total hip replacement without cement for the treatment of non-inflammatory osteoarthrosis, were followed for three to seven years (average, four and one-half years). At the latest follow-up evaluation, thirty-seven hips (84 per cent) had an excellent Harris rating; three (7 per cent), good; one (2 per cent), fair; and three (7 per cent), poor. The mean Harris hip score was 92 points, compared with 43 points before the operation. Two hips (5 per cent) had a revision due to complications. In another hip, there was a progressive radiolucent line around the femoral component, increased shedding of beads, and a low score for fixation and stability, according to the criteria of Engh et al. We concluded that total hip arthroplasty without cement, at least for the time-period studied, has a high rate of success for the management of patients less than forty-five years old who have non-inflammatory osteoarthrosis of the hip.

Limited femoral endoprosthesis for avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

The options for treatment of the young patient with late-stage avascular necrosis of the femoral head are limited. The authors performed a conservative type of femoral hemiarthroplasty on a select group of patients. They chose for the series only patients with Ficat stage III and IV avascular necrosis, particularly those who had an intact acetabulum and femoral-head involvement only. Of 19 procedures followed for an average of 36 months, there were 84% good and excellent results. The authors feel that this operative procedure may have a role in the treatment of this specific group of young patients.

Hoop-stress fractures of the proximal femur during hip arthroplasty. Management and results in 19 cases.

Retrospective review of 730 consecutive primary uncemented and cemented total hip arthroplasties revealed 19 intra-operative hoop-stress fractures of the femoral neck. These were incomplete, linear, and minimally displaced. Management was by cerclage wiring (12), bone graft and cerclage (two), further impaction (two), and the use of cement (three), with no change from our standard postoperative management and rehabilitation. Eighteen patients had excellent or good results with an average Harris hip score of 93. Radiographically, all but one patient had Engh stability-fixation scores consistent with stable bone ingrowth. We conclude that hoop-stress fractures of the proximal femur, properly managed, do not detract from the results of total hip arthroplasty.

Comparative analysis of total knee arthroplasty in two health care delivery systems.

A prospective, concurrent comparison of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty in two different health care delivery systems was carried out. All patients had osteoarthritis, and received treatment between September 1983 and September 1987 under the supervision of a single staff physician. There were 26 total knee arthroplasties performed at the University Hospital (UH) and 22 performed at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The average patient age at the UH was 73 years (range, 58-87 years). The corresponding average age at the VAMC was 67 years (range, 56-78 years). Statistically significant differences between the two health care delivery systems were noted in preoperative length of hospital stay (P less than .001), postoperative length of hospital stay (P less than .001), total length of hospital stay (P less than .001), and postoperative knee range of motion at 1 and 2 years. Overall complications in the UH patient group (23% of knees) were lower than the VAMC (68% of the knees) (P = .05). Our university health care delivery system has both short- and long-term patient benefits as compared to the VAMC studied.

Simultaneous bilateral tibial tubercle avulsion fracture.

Bilateral simultaneous tibial tubercle avulsion fractures are extremely rare. The present case was a 16-year-old boy who sustained bilateral simultaneous tibial tubercle avulsion fractures (Watson-Jones Type III) from jumping while playing basketball. Both fractures were treated successfully by open reduction and internal fixation with screws. Three years later, the patient had the screws removed because of knee pain and tenderness over the screws.