Fuqiang Gao

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in osteonecrosis of femoral head: A systematic review of now available clinical evidences.

Background: Osteonecrosis is an incapacitating disorder with high morbidity. Though extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) provides a noninvasive treatment option, controversial subjects still exist about its effectiveness, indications, and mechanism of action. Methods: An electronic databases search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library to collect clinical trials, case reports, and cases series on this topic and then useful data were extracted and appraised by experienced clinicians. We evaluated the quality of included evidences by using the Oxford Centre for evidence-based medicine (EBM) Levels of Evidence. Results: A total of 17 articles including 2 case reports, 9 open label trials, 2 cohorts, and 6 randomized controlled trials were considered to be eligible for this systematic review. Visual analog scale (VAS), Harris hip scores, and the imaging results were the frequently-used outcome estimates of included studies. Conclusion: By systematically analyzing these evidences, we could conclude that ESWT could act as a safe and effective method to improve the motor function and relieve the pain of patients with osteonecrosis of femoral hip, especially those at early stage. Imaging revealed that bone marrow edema was significantly relieved, but the necrotic bone could not be reversed after ESWT. This technique could slow or even block the progression of ONFH and therefore reduce the demand for surgery. Collaboration with other conservative modalities would not improve the curative benefits of ESWT. Meanwhile, ONFH with various risk factors showed similar reaction to this noninvasive treatment method. However, these conclusions should be interpreted carefully for the low-quality of included publications and further studies are requisite to validate the effect of ESWT in ONFH.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is effective in treating chronic plantar fasciitis: A meta-analysis of RCTs.

Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common reason for heel pain. The efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) as an ideal alternative to conservative treatments and surgery is controversial, and almost all previous articles compared general ESWT with placebo without indicating the kind of shock wave. We undertook a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of general ESWT, focused shock wave (FSW), and radial shock wave (RSW) with placebo, to assess their effectiveness in chronic PF. Methods: The PubMed, Medline, EmBase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases were searched for studies comparing FSW or RSW therapy with placebo in chronic PF. Clinical outcomes included the odds ratios (ORs) of pain relief, pain reduction, and complications. Relevant data were analyzed using RevMan v5.3. Results: Nine studies involving 935 patients were included. ESWT had higher improvement rates than the placebo group (OR 2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.97–3.39, Pu200a<u200a.00001). ESWT had markedly lower standardized mean difference than placebo, with heterogeneity observed (standardized mean difference 1.01, 95% CI −0.01 to 2.03, Pu200a=u200a.05, I2u200a=u200a96%, Pu200a<u200a.00001). FSW and RSW therapies had greater therapeutic success in pain relief than the placebo group (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.49–3.16, Pu200a<u200a.0001; OR 4.63, 95% CI 1.30–16.46, Pu200a=u200a.02), but significant heterogeneity was observed in RSW therapy versus placebo (I2u200a=u200a81%, Pu200a=u200a.005). Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggested that FSW therapy can relieve pain in chronic PF as an ideal alternative option; meanwhile, no firm conclusions of general ESWT and RSW effectiveness can be drawn. Due to variations in the included studies, additional trials are needed to validate these conclusions.

The efficacy of periarticular drug infiltration for postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The ability of intraoperative periarticular drug infiltration (PDI) to control pain after total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been studied for many times, but it still remains controversial. Therefore, we undertook a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PDI on postoperative pain after THA. Methods: Databases, including Pubmed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library, were searched to identify randomized controlled trials concerning PDI for pain management in patients undergoing THA. The primary outcomes included pain score with rest or activity and opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay and complications (nausea or vomiting). Results: A total of 666 THA patients from 8 randomized controlled trials were subjected to meta-analysis. The results showed that the PDI group had better pain relief, less opioid consumption, and less length of hospital, when compared with the placebo group (Pu200a<u200a0.05). No significant differences were observed in regard to visual analog score with activity and complications between the 2 groups. Conclusion: PDI may be recommended for the pain management after THA. However, due to the variations in the included studies, additional studies are still needed to validate these conclusions.

Restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies for red blood cell transfusion after hip or knee surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are commonly used in surgical patients, but accompanied by many risks such as metabolic derangement, and allergic and febrile reactions. Indications for transfusion in patients after hip or knee surgery have not been definitively evaluated and remain controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the benefits and harms of restrictive versus liberal transfusion strategies in patients after hip or knee surgery. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant studies through September 2015. The main clinical outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included 30-day mortality, infection rate, cardiogenic complications, and length of hospital stay. The meta-analysis program of the Cochrane Collaboration (RevMan version 5.3.0) was used for data analysis. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed by both Cochran chi-squared test (Q test) and I2 test. Begg and Egger test were used to assess potential publication bias. Results: We identified 10 eligible RCTs, involving 3788 patients in total. In patients undergoing hip or knee surgery, we found no differences in mortality, or the incidence rates of pneumonia, wound infection, myocardial infarction, or congestive heart failure, between restrictive and liberal thresholds for RBC transfusion (Pu200a>u200a.05). Conclusion: Restrictive transfusion has no advantage over the liberal strategy. However, considerably less patients received blood transfusion via the restrictive strategy than with the liberal counterpart. Due to variations in the included studies, additional larger scale and well-designed studies are required to validate these conclusions.

Heterotopic ossification related to the use of recombinant human BMP-2 in osteonecrosis of femoral head

Abstract Despite the wide use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in bone defect, its application in treating osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH) is yet to be elucidated. The heterotopic ossification (HO) after rhBMP-2 usage in some orthopedic surgeries has been reported previously; however, only a few studies describe this complication in the treatment of ONFH. The present study investigated whether the rhBMP-2 application would increase the risk of HO formation in selected ONFH patients with nonvascularized bone grafting surgery and enhance the surgical results of nonvascularized bone grafting as compared to patients who did not receive intraoperative rhBMP-2. A retrospective analysis was performed on 94 patients (141 hips) who, with Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) stages IIb, IIc, and IIIa ONFH, underwent nonvascularized bone grafting surgery. The first 46 patients (66 hips) received intraoperative rhBMP-2. The postoperative radiographic results (X-ray and CT scan) and Harris hip score (HHS) were reviewed in each patient to record the incidence of HO formation and evaluate the clinical efficacy of rhBMP-2, respectively. HO formation frequently occurred in patients receiving intraoperative rhBMP-2 (8/66 hips) than those not receiving the protein (1/75 hips) (Pu200a=u200a.02). HHS improved from preoperatively at the final follow-up (Pu200a<u200a.01) in the BMP-positive group, with a survival rate of 83.3%. In the BMP-negative group, the HHS improved from preoperatively at the end of the follow-up (Pu200a<u200a.01), and the survival rate was 72.0%. rhBMP-2 has osteoinductive property and might serve as an adjuvant therapy in the surgical treatment of ONFH. However, the incidence of HO formation might increase when used in high doses.

Combined adductor canal block with periarticular infiltration versus periarticular infiltration for analgesia after total knee arthroplasty

Background:Both adductor canal block (ACB) and periarticular infiltration (PI) have been shown to reduce pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) without the motor blockade. However, the efficacy and safety of combined ACB with PI (ACBu200a+u200aPI) as compared to PI alone for analgesia after TKA remains controversial. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to compare the effects of ACBu200a+u200aPI with PI alone on pain controll after TKA. Methods:PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify studies comparing ACBu200a+u200aPI with PI alone for TKA patients. The primary outcomes included pain score with rest or activity and morphine consumption. Secondary outcomes were distance walked, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications. Relevant data were analyzed using RevMan v5.3. Results:Three studies involving 337 patients were included. Combined ACB with PI was associated with longer distances walked than PI alone (MDu200a=u200a7.27, 95% CI: 0.43–14.12, Pu200a=u200a0.04) on postoperative day 1. The outcomes of pain, morphine consumption, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications were not statistically different between the 2 groups (Pu200a>u200a0.05). Conclusion:Our meta-analysis suggests that combined ACB with PI may achieve earlier ambulation for patients after TKA without a reduction in analgesia when compared to PI alone in the early postoperative period. There were no significant differences in morphine consumption, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications between the 2 groups. However, owing to the variation of included studies, no firm conclusions can be drawn.

The use of anticoagulants for prevention and treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head: A systematic review

Background: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a progressive disease, which mainly affects young adults and often necessitates total hip arthroplasty (THA), so early interventions are critical to successfully protect hip joint from THA. In this review, our purpose was to determine the effects of anticoagulants for preventing and treating the primary and secondary ONFH, respectively, before the collapse stage or before the pathology of necrosis. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science databases for relevant studies. Any observational or experimental studies that evaluated anticoagulants and ONFH were our goal of searching the electric databases. Results: Four studies including a total of 218 hips were identified in this review, 2 of them were prospective studies which performed by 1 group, 1 was a retrospective study, and the last was a prospective comparative study. Conclusions: Our findings supported that the anticoagulants could be used for primary ONFH. However, anticoagulants cannot play a protective role on secondary ONFH. Moreover, there were no serious adverse effects reported in the studies after anticoagulants treatment. Nevertheless, our present study with some limitations such as the limited sample size only provided limited quality of evidence; confirmation from further systematic review or meta-analysis with large-scale, well-designed randomized control trials is required.