Gerardo Zanotti

Squeaking in a Delta Ceramic-on-Ceramic Uncemented Total Hip Arthroplasty

Squeaking is one of the main concerns related to the use of ceramic-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasty. Although it has received much recent publicity, most of the previous reports on this complication have been related to the use of the second generation of alumina ceramics combined with a cup having an elevated metal rim to protect the ceramic liner from neck impingement. We report a patient with a third-generation Biolox Delta (CeramTec AG, Plochingen, Germany) ceramic-on-ceramic uncemented total hip arthroplasty without an elevated metal rim in the cup who presented with a squeaking hip at 23 months postoperative. Although this complication was mainly related to a specific design in the literature, this case demonstrates that newer generation of ceramics can also present squeaking.

Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty With Fourth-Generation Ceramic-on-Ceramic: Analysis of Complications in 939 Consecutive Cases Followed for 2-10 Years

BACKGROUND Delta ceramics may be the bearing of choice for younger and active patients due to its improved toughness and wear characteristics, provided there is no risk of fracture. However, ceramic fracture is the most serious complication related to this type of bearing. Although millions of Delta ceramics have been implanted worldwide, short to midterm results have been scarcely reported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to report the complication rate at short to midterm follow-up associated with the bearing surface used in a series of primary total hip arthroplasties with Delta ceramic-on-ceramic bearings performed in a single institution. METHODS A total of 939 cases (880 patients) undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty with fourth-generation Delta ceramic-on-ceramic bearings were retrospectively reviewed. They were followed for an average of 5.3 years (2-10 years). RESULTS One hip experienced a liner fracture, 2 cups presented early loosening due to friction between the acetabular screw and the backside of the liner, one femoral ball head had a fracture; one case of squeaking was reported, which is impending revision. Considering revision or impending revision in relationship with the bearing surface as the end point, the mean survival rate was 99.3% (confidence interval 95%, 98.3%-99.7%) at 2-10 years. CONCLUSION This study showed a low rate of ceramic fracture compared with others; however, it was much higher than the complication rate presented by the manufacturers. The complications observed were directly related to technical errors that surgeons should avoid when using this type of surface.

Hip arthroscopy in osteoarthritis: a systematic review of the literature.

Background Hip arthroscopy treatment in patients with osteoarthritis is controversial. Hypothesis/Purpose To systematically review the clinical outcome of patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA) treated with arthroscopy and what proportion of these patients subsequently underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA). Study design Systematic review. Methods PubMed, Cochrane library and LILACS were searched from January 1990 through December 2013 for eligible studies. The methodological quality of the collected data (applied to each study) was performed with a modified version of the Coleman methodology score (mCMS). Results 11 studies were included in this review. Most of the studies included reported clinical improvements. The overall conversion rate to THA ranged from 9.5% to 50%. Mean time between arthroscopy and THA was 13.5 months. Conclusions The quality of studies is low. We have found inconclusive evidence to make categorical indications for hip arthroscopy in the treatment of OA, although we have found that there is some postoperative clinical outcome improvement of pain and function in a short-term evaluation. Increasingly worse outcomes were seen as the severity of OA increased.

THA conversion rate comparing decompression alone, with autologous bone graft or stem cells in osteonecrosis

Introduction: Core decompression (CD) with or without the addition of autologous bone graft (CDBG) is currently the most widely accepted treatment for hip osteonecrosis in stages of pre-collapse. The use of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (CDSC) is emerging as a promising biological alternative. We sought to determine the total hip arthroplasty (THA) conversion rate for patients treated with CD, CDBG or CDSC. Material and methods: Between 1996 and 2012, 97 cases were evaluated in 72 patients: 47 CD cases, 34 CDGB cases and 16 CDSC cases. The mean age was 39 (20-63) years, 25 bilateral, 19 female and 53 male, 14 Ficat 1 and 83 Ficat 2. Bilateral cases with asymmetric stage and equal treatment were excluded. Results: Conversion rate to THA was 44% for the CD group (21/47) at an average of 77 (24-324) months; 50% for the CDBG group (17/34) at an average of 34 (24-240) months and 50% for the CDSC group (8/16) at an average of 48 (24-72) months (p = 0.619). Log Rank test for survivorship analysis was not significant (p = 0.2011). Immunodeficiency or corticosteroid treatment history was associated with 16/47 of the CD group, 7/34 in the CDBG group and 1/16 in the CDSC group. Trauma was associated with 2/47 of the CD group, 5/34 of the CDBG group and none of the CDSC group. Hazard ratio considering risk factors was not significant (p = 0.252). Conclusions: In these series of cases including patients with pre-collapse osteonecrosis, we observed non-significant results regarding rate of conversion to THA with CD, CDBG or CDSC at an average of 5.5 years.

Fracture of the C-Stem cemented femoral component in revision hip surgery using bone impaction grafting technique: report of 9 cases.

We present a series of 9 fractures of a C-Stem femoral component (6 long stems and 3 conventional stems) that had been implanted with the use of impaction bone grafting (IBG). The length of the long fractured stems was 240 mm in 4 cases and 200 mm in 2. The patients presented had an average BMI of 26.5 and an average of 2.7 previous hip surgeries (range 2-5 surgeries) before the stem fracture. A total of 5 cases presented with a metal mesh fracture in addition to the fractured stem. Bending of the stems or stem defects was not observed in any case. Typical fracture waves consistent with fatigue failure were clearly visible on all the cut surfaces, starting anterolaterally and propagating to the medial side. Although fatigue fracture of a modern cemented tapered polished femoral stem is a rare event, stress due to the absence of proximal femoral bone support could be sufficient to put this stem at a higher risk for fatigue fracture in non-obese patients.

Skin staples versus intradermal wound closure following primary hip arthroplasty: a prospective, randomised trial including 231 cases.

Intradermal wound closure is controversial in primary total hip arthroplasty. Randomised, controlled trials in wound closure following a total hip arthroplasty (THA) are scarce. Our hypothesis was that skin staples closure would be related to a similar complication rate and operative time as intradermal closure with polypropylene. From September 2011 to May 2012, 231 THAs in 219 patients with an average age of 62 years old (range: 21-91) were performed. No differences were observed in both groups according to sex, age, BMI and comorbidities (p = 0,82). Cases were divided into 3 groups according to medical factors that influence wound healing: group 1 (no medical history, 70.5%), group 2 (diabetes, tobacco smokers, obesity, corticosteroids, rheumatoid disease, 25%) and group 3 (organ transplantation, neoplastic patients or 2 or factors of group 2, 4.5%). Once randomised using a computer-generated method, all patients remained within the group to which they were allocated to wound closure with skin staples (Leukosan® SkinStapler PTW-35, BSN, Germany) that were used in 112 THAs in 105 patients (48%), or continuous 3.0 intradermal non-absorbable polypropylene suture (Prolene™ 0, Ethicon Inc. Somerville, New Jersey, USA) in 119 THAs in 115 patients (52%). A 3.8% wound complication rate was observed in this series, with a 2.1% complication rate for the group that was closed with skin staples and a 1.7% rate for the group with intradermal suture (p = 0.7). All the complications were treated conservatively except for one acute deep infection (0.4%) that was successfully treated with debridement, component retention and intravenous antibiotics. There were no differences in both groups related to operative time or wound length. In these series of primary elective THAs, skin staples were associated with a similar complication rate to an intradermal closure technique.

Paradoxical Cerebral Fat Embolism in Revision Hip Surgery

The incidence of clinical fat embolism syndrome (FES) is low (<1%) whilst fat embolism (FE) of marrow fat appears to occur more often (Mellor and Soni (2001)). Paradoxical brain FE may occur in patients undergoing hip orthopedic surgery who have an undocumented patent foramen ovale (PFO). We report a case of an eighty-year-old male patient, who underwent a scheduled revision hip surgery suffering a paradoxical cerebral FE.

Is a short stem suitable for patients with hip dysplasia? A report on technical problems encountered during femoral reconstruction:

Introduction: A wide variety of stems have been used for the treatment of osteoarthritis secondary to advanced hip dysplasia. Since evidence for using short stems in dysplastic hips is limited, we planned to analyse the technical problems encountered when reconstructing the proximal femur of patients with osteoarthritis secondary to congenital dysplasia of the hip treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a type 2B short stem. Methods: We prospectively analysed 17 patients (22 hips) treated with primary THA performed with a single-branded short uncemented stem with metaphyseal fixation (MiniHip™; Corin). We excluded cases in which other type of stems were used, or in which retrospective data was only available. Mean follow-up was 41.22 months (minimum 24). We analysed clinical outcome using the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and pain using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Radiographs were examined in order to determine causes of complications and revision surgery. Results: All patients showed statistically significant improvement when preoperative and postoperative values for mHHS (54.19 vs. 94.57; p = 0.0001) and for pain VAS (8.71 vs. 0.71; p = 0.0003) were compared. No cases of thigh pain, instability or infection were found. 1 case of acetabular cup loosening and 1 case of periprosthetic fracture were diagnosed at 8 months and 45 days, respectively. Overall survival was 84.7% at 5 years (CI 95%, 64.4-105.3) with revision for any reason as an end point. When stem performance was separately evaluated, it showed a survival rate of 100% at 5 years with revision for aseptic loosening as an end point. Conclusions: THA with a type 2B short stem for the treatment of dysplastic osteoarthritis showed very few technical intraoperative problems, being a useful alternative for femoral reconstruction.

Transfusion rate using intravenous tranexamic acid in hip revision surgery

INTRODUCTION Hip revision surgery is associated with a high probability of the necessity for a blood transfusion. Different studies support the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) to decrease the rate of transfusions in primary hip surgery. Nevertheless, the use of this drug in hip revision surgery has not yet been widely accepted. The aim of our study was to establish the rate of blood transfusion with and without TXA in hip revision surgery. METHODS We retrospectively studied 125 hip revision surgery patients operated on between 2011 and 2014. We divided our series into 2 groups: the TXA group with 61 patients (in which a 1000 mg dose of TXA was used before the skin incision and a second identical dose after skin closure) and a control group with 64 patients. We analysed the red blood cell (RBC) transfusion rates and their odds risk as well as the presence of collateral complications. RESULTS Average RBC transfusion was 2.7 units/patient (range 0-6) in the control group compared to 1.6 units/patient (range 0-6) in the TXA group. A 90.11% (odds ratio [OR] 0.098; confidence interval [CI] 0.02-0.04; p<0.0029) odds risk reduction for transfusion of at least 1 unit of erythrocyte blood cell was observed in the TXA group. Complications associated with the TXA were similar in both groups. INTERPRETATION The benefits of TXA have been shown in elective hip replacement. In this study, TXA proved to be safe and efficacious in reducing the need for transfusions following revision total hip arthroplasty.

Endoscopic Surgical Removal of Calcific Tendinitis of the Rectus Femoris: Surgical Technique

Calcific tendinitis of the rectus femoris (CTRF) is an under-recognized condition and, because of its self-limiting nature, is usually managed conservatively. Nevertheless, when nonsurgical therapy fails, further invasive alternatives are required. At this point, arthroscopic resection provides a minimally invasive and interesting alternative to open surgery. The aim of this work is to report the surgical technique of endoscopic surgical removal in patients with CTRF at the periarticular region of the hip joint. Endoscopic surgical removal of CTRF was performed without traction following anatomic landmarks for hip arthroscopy portal placement. We used the anterolateral portal and the proximal accessory portal to obtain access to the lesion. A shaver and radiofrequency device are useful tools to depict the calcific lesion while the whole resection is performed with a 5-mm round burr. Intraoperative fluoroscopy control during the entire procedure is essential. Endoscopic treatment of calcific tendinitis of the hip is a valuable technique in the treatment of patients who do not respond to conservative treatment.