Hari P. Bezwada

Arthrodesis of the Knee

The most common indication for arthrodesis of the knee is an infection at the site of a total knee arthroplasty. Deficiencies in bone stock and poor bone apposition adversely affect the success of a knee arthrodesis. Arthrodesis of the knee can provide a stable, painless extremity for high-functioning patients who are able to walk. Patient function after arthrodesis of the knee is superior to that after above-the-knee amputation. Conversion of a solid knee fusion to a total knee arthroplasty has a substantial complication rate.

Preoperative use of recombinant human erythropoietin before total joint arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Previous reports have suggested that the use of recombinant human erythropoietin is effective for decreasing the need for perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of erythropoietin in combination with, and compared with, preoperative autologous donation for reducing allogeneic blood requirements for total joint arthroplasty. METHODS Two hundred and forty patients undergoing primary and revision total hip or knee arthroplasty were enrolled into three groups with different treatment regimens: (1) erythropoietin and preoperative autologous donation (Group 1), (2) erythropoietin alone (Group 2), and (3) preoperative autologous donation alone (Group 3). Patients were evaluated with regard to requirements for allogeneic transfusion, change from the baseline to the lowest postoperative hemoglobin value, postoperative complications, and adverse reactions. RESULTS The rate of allogeneic transfusion was 11% in Group 1 (erythropoietin and preoperative autologous donation) compared with 28% in Group 2 (erythropoietin alone) and 33% in Group 3 (preoperative autologous donation alone). Within Group 1, patients who had a unilateral primary arthroplasty had an allogeneic transfusion rate of 4% and those who had a bilateral or revision arthroplasty had an allogeneic transfusion rate of 17%. In Groups 2 and 3, the allogeneic transfusion rates were 14% and 15%, respectively, for the patients who had a unilateral primary arthroplasty and 35% and 47%, respectively, for those who had a bilateral or revision arthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative use of erythropoietin in conjunction with preoperative autologous donation reduces the need for allogeneic blood transfusion associated with total joint arthroplasty more effectively than does either erythropoietin or preoperative autologous donation alone.

The incorporation of morselized bone grafts in cementless acetabular revisions.

The treatment of large osteolytic lesions is a challenge during acetabular revisions. Periprosthetic bone loss can compromise the stability of new implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 5- to 10-year clinical and radiographic results of morselized bone grafting for acetabular osteolysis during cementless acetabular revisions. Ninety-nine patients (108 hips) who had an acetabular revision hip arthroplasty for osteolysis were retrospectively reviewed. There were 44 men and 55 women who had a mean age of 66 years. At the index revision, the acetabular defects were debrided of granulomatous tissue and packed tightly with morselized cancellous femoral head allograft. All the revision acetabular components were implanted using cementless fixation. At a mean followup of 85 months (range, 60–118 months), the results of 103 of 108 hips (95%) were clinically and radiographically successful. The mean preoperative Harris hip score was 37 points, which improved to a mean of 91 points at the last followup. All cavitary defects had complete radiographic incorporation of the bone grafts except for two lesions. The results of this study indicate that morselized bone graft incorporates into cementless acetabular revisions. This treatment method provided a stable reconstruction in 98% of patients at a mean of 7 years followup.

Haemophilus influenza infection complicating a total knee arthroplasty.

Haemophilus influenza is rarely a cause of septic arthritis in adults. It has not been reported as a cause of infection in total knee arthroplasties. Haemophilus influenza septic arthritis is a late stage, hematogenous infection. A 43-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis was found to have Haemophilus influenza infection 3 years after the index total knee arthroplasty. The patient was treated with debridement and systemic antibiotics. At the 5-year followup, the patient was comfortable and free of clinical signs of infection. This approach was successful at eradicating infection and salvaging the total knee arthroplasty.

Simultaneous revision and contralateral primary total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND There is controversy regarding whether simultaneous or staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty should be performed in patients with bilateral gonarthrosis. In addition, revision total knee arthroplasties have been less successful than primary arthroplasties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of simultaneous revision and contralateral primary total knee arthroplasties performed during the same setting. METHODS The study cohort included 150 knees in seventy-five patients who had undergone revision arthroplasty because of aseptic failure of a total knee arthroplasty and a contralateral primary arthroplasty for severe gonarthrosis under the same anesthetic. The study group was compared with a control group of sixty patients who had severe arthritis in one knee and had undergone unilateral revision total knee arthroplasty on the contralateral side. The duration of follow-up averaged five years in the group treated with the simultaneous arthroplasties and eight years in the control group. Clinical and radiographic results were evaluated with the Knee Society rating system. RESULTS In the study group, the average knee score improved by 48 points on the side of the primary arthroplasty and by 37 points on the side of the revision. At the last follow-up visit, most (sixty-five) of the seventy-five patients stated that the knee with the revision felt better than the knee with the simultaneously performed primary arthroplasty. In the control group, the average knee score improved by 30 points on the side of the revision arthroplasty. However, forty-five of the sixty patients had a primary total knee arthroplasty on the contralateral side within two years after the index revision arthroplasty; by four years, all sixty patients had undergone a contralateral primary arthroplasty. CONCLUSIONS We found a favorable outcome in patients who had undergone simultaneous revision and contralateral primary total knee arthroplasties. Despite a lower mean knee score and less motion, most patients seemed to prefer the knee with the revision arthroplasty to the knee with the primary procedure. These results suggest that this combined procedure is a safe and favorable alternative to a staged procedure consisting of revision and subsequent contralateral primary total knee arthroplasty.