Jo-Ann Lee

The Role of Labral Lesions to Development of Early Degenerative Hip Disease

The current authors examined the hypothesis that labral lesions contribute to early degenerative hip disease. Between 1993 and 1999, 436 consecutive hip arthroscopies were done by the senior author. In addition, 54 acetabula were harvested from human adult cadavers. Two hundred forty-one of the 436 (55.3%) patients who had arthroscopies had a 261 labral tears, all located at the articular, not capsular margin of the labrum. Stereomicroscopic examination of the 54 acetabula from cadavers revealed 52 labral lesions. Overall, there was no significant difference between the arthroscopic and cadaveric populations in terms of the incidence of labral tears. (Overall, 73% of patients with fraying or a tear of the labrum had chondral change. Arthroscopic and anatomic observations support the concept that labral disruption and degenerative joint disease are frequently part of a continuum of joint disease.

Acetabular dysplasia: A paradigm of arthroscopic examination of chondral injuries

The current authors show the value of arthroscopy in diagnosing labral and acetabular cartilage injury and examining the relationship between those injuries and acetabular dysplasia. Between 1989 and 2000, 170 hips in 163 patients with mild acetabular dysplasia or moderate dysplasia with joint preservation had arthroscopic evaluation. Surgical findings were classified by location and by severity of the chondral lesions of the femoral head, acetabulum, and labrum. Of the 170 hips with dysplasia, 122 had labral tears (72%) at the free-margin articular surface and 113 had anterior tears (66%). One hundred hips (59%) had anterior acetabular chondral lesions. Among the 113 patients who had anterior labral tears, 78 hips (69%) had anterior acetabular chondral defects, and 44 hips (39%) had anterior femoral head chondral lesions. Mild uncovering of the anterior femoral head subjects the labrum to increased load and potential susceptibility to tearing most frequently anteriorly. Labral tears may contribute to or can occur in association with articular cartilage lesions of the contiguous femoral head or acetabulum. The mechanism of injury is most likely hyperextension or torque of the hip or both. The findings in the current study support the concept that labral disruption frequently is a predecessor in the continuum of degenerative joint disease.

Hip arthroscopy: indications, outcomes, and complications.

Hip arthroscopy is technically demanding, with a steep learning curve, and requires special distraction tools and operating equipment. Access to the hip joint is difficult because of the resistance to distraction resulting from the large muscular envelope, the strength of the iliofemoral ligament, and the negative intra-articular pressure. This operation should not be done without specific education in its methods.

The Outcome of Trochanteric Reattachment in Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty With a Cable Grip System Mean 6-Year Follow-up

We have reviewed 251 hips that were revised by the senior authors with subsequent reattachment using the Dall-Miles Cable Grip System. Of these patients, 223 were available for follow-up. A trochanteric slide osteotomy was used for most cases (n = 170), and the remainder had conventional trochanteric osteotomy to facilitate surgical exposure. Follow-up period was 1 to 8 years. Forty-eight percent (n = 108) of the hips had a previous trochanteric osteotomy. Thirteen percent (n = 30) had a prior trochanteric nonunion. Of the 223 hips, 91% (n = 204) of the trochanters remained attached to the trochanteric bed when reapproximated by the cable grip system. The 2 multifilament cables were passed medially through drill holes in the lesser trochanter in 67% (n = 149) of cases. Of the hips, 16% (n = 35) had 2 cables passed through bone lateral to the prosthesis, and 17% (n = 39) had cables passed 1 medial and 1 lateral to the prosthesis. Cable breakage was noted in 10% (n = 23) of cases. Of those 23, 70% (n = 16) were stainless steel. Unraveling of the cable occurred in 18% (n = 41) of cases. There were 19 nonunions (9%). Of the 19 nonunions, 74% (n = 14) were stainless steel. The trochanter was reattached to bone in 9 hips, to cement in 4 hips, and to a proximal femoral allograft in 6 hips (P = .0001). Eight of the 19 hips (42%) had the cables placed lateral to the prosthesis (P = .0002). When bone-to-bone apposition was achieved at surgery, the nonunion rate was 4%. In this difficult group of revision procedures, the Dall-Miles Cable Grip has provided reliable trochanteric fixation. Factors associated with successful trochanteric healing include use of vitallium cables, use of a trochanteric slide osteotomy, cables passed medially through the lesser trochanter, cerclage rather than intramedullary placement, and bone-to-bone apposition.

The role of arthroscopy in evaluation of painful hip arthroplasty.

Unexplained pain after hip arthroplasty is frustrating for patients and surgeons. We describe the use of hip arthroscopy in management of the painful hip arthroplasty, critically evaluate the outcomes of these patients, and refine indications for hip arthroscopy in this setting. We retrospectively reviewed 14 patients (16 hips) who underwent hip arthroscopy after joint replacement. One patient had suspected septic arthritis despite negative aspiration and one had known septic arthritis but was not a candidate for open arthrotomy; two had intraarticular migration of hardware. The remaining 10 patients (11 hips) had persistent pain despite negative diagnostic studies. The two patients (two hips) with infection were successfully treated with arthroscopic lavage and débridement plus intravenous antibiotics. Intraarticular metal fragments and a loose acetabular screw were successfully removed in two patients (three hips). Findings in the remaining 11 hips included a loose acetabular component (one); corrosion at the head-neck junction of a metal-on-metal articulation (one); soft tissue-scar impingement at the head/cup interface (four); synovitis with associated scar tissue (four); and capsular scarring with adhesions (one). Arthroscopy represented a successful treatment or directly led to a successful treatment in 12 of 16 hips. We observed no complications as a result of the arthroscopy. Arthroscopy may be of value in selected patients undergoing hip arthroplasty with unexplained pain after an inconclusive standard workup.Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Complex revision total hip arthroplasty with modular stems at a mean of 14 years.

We retrospectively reviewed 87 patients (92 hips) who had revision hip surgery to determine whether a proximally coated, modular femoral component would remain stably fixed at long-term followup. Thirteen patients died and 12 patients were lost to followup leaving 62 patients (67 hips) available for review with minimum followup of 8 years (mean, 14 years; range, 8-17 years). Preoperative radiographs were reviewed using Paproskys classification. Postoperative radiographs were reviewed for osteolysis, endosteal hypertrophy, cortical hypertrophy, distal pedestals, component breakage, and loosening. Thirty-seven hips underwent femoral allografting, 10 of which were proximal femurs. With revision as the endpoint the Kaplan-Meier survivorship (including deaths and loss to followup) was 60% at 14 years. Forty-seven of the 57 (82%) noncemented stems were bone ingrown. All had relative proximal bone preservation and 33 of 57 (58%) had bone hypertrophy in the diaphysis around zones 2 and 6. There were five aseptic failures (9%). Each of those was Paprosky Class IIIB or IV preoperatively. There were no long-term failures in Paprosky Class II or IIIA. The aseptic failures have been re-revised. This modular stem resulted in reliable fixation with relative preservation of proximal bone stock at this intermediate interval in complex revisions in Paprosky Class II and IIIA. Paprosky Class IIIB and IV defects may need additional component fixation options.Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Cartilage Status at Time of Arthroscopy Predicts Failure in Patients With Hip Dysplasia

The purpose of our study was to determine whether chondral damage at the time of arthroscopy predicted conversion to THA in patients with dysplasia. We identified 166 patients with dysplasia who underwent hip arthroscopy. Forty-seven went on to receive THA. The articular cartilage of three regions of the acetabulum and femoral head were assessed for signs of chondral damage (absent, mild, or severe]). A stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed mild damage on the posterior femoral head (P=0.001) and severe damage on the anterior acetabulum (P=0.007) made a significant contribution to the predictor. The presence of mild posterior femoral head chondral changes was indicative of more global cartilage damage in this series of patients. Our findings show that chondral damage on the posterior femoral head and anterior acetabulum is a strong predictor of ultimate conversion to THA in dysplastic patients.

History of hip arthroscopy: challenges and opportunities.

Hip arthroscopy began with resection of pathologies and later progressed to repair of different tissues. There is an increasing impetus for reconstruction of biologic joints; although this has occurred with other joints, hip arthroscopic procedures are now headed in this direction. Thus, despite considerable initial challenges, multiple opportunities are now available in this fertile field.

Acetabular and Labral Pathology

Summary The cadaveric data show that labral lesions are extremely common, present in 93% of specimens.

Arthroscopy Following Total Hip Replacement

Despite outstanding results in the majority of patients total hip replacement may be associated with a number of unplanned outcomes. Some of these are visible radiographically, such as a trochanteric wire or titanium bead within the joint or a screw backing out. However some painful conditions are not readily diagnosable by imaging. These conditions may include dense scar from an anterior hip approach tethering the iliopsoas muscle. Trunnion metallosis, when early, may also not be visualized. It is for all of the above reasons that arthroscopy, for patients with unremitting pain post-arthroplasty is valuable. It can directly visualize the joint articulation and bearing surfaces. It can identify and treat arthrofibrosis and tethering scar. It can facilitate loose body or hardware removal. It may also help, because the joint can be moved, demonstrate dynamic pathologic soft-tissue conditions. Since the procedure is performed as an outpatient it reduces surgical risk and cost.