Wim H. C. Rijnen

Treatment of femoral head osteonecrosis using bone impaction grafting.

Even in extensive osteonecrosis of the femoral head in younger patients, a femoral head-preserving method is preferable. We developed a new technique using the lateral approach as used in traditional core biopsy; the osteonecrotic lesion was removed and impacted bone grafts were used to regain sphericity and prevent collapse. In this prospective one surgeon study, we included 28 consecutive hips in 27 patients with extensive osteonecrotic lesions (ARCO classification Stage 2 [11 hips], Stage 3 [14 hips]; and Stage 4 [three hips]); 14 hips had preoperative collapse. The mean age of the patients was 33 years (range, 15–55 years). At a mean followup of 42 months (range, 24–119 months), eight hips (29%) were converted to a total hip arthroplasty (THA). Of the 20 reconstructions that were in situ, 18 were clinically successful (90%) and 70% were radiologically successful. Patients who were younger than 30 years at surgery had a radiologically significant better outcome, even patients with higher stages of osteonecrosis. Patients with preoperative collapse and use of corticosteroids had disappointing results. This method is attractive as a salvage procedure, is relatively simple and quick, and it does not interfere with an eventual future hip arthroplasty.

Gait and gait-related activities of daily living after total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Differences in the performance of gait and gait-related activities of daily living are known to persist after total hip arthroplasty compared to healthy controls, but the specific underlying deficits (spatiotemporal, kinematics and kinetics) are not completely understood. This review aimed to map the differences between patients and controls, and between the operated and non-operated limbs during various activities of daily living. METHODS A computerized search with broad search terms was performed in the MEDLINE database. Primary inclusion criteria were: primary osteoarthritis as indication, comparison with healthy controls or comparison between the operated and the non-operated limbs, and follow-up period at least six months after surgery. FINDINGS The literature search yielded 2177 citations, of which 35 articles were included. Compared to controls, reductions were identified in the operated hip in sagittal range of motion, peak extension, sagittal power generation, abduction moment and external rotation moment. During stair ascent, these reductions did not become more apparent, although deficits in hip kinetics in all three planes were found. Walking speed and step length were reduced compared to controls at longer-term follow-up, but not at short-term follow-up. INTERPRETATION The hip abduction moment deficit was present both in level walking and in stair ascent in total hip arthroplasty patients compared to controls. Reduced sagittal hip power generation and external rotation moment were also found, of which the clinical relevance remains to be established. Due to a low number of studies, many of the longer-term effects of THA on gait and gait-related ADL are not yet accurately known.

Femoral component revision with use of impaction bone-grafting and a cemented polished stem: a concise follow-up, at fifteen to twenty years, of a previous report.

We previously reported our results for thirty-three consecutive femoral component revisions with impaction bone-grafting, performed with the X-change femoral revision system and a cemented polished Exeter stem, at a minimum of eight years of follow-up. The present updated study shows the results after fifteen to twenty years. One stem was revised again for mechanical reasons during a rerevision of an acetabular cup. The probability of survival at seventeen years was 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 72% to 99%) with a femoral rerevision for any reason as the end point and 100% (95% one-sided CI, 69% to 100%) with rerevision for aseptic loosening as the end point. The average subsidence was 3 mm and stable relative to our previous report. Although three early femoral fractures occurred after this surgery, in this update no additional fractures were seen. In conclusion, the probability of survival of femoral component revisions with impaction bone-grafting and a cemented polished stem was excellent at a mean of seventeen years.

Impacted bone and calcium phosphate cement for repair of femoral head defects: a pilot study.

Bone impaction grafting has been advocated for reconstruction of femoral head osteonecrosis. However, bone grafts do not prevent the progression of collapse and subsequent disabling osteoarthritis in late-stage osteonecrosis. We hypothesized reconstruction of large subchondral defects with a mix of impacted morsellized cancellous bone grafts and calcium phosphate cement would afford mechanical stability allowing remodeling into new bone without femoral head collapse. In a pilot study we created a critically sized subchondral defect model in 15 goats following the trapdoor procedure. Defects were left empty (n = 3), filled with morsellized cancellous bone grafts (n = 6), or filled with a mixture of morsellized cancellous bone and calcium phosphate cement (n = 6). No defects collapsed by sacrifice at 12 weeks. Defects filled with morsellized cancellous bone showed complete incorporation and remodeling to a normal trabecular structure. In the morsellized cancellous bone/calcium phosphate cement group, most of the calcium phosphate cement was resorbed in 12 weeks and the mixture was largely replaced by fibrous or fatty marrow. Although the specific mixture did not confirm our hypothesis, we suspect a slower resorbing calcium phosphate cement remains a promising material to mix with morsellized cancellous bone to treat late stages of femoral head osteonecrosis.

Clinical and radiological outcome of the cemented Contemporary acetabular component in patients < 50 years of age

Despite the worldwide usage of the cemented Contemporary acetabular component (Stryker), no published data are available regarding its use in patients aged < 50 years. We undertook a mid- to long-term follow-up study, including all consecutive patients aged < 50 years who underwent a primary total hip replacement using the Contemporary acetabular component with the Exeter cemented stem between January 1999 and January 2006. There were 152 hips in 126 patients, 61 men and 65 women, mean age at surgery 37.6 years (16 to 49 yrs). One patient was lost to follow-up. Mean clinical follow-up of all implants was 7.6 years (0.9 to 12.0). All clinical questionnaire scores, including Harris hip score, Oxford hip score and several visual analogue scales, were found to have improved. The eight year survivorship of all acetabular components for the endpoints revision for any reason or revision for aseptic loosening was 94.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 89.2 to 97.2) and 96.4% (95% CI 91.6 to 98.5), respectively. Radiological follow-up was complete for 146 implants. The eight year survival for the endpoint radiological loosening was 93.1% (95% CI 86.2 to 96.6). Three surviving implants were considered radiologically loose but were asymptomatic. The presence of acetabular osteolysis (n = 17, 11.8%) and radiolucent lines (n = 20, 13.9%) in the 144 surviving cups indicates a need for continued observation in the second decade of follow-up in order to observe their influence on long-term survival. The clinical and radiological data resulting in a ten-year survival rate > 90% in young patients support the use of the Contemporary acetabular component in this specific patient group.

The use of a long stem cemented femoral component in revision total hip replacement: a follow-up study of five to 16 years

In this retrospective study, we investigated the results of revision total hip replacement (THR) using a cemented long-stemmed Exeter femoral component, with a minimum length of 205 mm in patients with extensive femoral bone defects. The study included 37 consecutive patients with a mean age of 76 years (39 to 93) and a mean follow-up of nine years (5 to 16). A total of 26 patients (70%) had a pre-operative Endo-Klinik score of 3 or 4. Impaction bone grafting was used in 24 patients (65%). At the time of evaluation, 22 patients (59%) were still alive and were evaluated clinically and radiologically. A total of 14 patients died during follow-up and their data were included until the time of their death. One reconstruction failed after five years and five months owing to recurrent dislocation: the hip was converted to an excision arthroplasty. Intra-operative fractures or fissures were encountered in nine patients (24%), but none occurred during impaction of the bone graft. Post-operative peri-prosthetic fractures occurred in two patients (5%); both were treated with plate fixation. At nine years, survival with the endpoint of all-cause re-revision was 96.3% (95% CI 76.4 to 99.5); including re-operations for any reason, it was 80.7% (95% CI 56.3 to 92.3%). There were no re-revisions for aseptic loosening. The survival of long stem cemented femoral components following revision THR is satisfactory in a fragile population with extensive femoral defects.

Satisfying Results of Primary Hip Arthroplasty in Patients With Hip Dysplasia at a Mean Followup of 20 Years.

BackgroundDevelopmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a common cause of secondary osteoarthritis (OA) in younger patients, and when end-stage OA develops, a THA can provide a solution. Different options have been developed to reconstruct these defects, one of which is impaction bone grafting combined with a cemented cup. To determine the true value of a specific technique, it is important to evaluate patients at a long-term followup. As there are no long-term studies, to our knowledge, on THA in patients with DDH using impaction bone grafting with a cemented cup, we present the results of this technique at a mean of 15 years in patients with previous DDH.Questions/purposesWe wished to determine (1) the long-term probability of cup revision at a minimum followup of 15 years for cemented acetabular impaction bone grafting in patients with DDH; (2) the radiographic appearance of the bone graft and radiographic signs of implant loosening; and (3) the complications and pre- and postoperative Harris hip scores with cemented THA combined with impaction bone grafting in patients with previous DDH.MethodsBetween January 1984 and December 1995 we performed 28 acetabular impaction bone grafting procedures for secondary OA believed to be caused by DDH in 22 patients; four patients died before 15 years, leaving 24 hips in 18 patients for retrospective analysis at a minimum of 15 years (mean, 20 years; range, 16–29 years). The diagnosis of DDH was made according to preoperative radiographs and intraoperative findings. All grades of dysplasia were included; five patients had Crowe Group I, eight had Group II, nine had Group III, and two had Group IV DDH. No patients were lost to followup. In all cases the acetabular defects were combined cavitary and segmental. Owing to the high number of deaths, we performed a competing-risk analysis to determine the probability of cup revision surgery.ResultsThe competing-risk analysis showed cumulative incidences at 15 and 20 years, with endpoint revision for any reason of 7% (95% CI, 0%–17%), whereas this was 4% (95% CI, 0%–11%) with endpoint revision of the cup for aseptic loosening. Three revision surgeries were performed. Two cup revisions were performed for aseptic loosening at 12 and 26 years. Another cup revision was performed owing to sciatic nerve problems at 2 years. A stable radiographic appearance of the graft was seen in 19 of the 25 unrevised hips. Four hips showed acetabular radiolucent lines and two showed acetabular osteolysis. None of the unrevised cups showed migration or radiographic failure. Postoperative complications included a pulmonary embolus and a superficial wound infection. The Harris hip score improved from 37 (range, 9–72) preoperatively to 83 (range, 42–99) at latest followup.ConclusionsCemented primary THA with the use of impaction bone grafting shows satisfying long-term results in patients with previous DDH. For future research it is important to evaluate this technique in a larger cohort with a long-term followup. Other techniques also should be evaluated at long-term followup to be able to compare different techniques in this important and specific patient group.Level of EvidenceLevel IV, therapeutic study.

Acetabular re-revision with impaction bone grafting and a cemented polyethylene cup; a biological option for successive reconstructions.

Introduction For the revision of failed acetabular components impaction bone grafting (IBG) with a cemented cup is a well known technique. Claims have been made that this is a biological reconstruction technique, restoring the bone stock loss and thereby facilitating future revisions. However, there are no scientific data proving this claim. Patients and Methods In this study, we present the clinical and radiographic outcome of 11 consecutive acetabular re-revisions in 10 patients with again IBG and a cemented polyethylene cup observed in a previously reported cohort of 62 acetabular IBG revisions. All data were prospectively collected. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed. Results The mean follow-up after re-revision was 10 years (5-15) and 28 years (26-30) after the primary revision. No patients were lost to follow-up. The mean HHS improved from 37 (12-49) points to 71 (40-95) points at final follow-up. Survival with further cup revision for any reason as endpoint was 91% (95% confidence interval (CI) 51 to 99) at 10 years. When excluding one early cup re-revision for malpositioning 3 weeks postoperative, survivorship with further cup revision for aseptic loosening as endpoint was 100% (95% CI 37-100) at 10 years. Survival with further cup re-operation for any reason as endpoint was 82% (95% one-sided CI 45-95). In all surviving re-revisions trabecular incorporation was observed without radiolucent lines. Conclusion This study shows that, due to restoring the bone stock, even successive acetabular reconstructions using IBG and a cemented cup are possible with satisfying 10 years survivorship.

The biological approach in acetabular revision surgery: impaction bone grafting and a cemented cup

Acetabular impaction bone grafting (IBG) in combination with a cemented cup in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a proven and well-recognised technique which has been used in clinical practice for more than 35 years. Nowadays, with cemented prostheses tending to lose a larger part of the THA market every year in primary and revision cases, and many young surgeons being only trained in implanting uncemented prostheses, this technique is considered by many as technically demanding and time consuming, making its use less appealing. Despite this image and many new innovative techniques using uncemented implants in acetabular revisions over the last 25 years, IBG with a cemented cup is still one of the few techniques that really can reconstitute bone and respects human biology. In this era of many biologically-based breakthroughs in medicine, it is hard to explain that the solution of most orthopaedic surgeons for the extensive bone defects as frequently seen during acetabular revision surgery, consists of implanting bigger and larger metal implants. This review aims to put the IBG method into a historical perspective, to describe the surgical technique and present the clinical results.

Predictors of unsuccessful outcome in cemented femoral revisions using bone impaction grafting; Cox regression analysis of 208 cases

Introduction Despite improvements in the technique of femoral impaction bone grafting, reconstruction failures still can occur. Therefore, the aim of our study was to determine risk factors for the endpoint re-revision for any reason. Methods We used prospectively collected demographic, clinical and surgical data of all 202 patients who underwent 208 femoral revisions using the X-change Femoral Revision System (Stryker-Howmedica), fresh-frozen morcellised allograft and a cemented polished Exeter stem in our department from 1991 to 2007. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to identify potential factors associated with re-revision. Results The mean follow-up was 10.6 (5-21) years. The cumulative re-revision rate was 6.3% (13/208). After univariable selection, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), American Association of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, type of removed femoral component, and mesh used for reconstruction were included in multivariable regression analysis. In the multivariable analysis, BMI was the only factor that was significantly associated with the risk of re-revision after bone impaction grafting (BMI ≥30 vs. BMI <30, HR = 6.54 [95% CI 1.89-22.65]; p = 0.003). Conclusions BMI was the only factor associated with the risk of re-revision for any reason. Besides BMI also other factors, such as Endoklinik score and the type of removed femoral component, can provide guidance in the process of preclinical decision making. With the knowledge obtained from this study, pre-operative patient selection, informed consent, and treatment protocols can be better adjusted to the individual patient who needs to undergo a femoral revision with impaction bone grafting.