Effect of Postoperative Mechanical Axis Alignment on Survival and Functional Outcomes of Modern Total Knee Arthroplasties with Cement
Abdel et al. report on the 20-year survivorship of total knee arthroplasty implants that were mechanically aligned (0° ± 3° relative to the mechanical axis) compared with those that were outside that range and considered outliers. https://bit.ly/2uqY77S #JBJS
Clinical Outcomes Following the Latarjet Procedure in Contact and Collision Athletes
Few studies have evaluated the success of the Latarjet procedure for recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability in the contact or collision athlete. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the return-to-sport and functional results of the Latarjet procedure in this select group. https://bit.ly/2I2hB50 #JBJS
JBJS 100: Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation and Hip Fractures
Under one name or another, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery has published quality orthopaedic content spanning three centuries. In 1919, our publication was called the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the first volume of that journal was Volume 1 of what we know today as JBJS.
Thus, the 24 issues we turn out in 2018 will constitute our 100th volume. To help celebrate this milestone, throughout the year we will be spotlighting 100 of the most influential JBJS articles on OrthoBuzz, making the original content openly accessible for a limited time.
Unlike the scientific rigor of Journal content, the selection of this list was not entirely scientific. About half we picked from “JBJS Classics,” which were chosen previously by current and past JBJS Editors-in-Chief and Deputy Editors. We also selected JBJS articles that have been cited more than 1,000 times in other publications, according to Google Scholar search results. Finally, we considered “activity” on the Web of Science and The Journal’s websites.
We hope you enjoy and benefit from reading these groundbreaking articles from JBJS, as we mark our 100th volume. Here are two more:
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation Compared with Microfracture in the Knee: A Randomized Trial
G Knutsen, L Engebretsen. T C Ludvigsen, J O Drogset, T Grøntvedt, E Solheim, T Strand, S Roberts, V Isaksen, and O Johansen: JBJS, 2004 March; 86 (3): 455
In the first published randomized trial to compare these 2 methods for treating full-thickness cartilage defects, both procedures demonstrated similar clinical results at 2 years of follow-up. The authors also performed arthroscopic and histologic evaluations at 2 years and again found no significant differences between the groups. Since 2004, however, longer-term follow-ups have suggested that autologous chondrocyte implantation is more durable than microfracture (see Clinical Summary on Knee Cartilage Injuries).
The Value of the Tip-Apex Distance in Predicting Failure of Fixation of Peritrochanteric Fractures of the Hip
M R Baumgaertner, S L Curtin, D M Lindskog, and J M Keggi: JBJS, 1995 July; 77 (7): 1058
So-called “cutout” of the lag screw in sliding hip screw fixation of peritrochanteric hip fractures was a recognized cause of failure long before this landmark JBJS study was published in 1995. Twenty-three years later, when value consciousness has repopularized this reliable fixation method (especially in stable fracture patterns), the tip-apex distance as a strong predictor of cutout remains an important surgical consideration.
Will a Hip Replacement Help You Live Longer?
This tip comes from Fred Nelson, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon in the Department of Orthopedics at Henry Ford Hospital and a clinical associate professor at Wayne State Medical School. Some of Dr. Nelson’s tips go out weekly to more than 3,000 members of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), and all are distributed to more than 30 orthopaedic residency programs. Those not sent to the ORS are periodically reposted in OrthoBuzz with the permission of Dr. Nelson.
It is well-established that total hip arthroplasty (THA) improves quality of life, but how about longevity itself? Cnudde et al.1 attempted to identify associations between THA and lower mortality rates, acknowledging that such rates may also be influenced by diagnostic, patient-related, socioeconomic, and surgical factors.
Using data from the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register, the authors identified 131,808 patients who underwent THA between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2012. Among those patients, 21,755 died by the end of follow-up. Relative survival among the THA patients was compared with age- and sex-matched survival data from the entire Swedish population.
Patients undergoing elective THA had a slightly improved survival rate compared with the general population for approximately 10 years after surgery, but by 12 years, there was no survival-rate difference between patients undergoing THA and the general population (r = 1.01; 95% CI, 0.99-1.02; p = 0.13).
After controlling for other relevant factors and using primary osteoarthritis as the reference diagnosis, the authors found that patients undergoing THA for osteonecrosis of the femoral head, inflammatory arthritis, and secondary osteoarthritis had poorer relative survival.
In addition, married patients and those with higher levels of education fared better. The authors could not pinpoint the reasons for the increase in relative survival among THA patients, but these findings suggest that the explanation is most likely multifactorial.
Reference
- Do Patients Live Longer After THA and Is the Relative Survival Diagnosis-specific?Cnudde P, Rolfson O, Timperley AJ, Garland A, Kärrholm J, Garellick G, Nemes S. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2018 Feb 28. doi: 10.1007/s11999.0000000000000097. [Epub ahead of print]
For Biceps Tenodesis, Bone-Tunnel and Cortical-Surface Fixation Are Equally Good
Many orthopaedic procedures involve reattaching a tendon to bone, but the decision as to whether that fixation is made through a bone tunnel or by cortical-surface attachment is usually left up to the surgeon’s preference. In the March 21, 2018 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Tan et al. attempted to determine which fixation technique, in a rabbit model, provides better tendon-to-bone healing.
The rabbits in the bone-tunnel group and the cortical surface attachment group were killed 8 weeks after biceps tenodesis surgery, and the authors performed detailed biomechanical testing, microcomputed tomography analysis, and histological analysis to evaluate the tendon healing. Here’s what they found:
- There were no significant between-group differences in mean failure loads or stiffness.
- There were no significant between-group differences in mean volume of newly formed bone or in the mineral density of newly formed bone.
- In both groups, histological analysis revealed tendon-bone interdigitation and early fibrocartilaginous zone formation on the outer cortical surface. (This article includes interactive digital whole-slide images of cortical surface attachment and bone-tunnel fixation.)
These findings led the authors to conclude that “tendon fixation in a bone tunnel and on the cortical surface resulted in similar healing profiles.” Because both techniques facilitate good tendon-to-bone healing, surgeon preference will probably continue to dictate the decision to use one method over another.
Topical Vancomycin in Spine Surgery: Pediatric Patients Benefit Too
When >10% of patients undergoing procedures to correct a spinal deformity develop one or more surgical-site infections, investigations into how to mitigate such infections seem warranted. This is especially true when a single such infection can cost nearly $1 million to treat—not to mention the physical and psychological burdens.
In the March 21, 2018 edition of JBJS, Thompson et al. report important findings from a retrospective study that sought to evaluate the efficacy of adding topical vancomycin powder to the wounds of patients undergoing growing-spine surgeries to address early-onset scoliosis. The mean patient age at the beginning of the study was 7.1 years.
Cases in which topical vancomycin powder was placed into the wounds at the time of fascial closure (n = 104 cases) had a significantly lower surgical-site infection rate (4.8%), compared with the rate in the 87 cases in which no vancomycin was used (13.8%). Furthermore, the “number needed to treat” found in this study was 11, meaning that for every 11 cases in which vancomycin powder was used, a surgical-site infection was prevented. The authors found no complications related to the use of topical vancomycin and note that their study provides the first evidence supporting the efficacy of vancomycin powder in pediatric spine patients.
Because this study was retrospective and based out of one center, further multicenter, prospective studies are needed to verify these results and to address open questions such as appropriate vancomycin dosages. Still, considering the extremely high costs (economic, physical, social, and psychological) associated with surgical-site infections in these complex patients, it appears that a vial of vancomycin powder costing between $10 and $40 may deliver outstanding value in these scenarios.
Chad A. Krueger, MD
JBJS Deputy editor for Social Media
JBJS EST 2017 Editor’s Choice Awards
JBJS Essential Surgical Techniques (EST) is pleased to congratulate the winners of its two Editor’s Choice Awards for 2017:
The award for best surgical-technique article went to Morteza Kalhor, MD; Diego Collado, MD; Michael Leunig, MD; Paulo Rego, MD; and Reinhold Ganz, MD for Recommendations to Reduce Risk of Nerve Injury During Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO).
The recipients of the best Key Procedures video award were Jorge Chahla, MD; Gilbert Moatshe, MD; Lars Engebretsen, MD, PhD; and Robert F. LaPrade, MD, PhD for Anatomic Double-Bundle Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Giant-Cell Tumor Treatment: Curettage Without Denosumab Is Better
Denosumab is an FDA-approved drug for osteoporosis. It works by binding RANKL, thus inhibiting osteoclastic activity. Denosumab has also been shown to have a favorable impact on tumor response in relatively small, short-term studies among patients with giant-cell tumor of bone (GCTB).
In the March 21, 2018 issue of The Journal, Errani et al. report on a longer-term follow up (minimum 24 months, median 85.6 months) in two cohorts of patients with GCTB who were treated with joint-preserving curettage: those treated with curettage plus denosumab and those treated with curettage alone. The study found that denosumab administration was significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients treated with curettage. Specifically, the local GCTB recurrence rate was nearly 4 times higher (60% vs 16%) in patients treated with denosumab plus curettage, compared to those treated with curettage alone.
Recent in vitro studies have shown that denosumab only slows giant-cell multiplication to some degree. The authors point out that patients treated with denosumab in this cohort study had more severe GCTB disease, which would seem to further confirm that cellular proliferation of giant cells is ineffectively slowed by this RANKL-binding drug. What’s most important about the Errani et al. study is that it’s the first one to look at the longer-term outcomes of denosumab usage before and after curettage for GCTB.
The authors emphasize that while their study shows a strong and independent association between denosumab administration and a high level of local recurrence, “causation could not be evaluated.” Still, at a time when clinicians, payers, and patients are critically evaluating every facet of treatment, it seems difficult to recommend the use of denosumab in addition to curettage for GCTB. The data in this study should encourage the musculoskeletal oncology community to continue to investigate other adjunctive treatments to be used with curettage for this disease process.
Marc Swiontkowski, MD
JBJS Editor-in-Chief
JBJS 100: Infection Prevention and Hip Replacement Rates
Under one name or another, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery has published quality orthopaedic content spanning three centuries. In 1919, our publication was called the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the first volume of that journal was Volume 1 of what we know today as JBJS.
Thus, the 24 issues we turn out in 2018 will constitute our 100th volume. To help celebrate this milestone, throughout the year we will be spotlighting 100 of the most influential JBJS articles on OrthoBuzz, making the original content openly accessible for a limited time.
Unlike the scientific rigor of Journal content, the selection of this list was not entirely scientific. About half we picked from “JBJS Classics,” which were chosen previously by current and past JBJS Editors-in-Chief and Deputy Editors. We also selected JBJS articles that have been cited more than 1,000 times in other publications, according to Google Scholar search results. Finally, we considered “activity” on the Web of Science and The Journal’s websites.
We hope you enjoy and benefit from reading these groundbreaking articles from JBJS, as we mark our 100th volume. Here are two more:
Prevention of Infection in Treatment of 1,025 Open Fractures of Long Bones
R B Gustilo and J T Anderson: JBJS, 1976 June; 58 (4): 453
While “best practices” for managing open long-bone fractures have changed since this landmark study was published, the Gustilo-Anderson classification still correlates well with the risk of infection in patients with comorbid medical illnesses and other complications. It remains widely accepted for research and training purposes, and it provides commonly used basic language for communicating about open fractures.
Rates and Outcomes of Primary and Revision Total Hip Replacement in the US Medicare Population
N N Mahomed, J A Barrett, J N Katz, C B Phillips, E Losina, R A Lew, E Guadagnoli, W H Harris, R Poss, J A Baron: JBJS, 2003 January; 85 (1): 27
Analyzing Medicare claims data between July 1, 1995 and June 30, 1996, the authors of this prognostic study claimed it was “the first population-based study of the rates of revision total hip replacement and its short-term outcomes.” In the last 10 years alone, more than 5,000 studies on revision THA have been published in PubMed-indexed journals, including this 2012 JBJS study, which examined THA revision risk in the same Medicare cohort over 12 years.
Which Pathology Comes First—Bone Loss or Fatty Infiltration of Rotator Cuff?
The relative roles of bones and muscles in joint pathologies are often difficult to tease apart. In the March 7, 2018 issue of The Journal, Donohue et al. report findings from their attempt to identify associations between preoperative fatty infiltration in rotator cuff muscles and glenoid morphology among 190 shoulders that underwent total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) for glenohumeral osteoarthritis.
The painstaking analysis included orthogonal CT images to determine fatty infiltration, joint-line medialization assessments, direct measurements of glenoid version, and grading of glenoid morphology (from A1 through C2) using a modified Walch classification. Here’s what Donohue et al. found:
- High-grade posterior rotator cuff fatty infiltration was present in 55% of the 38 glenoids classified as B3, compared with only 8% fatty infiltration in the 39 A1-classified glenoids.
- Increasing joint-line medialization was associated with increasing fatty infiltration of all rotator cuff muscles.
- Higher fatty infiltration of the infraspinatus, teres minor, and combined posterior rotator cuff muscles was associated with increasing glenoid retroversion.
- After the authors controlled for joint-line medialization and retroversion, B3 glenoids were more likely than B2 glenoids to have fatty infiltration of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus.
The authors say these findings “support the idea that there is a causal association between rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration and B3 glenoid morphology,” but they are quick to add that “from this study we cannot conclude [whether] these patterns of rotator cuff muscle fatty infiltration precede the progression of bone pathology, or vice versa.” Either way, these findings may inform patient-surgeon discussions about TSA, because both glenoid morphology and rotator cuff muscle quality are factors in glenoid-component longevity.
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