Sequelae of Arthrodesis of the Hip

The outcome of the uncemented acetabular component in delayed total hip arthroplasty following acetabular fractures

Aims

After failed acetabular fractures, total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a challenging procedure and considered the gold standard treatment. The complexity of the procedure depends on the fracture pattern and the initial fracture management. This study’s primary aim was to evaluate patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for patients who underwent delayed uncemented acetabular THA after acetabular fractures. The secondary aims were to assess the radiological outcome and the incidence of the associated complications in those patients.

Methods

A total of 40 patients underwent cementless acetabular THA following failed treatment of acetabular fractures. The postoperative clinical and radiological outcomes were evaluated for all the cohort.

Results

The median (interquartile range (IQR)) Oxford Hip Score (OHS) improved significantly from 9.5 (7 to 11.5), (95% confidence interval (CI) (8 to 10.6)) to 40 (39 to 44), (95% CI (40 to 43)) postoperatively at the latest follow-up (p < 0.001). It was worth noting that the initial acetabular fracture type (simple vs complex), previous acetabular treatment (ORIF vs conservative), fracture union, and restoration of anatomical centre of rotation (COR) did not affect the final OHS. The reconstructed centre of rotation (COR) was restored in 29 (72.5%) patients. The mean abduction angle in whom acetabular fractures were managed conservatively was statistically significantly higher than the surgically treated patients 42.6° (SD 7.4) vs 38° (SD 5.6)) (p = 0.032). We did not have any case of acetabular or femoral loosening at the time of the last follow-up. We had two patients with successful two-stage revision for infection with overall eight-year survival rate was 95.2% (95% CI 86.6% to 100%) with revision for any reason at a median (IQR) duration of follow-up 50 months (16 to 87) months following THA.

Conclusion

Delayed cementless acetabular THA in patients with previous failed acetabular fracture treatments produces good clinical outcomes (PROMS) with excellent survivorship, despite the technically demanding nature of the procedure. The initial fracture treatment does not influence the outcome of delayed THA. In selected cases of acetabular fractures (either nondisplaced or with secondary congruency), the initial nonoperative treatment neither resulted in large acetabular defects nor required additional acetabular reconstruction at the time of THA.

Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(12):1067–1074.

Cementless total hip arthroplasty in the treatment after acetabular fractures

INTRODUCTION

The outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) for the treatment of posttraumatic arthritis after acetabular fractures were inferior to those after primary non-traumatic THA.

METHODS

This study was performed in academic level I trauma center. From January 2011 to December 2014, a consecutive series of 21 patients (9 females), with average age of 56.7 years (range 29-75 years) who had posttraumatic hip joint arthritis after acetabular fractures, were included in our study. All patients underwent cementless THA. The average duration of follow-up was 26 months (range 24-36 months).

RESULTS

At the latest follow-up, all patients could walk independently, thirteen (62%) patients had excellent Harris hip score, five (24%) had good HHS, and 3 (14%) had fair score. WOMAC scale decreased from 63 (range 42-92) to 4 (range 0-19). Two patients (9.5%) had heterotopic bone formation which did not affect the activity of the patients. There were no signs of loosening of the acetabular cups or around the femoral stem.

CONCLUSION

Cementless THA is an ideal treatment for posttraumatic hip arthritis with anatomic restoration of the hip center to improve the functional results and decrease the incidence of complications and revision rate.

Total hip arthroplasty through a direct anterior approach for fused hips

INTRODUCTION

Conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA) from a fused hip is a challenging procedure because of the technical difficulties involved. Here we report the surgical procedure and the early clinical outcome of conversion THA from a fused hip through a direct anterior approach.

METHODS

9 consecutive THAs following hip fusion were performed in 9 patients. Of these, 6 patients had undergone surgical hip fusion and 3 patients had nonsurgical fusion.

RESULTS

The mean time interval between fusion and THA was 29.7 years. The mean follow-up period was 5.2 years. All THAs were performed using a direct anterior approach on a standard surgical table. The mean operative time was 68.7 minutes. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 377 g. All acetabular components were placed within Lewinnek's safe zone. The mean Japanese Orthopaedic Hip Score significantly improved from 54.0 to 73.2. One early anterior dislocation occurred and was treated conservatively. No revision surgery was required.

CONCLUSIONS

The direct anterior approach allows for an accurate and less invasive implantation of the total hip components.

Open reduction internal fixation and primary total hip arthroplasty of selected acetabular fractures

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study was to analyze the outcomes of patients treated with combined open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) for selected cases of acetabular fractures.

DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

SETTING

University Medical Center.

PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS

Four hundred twenty patients underwent ORIF for displaced acetabular fractures at our institution. Twenty-one of these patients underwent ORIF and primary THA. All surgeries were performed under the direct supervision of a fellowship-trained orthopaedic trauma surgeon and a fellowship trained adult reconstructive surgeon who acted as a cosurgeon. At the time of review, 18 patients met the 1-year follow-up requirement and formed the study cohort. Mean patient age was 71 years (range 55-86 years). There was 1 transverse fracture, 1 anterior column posterior hemitransverse and 1 both-column fracture. There were 15 posterior wall fractures. Of the 15 posterior wall fractures, 1 was associated with posterior column fracture, 1 with dome fracture, 2 with transverse fractures, and 9 with femoral head impaction fracture. There were 2 patients with isolated posterior wall fractures. Clinical outcomes were analyzed using Harris hip score. Radiographs were analyzed for implant migration and loosening around the implant.

RESULTS

Of the 18 patients in the study, 14 patients were followed for more than 2 years (average 3.9 years, range 1-10.1 years). All but 1 patient healed successfully. One patient required revision and placement of a constrained prosthesis due to failure of acetabular component, 3 weeks post-index procedure. Harris hip score ranged from 78 to 99 with a mean of 88. The radiographs showed an average medial displacement of 1.2 mm (range 0-3 mm) and an average vertical displacement of 1.3 mm (range 0-4 mm). There was no radiographic evidence of acetabular component loosening, but loosening was evident on 1 uncemented femoral stem.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment of acetabular fractures remains challenging particularly in the presence of severe osteopenia, comminution, or associated femoral head fracture. In appropriately selected patients, ORIF and primary THA provide an acceptable treatment option.

Conversion of a fused hip to total hip arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Arthrodesis of the hip remains a viable treatment for severe unilateral arthritis after traumatic injury or infection in a young but otherwise healthy individual. The goal of the present study was to review the long-term clinical and radiographic results after conversion of a fused hip to a total hip arthroplasty and to identify the risk factors that would lead to a higher rate of failure.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of the charts and radiographs of 187 patients (208 hips) who had conversion of a fused hip to a total hip arthroplasty. The mean duration of follow-up after the conversion to total hip arthroplasty was 9.2 years (range, two to twenty-six years).

RESULTS

The mean age at time of the arthroplasty was fifty-one years. The mean time-interval between the arthrodesis and the conversion to a total hip arthroplasty was twenty-seven years. According to the information in the charts, at a mean duration of follow-up of 9.2 years after the total hip arthroplasty, 79% of hips were either pain-free or had minimal pain, 83% had good-to-excellent function, and 79% had good-to-excellent range of motion. Complications, which included fifteen nerve palsies, occurred in twenty-four hips. Twenty-eight hips had heterotopic ossification, but it was not associated with a recurrence of ankylosis or a marked reduction of motion. Revision arthroplasty was performed in twelve hips. The probability of survival of the implant was 96.1% (95% confidence interval, 91.5% to 98.2%) at ten years, 89.9% (95% confidence interval, 85.3% to 96.1%) at fifteen years, and 72.8% (95% confidence interval, 36% to 90.6%) at twenty-six years.

CONCLUSIONS

Conversion of a fused hip to a total hip arthroplasty has a favorable outcome. However, the technically demanding nature of the procedure should not be underestimated. Patients should be cautioned with regard to the possibility of a higher rate of complications than that seen with primary total hip arthroplasty.

Cementless acetabular reconstruction after acetabular fracture

BACKGROUND

Total hip arthroplasty in patients with posttraumatic arthritis has produced results inferior to those in patients with nontraumatic arthritis. The use of cementless acetabular reconstruction, however, has not been extensively studied in this clinical context. Our purpose was to compare the intermediate-term results of total hip arthroplasty with a cementless acetabular component in patients with posttraumatic arthritis with those of the same procedure in patients with nontraumatic arthritis. We also compared the results of arthroplasty in patients who had had prior operative treatment of their acetabular fracture with those in patients who had had prior closed treatment of their acetabular fracture.

METHODS

Thirty total hip arthroplasties were performed with use of a cementless hemispheric, fiber-metal-mesh-coated acetabular component for the treatment of posttraumatic osteoarthritis after acetabular fracture. The median interval between the fracture and the arthroplasty was thirty-seven months (range, eight to 444 months). The average age at the time of the arthroplasty was fifty-one years (range, twenty-six to eighty-six years), and the average duration of follow-up was sixty-three months (range, twenty-four to 140 months). Fifteen patients had had prior open reduction and internal fixation of their acetabular fracture (open-reduction group), and fifteen patients had had closed treatment of the acetabular fracture (closed-treatment group). The results of these thirty hip reconstructions were compared with the intermediate-term results of 204 consecutive primary total hip arthroplasties with cementless acetabular reconstruction in patients with nontraumatic arthritis.

RESULTS

Operative time (p < 0.001), blood loss (p < 0.001), and perioperative transfusion requirements (p < 0.001) were greater in the patients with posttraumatic arthritis than they were in the patients with nontraumatic arthritis. Of the patients with posttraumatic arthritis, those who had had open reduction and internal fixation of their acetabular fracture had a significantly longer index procedure (p = 0.01), greater blood loss (p = 0.008), and a higher transfusion requirement (p = 0.049) than those in whom the fracture had been treated by closed methods. Eight of the fifteen patients with a previous open reduction and internal fixation required an elevated acetabular liner compared with one of the fifteen patients who had been treated by closed means (p = 0.005). Two of the fifteen patients with a previous open reduction and internal fixation required bone-grafting of acetabular defects compared with seven of the fifteen patients treated by closed means (p = 0.04). The thirty patients treated for posttraumatic arthritis had an average preoperative Harris hip score of 41 points, which increased to 88 points at the time of follow-up; there was no significant difference between the open-reduction and closed-treatment groups (p = 0.39). Twenty-seven patients (90%) had a good or excellent result. There were no dislocations or deep infections. The Kaplan-Meier ten-year survival rate, with revision or radiographic loosening as the end point, was 97%. These results were similar to those of the patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty for nontraumatic arthritis.

CONCLUSIONS

The intermediate-term clinical results of total hip arthroplasty with cementless acetabular reconstruction for posttraumatic osteoarthritis after acetabular fracture were similar to those after the same procedure for nontraumatic arthritis, regardless of whether the acetabular fracture had been internally fixed initially. However, total hip arthroplasty after acetabular fracture was a longer procedure with greater blood loss, especially in patients with previous open reduction and internal fixation. Previous open reduction and internal fixation predisposed the hip to more intraoperative instability but less bone deficiency.

Total hip replacement after acetabular fracture

The controversies surrounding total hip arthroplasty after acetabular fracture are presented in this article. Hip arthroplasty for acute treatment of acetabular fractures is rarely indicated. In general, total hip arthroplasty should be reserved for the late salvage of hips in which symptomatic, post-traumatic arthritis has developed after acetabular fracture. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management are discussed. Modern surgical techniques may improve the long-term survival of total hip arthroplasty after acetabular fracture, particularly the acetabular component

Total hip arthroplasty with cement in patients less than twenty years old. Long-term results

Sixty-three consecutive total hip arthroplasties were performed with cement in fifty adolescent patients from 1972 through 1980, and the results were determined after a minimum of ten years. A polyethylene cup without a metal backing and a non-modular femoral component with a collar and a fixed neck length were inserted, with use of so-called first-generation cementing techniques, in each hip. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of all sixty-three hips demonstrated that the probability of failure (defined as revision or symptomatic loosening) increased steadily over time and reached 45 per cent after fifteen years. A number of specific variables were associated with a significantly higher probability of failure: a history of more than one previous procedure involving the hip (p = 0.0002), unilateral arthroplasty (p = 0.006), previous trauma involving the hip (p = 0.01), the absence of other disease that limited function of the ipsilateral lower extremity (p = 0.03), a high postoperative level of activity (involving moderate or strenuous manual labor) (p = 0.03), and a preoperative weight of more than sixty kilograms (p = 0.03). The probability of failure in the patients who had inflammatory arthritis (11 per cent) was significantly lower than that in those who had previous trauma involving the hip (47 per cent) (p = 0.0006). Fifty-two hips (forty patients) were followed for a minimum of ten years or until revision. The mean duration of follow-up for these fifty-two hips was 12.6 years (range, 1.6 to 18.6 years). The result was evaluated clinically and radiographically with use of the Mayo hip-scoring system and was graded as excellent in ten hips (19 per cent), good in sixteen (31 per cent), fair in one (2 per cent), and poor in twenty-five (48 per cent). Most of the poor results were due to symptomatic loosening of the acetabular component. The probability of radiographic loosening after fifteen years was 60 per cent for the acetabular component and 20 per cent for the femoral component. Radiographic evidence of polyethylene wear was associated with probable loosening of the acetabular component (p = 0.03). The findings of the present study suggest that total hip arthroplasty in adolescents should be reserved for carefully selected patients for whom alternative procedures are contraindicated or unacceptable. Fixation of the acetabular component with cement is not recommended in this setting.

Arthrodiastasis for stiff hips in young patients

Joint distraction (arthrodiastasis) with a unilateral fixator was used to treat 9 patients with stiffness of the hip which had followed Perthes' disease (3), epiphysiolysis (2), congenital dysplasia (2), tuberculosis (1) and idiopathic chondrolysis (1). Their average age was 14 years, and they all had pain, limp and shortening of the leg. Distraction of 0.5 to 1 cm was maintained for an average of 94 days. The average range of movement subsequently was 65 degrees compared with 20 degrees before. The articular space was widened by an average of 2.8 mm, and only 3 patients had pain on follow up.

Total knee arthroplasty in patients with prior ipsilateral hip fusion

Sixteen total knee arthroplasties performed between 1977 and 1985 in 13 patients with prior ipsilateral hip arthrodesis or ankylosis were studied to determine the preferred sequence and long-term follow-up of procedures in this clinical setting. Twelve of 16 underwent fusion takedown and total hip arthroplasty prior to knee replacement. The average age at total knee arthroplasty was 52.7 years and the average time from hip fusion to total knee arthroplasty was 36.3 years. Mean follow-up after total knee arthroplasty was 5.5 years (range, 2.3 to 10 years). The Hospital for Special Surgery knee score increased from a mean of 31.8 preoperatively to 72.2 after surgery. In patients who had conversion of the hip fusion prior to knee replacement, knee scores were 28 before and 72.5 after both procedures. Patients who retained their hip fusion had mean scores of 43.5 and 72.1, respectively. None of the knees has been removed and 14 of 16 had no pain at last follow-up. One had mild pain and one had moderate pain attributed to pes anserine bursitis. Although the numbers are small, this experience reveals that takedown of the fusion with total hip arthroplasty is an effective technique before performing the knee replacement. Though successful in some instances, the experience is too small to show that if hip fusion is in good position, knee replacement without fusion takedown is acceptable.