Surgical anatomy of the pelvic vasculature, with particular reference to acetabular screw fixation in cementless total hip arthroplasty in Asian population

Identifying a Reliable Intra-articular Landmark to Avoid Vascular Injury During Transacetabular Screw Fixation: A 3D Computed Tomography Study

INTRODUCTION

Vascular injury during acetabular screw fixation is a life-threatening complication of total hip arthroplasty. This study uses three-dimensional computed tomography to (1) measure absolute distance from the external iliac artery (EIA) to the acetabulum, (2) determine available bone stock along the EIA path, and (3) create a novel acetabular vascular risk map.

METHODS

A retrospective radiographic study was conducted using three-dimensional CT. Placement of four 6.5-mm screws in a radial projection from the acetabulum toward the EIA was simulated. The initial screw (Sc1) was placed anteriorly at the center of the anterior labral sulcus. The terminal screw (Sc4) was placed such that any screw placed further posteriorly would not be in contact with the EIA. The shortest distance to the EIA (AD) and acetabular bone depth (BD) were measured.

RESULTS

Fifty patients (100 hips) were included with an average age of 61.9 ± 15.4 years and average body mass index (BMI) of 27.5 ± 5.3 kg/m 2 . The mean AD at Sc1 was 25.1 ± 2.3 mm (range: 15.4 to 34.9), increasing to 71.5 ± 7.8 mm (range: 21.0 to 144.9) at Sc4. Mean BD at Sc1 was 4.6 ± 0.8 mm (range: 1.4 to 32.0), increasing to 20.1 ± 5.5 mm (range: 2.1 to 36.3) at Sc4. On univariate analysis, male patients demonstrated greater AD and BD at all screw positions. Multiple linear regression revealed an inverse correlation between age and AD and a direct correlation between weight and AD ( P value <0.005).

CONCLUSION

This study identifies the tip of the cotyloid fossa as a reliable intra-articular landmark during total hip arthroplasty. Surgeons should remain wary of potential vascular injury during transacetabular screw fixation, particularly when operating on elderly, female patients.

Endovascular Treatment of Iatrogenic Iliac Vein Rupture during Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Case Report

We present a case of iatrogenic iliac vein rupture with venous thrombosis during total hip arthroplasty that was endovascularly treated with the insertion of covered and uncovered stents, aspiration, and balloon maceration of the thrombus. We describe in detail, with a schematic diagram, an endovascular treatment method that can be performed under local anesthesia alone and explain how to overcome the situation when the diameter of the covered stent is inadequate to cover the iliac vein.

The tale of two vessels, vascular complications following a breach of the pelvic inner table due to acetabular screws: a report of two cases

Injuries to the pelvic vasculature during total hip arthroplasties are rare but have serious consequence. They demand urgent and early identification so that appropriate treatment can be instituted. If the bleeding is severe, cardiovascular compromise occurs intraoperatively and this will alert the surgeon of this possibility during acetabular screw placement. Alternatively, a delay in diagnosis can occur because the bleeding and the injured vessel are in the pelvic cavity and not visualized during the surgery. In this article, we report two cases from our center occurring within a six-month interval that sustained a vascular injury during acetabular drilling for screw placement for cementless cup fixation. Each case had a different vessel injury and different lessons can be learned from these rare injuries. The first case had an injury of the inferior gluteal artery following a breach of the sciatic notch. The vessel was treated with percutaneous embolization. The second case demonstrated a venous injury, following a medial protrusio technique for congenital hip dysplasia and a short anterosuperior screw, transecting the external iliac vein. This was subsequently repaired using an endovascular technique. We conclude the reasons for these vessel injuries after analyzing advanced imaging, discuss measures to avoid vessel injury and detail the minimally invasive method for their treatment.

Intraoperative Radiographic Detection of Intrapelvic Acetabular Screw Penetration: Lessons Learned From Our Trauma Colleagues

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative vascular injury during total hip arthroplasty represents a catastrophic complication. Acetabular screw placement represents one possible mode of injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of various fluoroscopic views in the detection of intrapelvic screw penetration.

METHODS

A radiopaque pelvis Sawbones model was instrumented with a hemispherical acetabular component. Four intrapelvic quadrants were defined. Screws were placed, 3 in each quadrant, and imaged sequentially at 3 depths: 0 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm penetrated. Eight fluoroscopic images were used: anteroposterior, inlet, outlet, iliac oblique, obturator oblique, "down the wing," obturator outlet, and a "quad" view. Three blinded, independent surgeons evaluated the images for intrapelvic screw penetration. Images were analyzed in isolation and as a "triple-shot series" consisting of the "quad," obturator outlet, and iliac oblique views. Sensitivity and specificity values were then calculated.

RESULTS

In isolation, the "quad" view had the highest sensitivity for screw penetration (62%). The triple-shot series was found to be 100% sensitive in all 4 quadrants for detecting 10 mm of screw penetration. The specificity of the series was found to be 100% in all quadrants except for the posterior superior quadrant where it was 67%. Interobserver agreement approached perfection (Kappa ≥0.947) between all surgeons (P < .001) when using the 3-view series.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to assess the use of fluoroscopy in the detection of intrapelvic penetration of transacetabular screws. We found that a 3-radiograph series provided a sensitive and specific metric for the detection of intrapelvic screw penetration.

Genitourinary complications in orthopaedic surgery

Genitourinary complications following orthopaedic intervention are uncommon but well-described occurrences and exist on a spectrum of severity. These complications vary depending on the anatomic location and surgical approach, with surgery of the spine, hip, and pelvis of particular concern. Injuries to the urinary tract may present acutely with urinary retention or hematuria. However, they often have a delayed presentation with severe complications such as urinary fistula and recurrent infection. Delayed presentations may place the onus of timely and proper diagnosis on the orthopaedic provider, who may serve as the patient's primary source of long-term follow-up. Detailed knowledge of anatomy and at-risk structures is key to both preventing and identifying injury. Although iatrogenic injury is not always avoidable, early identification can help to facilitate timely evaluation and management to prevent long-term complications such as bladder dysfunction, obstructive renal injury, sexual dysfunction, and chronic pain.  Keywords: urologic injury, bladder injury, genitourinary injury, hip arthroplasty, pelvic ring injuries, spine surgery.

Acute Surgical Management of Vascular Injuries in Hip and Knee Arthroplasties

With an increasing number of total hip and knee arthroplasties being done at surgical centers and vascular surgeons often not immediately available in this setting, it is critical for orthopaedic surgeons to be comfortable with the acute surgical management of vascular injuries. Although they are fortunately uncommon in primary total hip and knee arthroplasties, damage to a major artery or vein can have potentially devastating consequences. Surgeons operating both in a hospital and an ambulatory surgical setting should be familiar with techniques to gain proximal control of massive bleeding because the principles can be helpful in primary and revision arthroplasties. In this study, we review the vascular anatomy around the hip and knee and the surgical management of these potentially catastrophic complications.

Uncemented cups with and without screw holes in primary THA: a Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register study with 22,725 hips

Background and purpose - Uncemented cups in total hip arthroplasty (THA) are often augmented with additional screws to enhance their primary stability. We investigated whether there is a difference in the risk for revision between cups with screw holes and cups without screw holes. Patients and methods - We analyzed the risk for cup revision of uncemented cups registered in the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register (SHAR) between 2000 and 2017 with respe ct to the presence of screw holes. Only patients with primary osteoarthritis (OA) were included. 22,725 cups, including 12,354 without screw holes and 10,371 with screw holes, were evaluated. Revision rates at 2 and 10 years after the primary operation were analyzed. Results - At a median follow-up time of 3.4 years (0-18), 459 cup revisions were reported. The main reasons for cup revision during the whole observation time were infection, 52% of all cup revisions, and dislocation, 26% of all cup revisions. The survival rate with cup revision due to aseptic loosening as endpoint was 99.9% (95% CI 99.8-99.9) at 2 years for both cups with and cups without screw holes, and the survival rates at 10 years were 99.5% (CI 99.3-99.7) and 99.1% (CI 98.6-99.5), respectively. Cups without screw holes showed a decreased risk of revision due to any reason at both 2 years (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.6, CI 0.5-0.8) and 10 years (HR 0.7, CI 0.5-0.9). Interpretation - We found a very low revision rate for aseptic loosening with modern, uncemented cup designs. Cups with screw holes had an increased risk of revision due to any reason in patients with primary OA.