Trephine Use During Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty Resulting in Diaphyseal Osteonecrosis and Stress Fracture: A Case Report

Use of a Trephine to Extract a Fractured Corail Femoral Stem During Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty: Tips From Our Case Report

Despite the significant advancements in the field of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and prosthesis designs, fracture of the modular femoral stem after THA can occur rarely and needs attention. Orthopaedic surgeons face a daunting task when it comes to the removal of a broken stem. The use of a trephine reamer has been evaluated for extracting the distal femoral stem, and this case report tries to address some key tips for the same. A 67-year-old obese male, without any major medical comorbidities, presented to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary orthopaedic outpatient department with a complaint of acute-on-chronic right anterior thigh pain that worsened over a few weeks. He had a history of bilateral staged uncemented THA done around 12 years ago. The plain radiological images confirmed the presence of a fracture of the Corail femoral stem. A posterior approach was used to dislocate the hip and the distal broken part of the stem was removed using trephines. Reamers were used and care was taken to prevent thermal necrosis by using intermittent saline lavage. After the removal of the fractured femoral stem, a cemented femoral revision THA was performed, which was uneventful. The patient walked without any aid or thigh pain postoperatively during his last follow-up. Using trephines to remove broken femoral stems is an effective and safe method. Intraoperative measures can help in avoiding heat necrosis while using a trephine reamer for extracting the fractured femoral stem. Regular follow-up and counselling are important after THA, to avoid a delayed diagnosis of non-traumatic femoral stem fractures.

Management of a broken modular femoral stem following total hip arthroplasty in a patient with sickle cell disease using an endofemoral trephine reamer: A case report

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Using a trephine reamer to extract a broken femoral stem is a safe technique that preserves the femoral cortical integrity postoperatively in comparison with other techniques.

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Complications of a trephine reamer include heat necrosis and iatrogenic fractures.

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Intra-operative measures can be taken to limit possible complications of trephine reamer such as using new sharp reamers with the appropriate size, regularly irrigating the intramedullary canal while reaming to avoid heat necrosis, and involving a C-arm to avoid any cut-through in the cortex.

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SCD patients who require arthroplasty at young age are prone to a higher risk of aseptic loosening due to the increased physical activity and functional demands which increases the stress on the implant-bone interface hindering implant-bone integration

Introduction and importance

Breakage of the femoral stem with intact bone is a rare complication that has only been reported once. Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients are more prone to variable complications due to the nature of their disease. We discuss how to safely remove a fixed broken stem using an intramedullary trephine reamer to achieve optimal outcome in a SCD patient. It is important to keep an intact femoral cortex during arthroplasty to achieve stable prostheses.

Case presentation

We report a 35 years old SCD male, who complains of left hip pain and decreased activity 18-months following total hip arthroplasty with no history of trauma nor infection. Lab work and radiography showed signs of aseptic loosening and breakage of the femoral stem with no signs of cortical fractures. A trephine reamer was used to extract the stem during revision arthroplasty. Two years post-operative follow up showed improved Harris hip score (HHS) and apparent clinical improvement in function and pain.

Discussion

Multiple femoral stem extraction techniques have been reported in the literature. However, these approaches have variable disadvantages. Using the trephine reamer intramedullary helped to extract the distal femoral stem fragment and preserve the integrity of the femoral cortex. However, caution should be taken to avoid iatrogenic injuries.

Conclusion

Using the trephine reamer to extract a broken femoral stem is a safe technique that preserves the cortical integrity. Complications of the trephine reamer include heat necrosis and iatrogenic fractures. Intra-operative measures can be taken to limit those complications.