Wear rate of polyethylene bearing components.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B F Morrey.
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BACKGROUND: Recurrent instability of the hip in the absence of an identifiable cause is a challenging problem. It has been proposed that bipolar hip arthroplasty may have a role in the treatment of these complex cases. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the results of bipolar hip arthroplasty for the treatment of recurrent instability of the hip in a series of patients at our institution. METHODS: We reviewed the records of twenty-seven patients who had undergone bipolar hip arthroplasty as a salvage procedure for the treatment of recurrent instability of the hip after total hip replacement. All patients had undergone at least two, and a mean of three, stabilizing operative procedures on the hip prior to the bipolar arthroplasty. The mean duration of follow-up was five years (range, two to twelve years), with no patient lost to follow-up. There were six deaths, of unrelated causes. RESULTS: Bipolar arthroplasty prevented redislocation in twenty-two hips (81 percent). At the time of final follow-up, twenty-five patients (93 percent) had a stable hip. Five patients (19 percent) had had episodes of subluxation or dislocation following the bipolar arthroplasty. Two of these patients had only a single episode of dislocation that was treated successfully by immobilization. Two of the remaining three patients required a reoperation because of the instability. The hip was stabilized with the use of a constrained cup prosthesis in one of these patients, and the other patient eventually required resection arthroplasty. The third patient had continuing instability but improved function and pain relief, and a reoperation was not performed. There were a total of seven reoperations; these included revision because of disassembly of the cup in one hip, revision bipolar arthroplasty because of continuing instability in two, resection arthroplasty because of deep infection in two, revision arthroplasty because of recalcitrant groin pain in one, and revision arthroplasty because of deep infection and superior migration of the implant in one. The Harris hip score improved significantly, from a mean of 24 points (range, 5 to 45 points) preoperatively to a mean of 55 points (range, 35 to 80 points) postoperatively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We believe that, despite some potential problems, bipolar hip arthroplasty can have a role in the salvage management of recurrent instability of the hip in patients in whom other stabilization procedures have failed.
BACKGROUND: Total elbow arthroplasty can be a valuable option for the treatment of ankylosed or very stiff elbows. METHODS: A semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty was performed in thirteen patients (fourteen elbows) with a preoperative range of elbow motion of 30 degrees or less. Nine elbows were fused or ankylosed preoperatively. The mean age at the time of the surgery was fifty years (range, twenty-four to seventy-nine years). The etiology of the stiffness was trauma for eleven elbows, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for two, and rheumatoid arthritis for one. RESULTS: After a mean duration of follow-up of sixty-three months, the result was excellent for four elbows, good for four, fair for one, and poor for five, according to the Mayo elbow performance score. The mean arc of flexion improved from 7 degrees (range, 0 to 30 degrees) preoperatively to 67 degrees (range, 10 to 115 degrees) after the surgery. The most important factor that influenced the final result was the presence of ectopic bone surrounding the elbow joint. There were seven complications. Infection developed in five elbows. Three elbows had a superficial infection, which did not compromise the final result in two and which was treated with a myocutaneous flap in one with skin necrosis, with an excellent result. Deep infection developed in two other elbows. Both had an unsatisfactory result, one after implant removal and one after several debridements and retention of the prosthesis. Two patients sustained a fracture because of a loose component, and the prosthesis was revised. Four patients who lost motion within the first month following the surgery had a manipulation under anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty is a useful option for patients with an ankylosed or a very stiff elbow and results in a considerable improvement of motion. Because of the nature of the underlying pathology, complications, including reoperation, are frequent, but the risk can be lessened by careful preoperative planning and surgical technique. Replacement is the preferred option in patients who are more than sixty years of age, but it is also a good choice in younger patients if there is no other viable option.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this paper is to describe the complications that we encountered after using a muscle-splitting two-incision technique to repair avulsed distal biceps tendons. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the results of seventy-eight consecutive anatomical repairs of the distal biceps tendon performed through a muscle-splitting two-incision technique at our institution between 1981 and 1998. Four of the patients required a graft to restore length. The seventy-four tendons that were repaired primarily through the modified Boyd-Anderson approach were analyzed in detail and form the basis of this report. RESULTS: Complications developed after twenty-three (31 percent) of the seventy-four repairs. The complications included five sensory nerve paresthesias (three lateral antebrachial cutaneous and two superficial radial nerve paresthesias) in five patients. A temporary palsy of the posterior interosseous nerve developed in one patient; it resolved in six months. Six patients complained of persistent anterior elbow pain. Heterotopic ossification that did not limit forearm rotation developed in four patients, a superficial wound infection developed in three, one tendon reruptured, three patients lost forearm rotation, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy developed in one patient. No radioulnar synostoses were observed in our series. Complications developed after ten (24 percent) of the forty-one acute repairs (performed fewer than ten days after the injury), six (38 percent) of the sixteen subacute repairs (performed ten to twenty-one days after the injury), and seven (41 percent) of the seventeen delayed repairs (performed more than twenty-one days after the injury). The surgeon's experience with this procedure had no apparent effect on complication rates. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the morbidity from repair of the distal biceps tendon can be attributed primarily to a delay in the timing of the repair and secondarily to an extensive anterior exposure. More importantly, radioulnar synostosis is rare following the muscle-splitting modification of the two-incision technique, which can be performed safely even by surgeons with limited experience with this procedure.
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As total elbow replacements are being performed more frequently, more periprosthetic fractures are occurring. Although this is a frequent topic of discussion for hips and knees, the literature contains little information to guide treatment of such fractures around the elbow. This article outlines the principles of classification and treatment based on the authors' clinical experience with more than 1000 total elbow arthroplasties.
Fifty-three cases of symptomatic heterotopic ossification were evaluated after total hip arthroplasty for the specific purpose of determining the value of surgical excision without revision or other concurrent procedures. The mean followup was 3.5 years for range of motion and 7.8 years for radiographic evaluation. A statistically significant increase in range of motion was obtained for the group at final followup. The mean increase in flexion arc was 34 degrees, abduction and adduction arc was 22 degrees, and rotation arc was 21 degrees. Of the patients who underwent surgical excision of heterotopic bone solely because of pain, none had complete alleviation of symptoms. It is concluded that surgical excision of heterotopic bone results in significant improvement in functional outcome, but it cannot be expected to predictably alleviate pain. Finally, the ultimate arc of motion was better than that suggested radiographically by the Brooker classification system.
BACKGROUND: The static contribution of the rotator cuff to the inferior stability of the shoulder is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of static rotator cuff muscles on the inferior stability of the glenohumeral joint. METHODS: The humeral head positions relative to the glenoid were obtained in 12 shoulder specimens under the following conditions: with and without a 1.5-kg load; with the humerus adducted and abducted 90 degrees; and in three stages of dissection: (1) before release of any of the rotator cuff muscles, (2) after release of the supraspinatus or the cuff muscles other than the supraspinatus, and (3) after release of all of the cuff muscles. The order of release was changed in two ways: release of the supraspinatus followed by the release of other muscles in one group, and the opposite order in the other group. RESULTS: In both adduction and abduction, there were no significant differences in the positions of the humeral head either among the three stages of release or between the two different orders of release. CONCLUSION: The static contribution of the cuff muscles to the inferior stability of the shoulder is insignificant.
The results of nineteen semiconstrained modified Coonrad-Morrey total elbow arthroplasties performed in nineteen patients to treat instability were evaluated at an average of seventy-two months (range, twenty-five to 128 months) postoperatively. Preoperatively, all patients had either a flail elbow or gross instability of the elbow that prevented useful function of the extremity. The instability of sixteen elbows was the result of a traumatic injury or of the treatment of such an injury. The most recent result was satisfactory for sixteen elbows and unsatisfactory for three. The average overall Mayo elbow performance score increased from 44 points preoperatively to 86 points postoperatively. At the most recent follow-up examination, no elbow was unstable. The average arc of flexion was from 25 degrees (range, 0 to 60 degrees) to 128 degrees (range, 30 to 142 degrees), which represented a 58-degree increase from the preoperative average arc. Sixteen patients had little or no pain after the arthroplasty. There were four complications in four patients. Three complications (loosening of the humeral component in one patient and a fracture of the ulnar component in two) occurred postoperatively; all three were treated with a revision procedure. The other complication (a fracture of the olecranon) occurred intraoperatively and was treated with tension-band fixation; the most recent outcome was not affected. Radiographically, one patient had complete (type-V) radiolucency about the humeral component. None of the nine patients for whom true anteroposterior radiographs were available had evidence of wear of the bushings. The bone graft behind the anterior flange of the humeral prosthesis was mature in fourteen elbows, incomplete in two, and resorbed in two. One patient was excluded from this analysis because radiographs were not available. Instability of the elbow resulting in the inability to use the extremity is a challenging clinical situation. However, in patients who are more than sixty years old and in selected patients who are less than sixty years old but who have extensive loss of bone as a result of severe injury, have had multiple operations, or have rheumatoid arthritis, total elbow arthroplasty with a linked, semiconstrained prosthesis reestablishes a mobile, stable joint without premature loosening or failure of the components. In our experience, the use of customized implants, maintenance of the muscular attachments to the epicondyles, and reconstruction of the epicondyles to the implant were unnecessary.
BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality associated with pulmonary embolism are well known, as is the benefit of the use of heparin in patients who have a pulmonary embolism. However, the patterns of heparin use as well as its undesirable effects, especially in patients who have recently had a total hip arthroplasty, have been less well studied. Thus, concern arises regarding the use of heparin in patients who have no firm evidence of a pulmonary embolism. The purpose of the current study was to track the use of heparin and associated orthopaedic complications in patients in whom a pulmonary embolism was suspected after a total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: The records of 150 patients in whom a pulmonary embolism had been suspected after a total hip arthroplasty were reviewed retrospectively. The rates of individual complications (such as stroke, infection, and hematoma) and those of groups of complications (such as medical complications, orthopaedic complications, and all complications combined) were recorded and then were stratified according to the treatment (with or without heparin), the presence or absence of pulmonary embolism, and other variables. RESULTS: Thirty-two (47 percent) of sixty-eight patients who were managed with heparin had complications compared with sixteen (20 percent) of eighty-two patients who were not thus managed (p = 0.0006). Specifically, patients who were managed with heparin were more likely to have gastrointestinal bleeding, hematological complications, a loose prosthesis, a hematoma, or an early revision arthroplasty (p<0.05 for all). With the numbers available, the use of heparin was not found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of death, stroke, or infection at the site of the prosthesis. Interestingly, thirty-one (31 percent) of ninety-nine patients who had ventilation-perfusion scans that demonstrated normal findings or findings indicating a low probability of pulmonary embolism were given heparin before the diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism was excluded, and sixteen (52 percent) of these thirty-one had complications. CONCLUSIONS: Given this risk profile, we advise against the use of heparin before the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is established in patients who have had a total hip arthroplasty. This recommendation is supported by algorithms, in widely read medical texts, pertaining to the use of heparin in patients in whom a pulmonary embolism is suspected.
BACKGROUND: Osteoid osteoma is a painful benign neoplasm that is rarely found in the elbow region. METHODS: The study included fourteen patients, and we believe that this is the largest reported series of patients with osteoid osteoma of the elbow evaluated at one institution. Most of the patients had had symptoms for a prolonged period and had had multiple invasive procedures before an accurate diagnosis was made. Although findings on physical examination generally are nonspecific and are not always accurate in localizing the lesion, plain tomograms and computed tomography scans were most helpful in identifying the nidus in the present study. Thirteen of the patients had limited motion of the elbow before the definitive diagnosis was made, and ten of these thirteen had a mean flexion contracture of 38 degrees. RESULTS: Removal of the nidus resulted in relief of pain and improvement in the range of motion of the elbow in all fourteen patients. A persistent postoperative flexion contracture was more common in the patients who had had a previous arthrotomy of the elbow than in those who had not had that procedure. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to recognize this uncommon entity to avoid the morbidity associated with a prolonged delay in diagnosis. Because the symptoms resolve after excision of the lesion, the surgeon can avoid unnecessary soft-tissue dissection and release of the contracture.
BACKGROUND: The data on seventeen patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had been managed with ipsilateral total shoulder and elbow arthroplasties were analyzed to determine whether the operative technique, the presence of total shoulder and total elbow prostheses in the same upper extremity, or complications of the arthroplasties affected the result in each joint or the overall functional outcome of the upper extremity. METHODS: Seventeen patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were managed with a total of eighteen ipsilateral total shoulder and elbow arthroplasties were evaluated. The most recent physical examination was at an average of six years and six months (range, two years and one month to fourteen years) postoperatively. Radiographs, including 40-degree oblique and axillary radiographs of the shoulder as well as anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the elbow, were made at an average of six years and eleven months (range, two years and two months to twenty-two years and eleven months) postoperatively. The radiographs of the shoulder were examined for loosening of the glenoid component, glenohumeral subluxation, and radiolucency at the bone-cement or bone-implant interface. The functional results of the total shoulder arthroplasties were evaluated with use of the rating systems of Neer et al. and Cofield. The Mayo elbow-performance score was used to evaluate elbow function. A rating system was also developed to assess the overall function of the upper extremity, including pain and motion of both the elbow and the shoulder. With this system, the overall function of the upper extremity was rated as excellent, good, fair, or poor. RESULTS: Evaluation of the shoulders revealed substantial relief of pain and an increase in active elevation. On radiographic evaluation, eight glenoid and five humeral components were considered to be loose. There were no reoperations. According to the rating system of Neer et al., eight shoulders had a satisfactory result and eight had an unsatisfactory result with limited active abduction. Limited-goals rehabilitation was successful after one shoulder arthroplasty and unsuccessful after another. There were two type-B periprosthetic humeral fractures. There was also substantial relief of pain in the elbows as well as an increase in the extension-flexion arc; the pronation-supination arc was sufficient for tasks of daily living. There was no radiographic loosening. Two elbows had an avulsion of the triceps, and two had aseptic loosening (one of which also had a worn bushing); all four needed a reoperation. One other elbow had persistent ulnar neuritis. The average interval between the arthroplasties was two years and eight months when the shoulder was replaced first and three years and five months when the elbow was replaced first. The interval between the joint replacements and the sequence of the joint replacements were not found to influence the outcome. Function of the extremity was improved by replacement of either the shoulder or the elbow alone; however, it improved significantly only when both joints were replaced (p = 0.03). According to combined clinical outcomes scores, there were nine excellent outcomes, four good outcomes, four fair outcomes, and one poor outcome after ipsilateral total shoulder and elbow arthroplasties. CONCLUSIONS: When there is severe arthritis of both the shoulder and the elbow, consideration should be given to replacing both joints in order to obtain optimum functional and clinical outcomes. The possibility of fracture of the humeral shaft necessitates an alteration of the technique for ipsilateral total shoulder and elbow arthroplasties.
Between 1980 and 1993, 13 patients underwent total elbow arthroplasty at the authors' institution after resection of tumors around the elbow. Arc of elbow motion from extension to flexion improved from a preoperative mean of 29 degrees to a postoperative mean of 73 degrees. Pain scores decreased from a preoperative mean of 3.6 to a postoperative mean of 2.0. Three patients had an excellent, six had a good, two had a fair, and two had a poor result. All seven patients with primary tumors had good or excellent results, compared with only two of six patients with metastatic lesions to the elbow. The data from this study suggest total elbow arthroplasty after resection of tumors provides significant pain relief and improvement in function. Patients with metastatic lesions may be candidates for the procedure, especially if all other methods of palliation have been exhausted. However, the results for patients with metastatic lesions may not be satisfactory.
This study was designed to determine the effect of acetabular abduction on the polyethylene wear rates of the acetabular component. The hypothesis of this study is that acetabular placement, in particular abduction, effects contact forces and therefore polyethylene wear. A total of 364 total hip arthroplasties that were performed between 1974 and 1976 were included in this study. The cemented all-polyethylene acetabular components were the same for each case and came from a single supplier. The polyethylene wear rates were calculated by measuring the shortest radius from the center of the prosthetic femoral head to a point on the outer surface of the acetabular cup. An immediate postoperative radiograph was compared with a follow-up radiograph at least 9.5 years later. A standardized radiograph was used to prevent differences due to magnification. The abduction or inclination of the acetabular cups was measured in all of the patients. The amount of acetabular cup abduction was measured relative to the ischial tuberosity line. The mean abduction was 44.1 degrees with a standard deviation of 9.2 degrees and a median of 44 degrees. The range of abduction was from 0 degrees to 85 degrees. This analysis failed to show a correlation between the amount of acetabular abduction and polyethylene wear rates (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.0679; P = .20). With a sample size of 364, there is over a 95% change (statistical power) of detecting an underlying true correlation between wear and abduction that is greater than or equal to 0.20. We were unable to demonstrate a difference in wear that would correlate with the differing degrees of abduction of the acetabular socket. We felt that the radiographic measurements of wear were quite accurate. This method of determining acetabular abduction has also been documented and supported in previous literature and has allowed us to accurately determine acetabular abduction. The results of our study demonstrate that within the normal ranges described by our study, polyethylene wear did not significantly increase with increased abduction of the acetabular component.
Primary osteoarthritis of the elbow is an infrequent condition typically managed by some form of debridement. There is no comment in the literature regarding prosthetic replacement for this condition. We report 5 patients (mean age, 68), with a minimum assessment of 3 years (range, 37-125 years) after total elbow arthroplasty. Complications in 4 patients included subluxation, fracture of a humeral component with particulate synovitis, heterotopic ossification, recurrent osteophyte formation, and transient ulnar neuropathy. Although revision was required in 2 of the 5, currently all experience had satisfactory outcomes. While replacement has proven ultimately to be a successful option for this high-demand patient group because of the high complication rate, we do not recommend replacement unless alternate operative options are deemed unacceptable.
The unique design characteristics of an uncemented femoral component were used to study differences in the periprosthetic membranes in the presence and absence of osteolysis. A component (Omniflex, Osteonics, Allendale, NJ) that has a large midportion of the stem that does not contact bone was studied. A membrane forms, even in the absence of bone resorption, in Gruen zones 3 and 5 of this component. Analysis of this membrane showed noninflammatory fibrous tissue, no or minimal particulate debris, and few macrophages. In contrast, analysis of membranes from osteolytic regions around the same prosthesis demonstrated typical inflammatory characteristics. Collagenase, gelatinase, and stromelysin expression was high in osteolytic membranes but was low in tissues from noninflammatory regions without osteolysis. The data suggest a sequence of events in periprosthetic membrane formation. A noninflammatory membrane initially forms between the bone and the prosthesis. This membrane is transformed into an inflammatory membrane by the influx of particulate debris. Matrix metalloproteinases are selectively expressed in regions of osteolysis, implicating these enzymes in periprosthetic bone loss and suggesting a possible level for pharmaceutical intervention to prevent or treat osteolysis. Formation of the noninflammatory membrane around the distal part of the prosthesis of this or similar designs in the absence of bone resorption implies that these tissue samples could serve as useful negative control tissues to identify factors present in osteolytic periprosthetic membranes.