The number of primary Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) procedures carried out in England and Wales is increasing annually. The British Orthopaedic Association guidelines for follow up currently differ for patients with TKA and THA. In THA the BOA recommends that Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel (ODEP) 10A rated implants should be followed up in the first year, once at seven years and three yearly thereafter. The BOA guidelines for TKA minimum requirement is radiographs at 5 years and each five years thereafter. Few studies have investigated if early follow up affects patient management following total hip and knee arthroplasty

We carried out a retrospective review of all revision procedures carried out in our institution between April 2010 to April 2013. The medical notes and radiographs for each patient were examined to determine the operative indications and patients symptoms. 92 knee revisions and 143 hip revisions were identified. Additionally we retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 300 one year routine arthroplasty follow up appointments.

The mean time of hip revision was 8.5years (range 0 to 27years) and 5.6years (range 0 to 20years) for knee revisions. The commonest cause for revision was aseptic loosening associated with pain in 49 (53%) of knee revision patients and 89 (63%) of hip revisions. Infection accounted for 26 (28%) knee revisions and 16 (12%) hip revisions. Only 1% of hip and knee revisions was carried out in asymptomatic patients with aseptic loosening.

We did not identify any cases were a patients management was altered at the routine arthroplasty review clinic and none were referred on for further surgical treatment. The findings of our study suggest there is no evidence for a routine one year arthroplasty review and revisions were carried out in asymptomatic patients in 1% of patients.

Decreased oxygenation and delayed wound healing may negate the advantages of using a medial parapatellar incision in Total Knee Replacement. Tissue biochemical and blood flow data are not currently available in the literature.

20 patients were included in the study and randomised to midline or medial parapatellar skin incision groups, being supervised by one of 3 Consultant surgeons. Cutaneous blood flow was measured using a Speckle Contrast Blood Perfusion Imager at pre-operative and Days 1 & 3 post-operative intervals. Interstitial fluid measurements for lactate, pyruvate, lactate/pyruvate ratio and glucose were obtained from subcutaneous catheters with a dialysis membrane. Pre-operative samples were obtained from a catheter inserted into the prospective lateral wound edge. A catheter inserted after wound closure supplied dialysates at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24-hour intervals. One catheter was corrupted on insertion; therefore the patients with biochemical data numbered 19.

Cutaneous blood flow improved over the 3 post-operative days in both types of incision and both sides, the medial retaining comparatively better flow. At Day 3, the parapatellar incision group displayed better flow on both sides of the wound. The concentration of lactate was highest in the parapatellar incision group of patients at all intervals. Pyruvate concentrations did not appear to differ across the incision types. Similarly, glucose concentrations did not appear to differ until after 4 hours, when higher concentrations were recorded in the midline group. Lactate/pyruvate ratio appeared to be notably greater in the parapatellar incision group. Plotting change in blood flow relative to change in lactate concentration demonstrated an increase in lactate as flow deteriorates.

The study findings suggest medial parapatellar incisions have increased anaerobic metabolites due to tissue hypoperfusion. Previous studies have demonstrated decreased oxygen tension in lateral based flaps and more recently the medial to lateral arterial anatomy has been demonstrated.

The Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) is the main restraining force against lateral patellar displacement. It is often disrupted following patellar subluxation or dislocation. MPFL reconstruction is frequently performed when conservative management fails and the patient experiences recurrent patellar dislocation. Various MPFL reconstruction procedures have been described in the literature and reported outcomes are encouraging. This study analyses the radiographic outcomes following MPFL reconstruction.

From January 2006 to January 2011, 76 consecutive patients (80 knees) with patellar recurrent dislocation underwent medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction in three large teaching hospitals. Mean follow-up was 31.8 months (range, 13–72). Semitendinosus and gracilis autografts were used for the reconstruction and all procedures were carried out by the senior authors (WL, BR, CW, MB).

Plain radiographs (Anteroposterior (AP), Lateral and Skyline) performed preoperatively and postoperatively were used to compare the sulcus angle, congruence angle, lateral patellofemoral angle, trochlear dysplasia (Dejour classification), trochlear boss height and patellar height (Caton-Deschamps ratio). Plain radiographs (Lateral) performed postoperatively were used to evaluate the femoral tunnel placement used for MPFL reconstruction.

The sulcus angle improved from 143.2° (122.9–157.7) to 139.3° (115.7–154.6) and the congruence angle improved from 26.7° (−17.5–82.6) to 0.26° (−35.3–7.8). The lateral patellofemoral angle was 7.99° (3.2–19.2) preoperatively and 9.02° (3.2–18.2) postoperatively. The Caton-Deschamps ratio was 1.2 (1.0–1.5) preoperatively and 1.0 (0.8–1.1) postoperatively. Using the Dejour classification of trochlear dysplasia, all preoperative radiographs were considered to be grade C or D and all postoperative radiographs were considered to be grade A or B. Trochlear boss height was 5.9mm (1.8–11.6) preoperatively and 4.7mm (1.6–6.9) postoperatively. 59% of the femoral tunnels were considered to be in a good position on postoperative radiographs.

This study displayed a significant improvement in postoperative radiographic parameters, demonstrating the importance of anatomic restoration when performing MPFL reconstruction.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis. Data was collected on 664 patients at 4 centres all of whom received a Depuy PFC Sigma prosthesis. Data collected included patient demographics, Oxford Knee Score (OKS), American Knee Society Score, SF-12, complications of surgery and the need for revision.

14% of patients had a BMI<25, 35% were overweight (BMI-25–30), 32% suffered from Grade 1 obesity (BMI-30–35) and 19% had grade 2 obesity (BMI>35). Obese patients were more likely to be female, have a higher ASA grade, present at a younger age and do sedentary work or no work at all. Pre-operative Oxford knee score was significantly worse in the BMI>35 group (p<0.001).

After surgery there was a significant improvement in functional outcome measures at 5 years post-operatively with all BMI groups improved by an average of 18 or 19 points in the OKS. However because those patients with high BMI have poorer pre-operative Oxford scores their post-operative scores were lower compared to patients with a normal BMI. Similar findings were noted with range of motion of the knee joint.

Overall complication rates were found to be significantly higher in obese patients and both revision surgery and deep infection rates increased stepwise with increasing BMI levels.

Deep Infection rates were as follows: BMI<25 0%, BMI-25–30 1.3%, BMI-30–35 1.4%, BMI-35–40 3.2% and BMI>40 6.1%.

Revision rates were as follows: BMI<25 0%, BMI-25–30 0.9%, BMI-30–35 0.9%, BMI-35–40 3.2% and BMI>40 6.1%.

Although obese patients with knee osteoarthritis do benefit from joint arthroplasty, they suffer from an increased rate of complications and need for revision surgery.

To evaluate if young patients have a poorer functional outcome following Total Knee Arthroplasty surgery.

Database of 700 consecutive Total Knee Arthroplasty patients from Scotland, UK was collected with Oxford Knee scores and American Knee Society Scores both pre-operatively and at sequential follow up reviews (PFC database, DePuy). Complication data was also collated. Patients were then age stratified into below 55, 56–64, 65–74 and over 75 groups. Analysis was performed using General Linear Model ANOVA (Minitab v10) comparing functional score change between pre operative and 2 year score data.

No statistical difference was identified between the patient age groups and change in functional outcome scores (AKSS p=0.994; OKS p=0.368). All groups showed an improvement in functional scores over the 2 year period using both patients assessed (OKU) and physician scored outcomes (AKSS). There was no statistical difference in revision or infection rates.

Recent data has suggested higher revision and infection rates in young patients undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty (Scottish Arthroplasty Report 2012). The data from the PFC database does not show any change in infection or revision rates within this sample population and the data does also not support any variance in change in functional outcome with all groups showing improvement following TKA. The findings may be limited due to sample size of 700 patients.

To validate the Modified Forgotten Joint Score (MFJS) as a new patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) in hip and knee arthroplasty against the UK's gold standard Oxford Hip and Knee Scores (OHS/OKS).

The original Forgotten Joint Score was created by Behrend et al to assess post-op hip/knee arthroplasty patients. It is a new assessment tool devised to provide a greater discriminatory power, particularly in the well performing patients. It measures an appealing concept; the ability of a patient to forget about their artificial joint in everyday life. The original FJS was a 12-item questionnaire, which we have modified to 10-items to improve reliability and missing data.

Postal questionnaires were sent out to 400 total hip/knee replacement (THR/TKR) patients who were 1–2 years post-op, along with the OHS/OKS and a visual pain analog score. The data collected from the 212 returned questionnaires (53% return rate) was analysed in relation to construct and content validity. A sub-cohort of 77 patients took part in a test-retest repeatability study to assess reliability of the MFJS.

The MFJS proved to have an increased discriminatory power in high-performing patients in comparison to the OHS and OKS, highlighted by its more normal frequency of distribution and reduced ceiling effects in the MFJS. 30.8% of patients (n=131) scored 42–48 (equivalent to 87.5–100 in the MFJS) or more in the OKS compared to just 7.69% in the MFJS TKR patients. The MFJS proved to have an increased test-retest repeatability based upon its intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.968 compared to the Oxford's 0.845.

The MFJS provides a more sensitive tool in the assessment of well performing hip and knee arthroplasties in comparison to the OHS/OKS. The MFJS tests the concept of awareness of a prosthetic joint, rather than pain and function and therefore should be used as adjunct to the OKS/OHS.

A retrospective analysis was carried out to determine the influence of pre-existing spinal pathology on the outcome of Total Knee Replacement surgery. Data was collected from 345 patients who had undergone Total Knee Replacement, at four centres in the UK, between 2000 and 2007. Oxford Knee Scores (OKS), American Knee Society Scores (AKSS) and SF-12 questionnaires were recorded prospectively. Data was collected pre-operatively and then post-operatively at 3 months, 1 year and 2 years. Patients were divided into those with (n=40) and without a history of low back pain (n=305). In addition to determining the influence of low back pain on outcome after Total Knee Replacement we also examined the influence of concomitant hip and ankle pathology in the same cohort of patients.

OKS scores were significantly worse for patients with symptomatic low back pain at 3 (p=0.05), 12 (p=0.009) and 24 months (p=0.039) following surgery. SF-12 physical scores followed a comparable pattern with significance demonstrated at 3 (p=0.038), 12 (p=0.0002) and 24 months (p=0.016). AKSS followed a similar pattern, but significance was only reached at 1 year (p=0.013). The mental component of the SF-12 measure demonstrated a significant improvement in patients' mental health post-operatively for patients with no history of low back pain. In contrast patients with low back pain showed no improvement in mental health scores post-operatively.

In contrast to low back pain, hip and ankle pathology had no statistically significant detrimental effect on the outcome of Total Knee Replacement surgery.

This study demonstrates that low back pain significantly affects the functional outcome after Total Knee Replacement surgery and that patients with low back pain show no improvement in mental health post-operatively.

Deep surgical infections are a serious complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Various protocols exist for treating these infections, each with its own advocates. In this series we report the one to five year follow-up of infected TKA that were treated with a two-stage revision knee replacement at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary between December 2003 and March 2009.

48 patients were identified from the hospital database. 6 of these were excluded as they did not meet the stipulated infection criteria. Another patient was excluded as no notes were available thereby the infection status could not be determined. Another 8 patients were excluded as these only had a first stage.

33 patients (16 male) average age 67y (49–88) met the inclusion criteria. Mean BMI was of 31.62 (19–47) and 8 patients suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. At presentation, the median for the ESR, CRP and WCC were 70.5, 133 and 8.5 respectively. The infective organism was identified in 22 patients. Following the first stage, the patients were treated with antibiotics (initially intravenous followed by oral) for an average of 11.8 weeks (4–52 weeks). This procedure failed to eliminate the infection in 6 patients (18.18%) who had further re-admissions for infection of the affected prosthesis. The resultant success rate is of over 80% which is comparable to literature data (success rates of 41% to 96% quoted). For these patients, the average time to review was 25.13 months (12–67months). At review these patients had a mean extension of 2.17° (0–10°) and a mean flexion of 98.26 (70–120°). These patients were all satisfied with their outcome.

Our results show a high successful rate of elimination of infection when a two-stage revision is used for infected knee prosthesis with over 80% of patients free of infection.

Fragility fractures are an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. Their association with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) is well documented. It is a reasonable assumption that hip fracture severity is linked to the magnitude of bone loss, (the lower the BMD, the more severe the fracture), however it is not known whether this correlation exists. Our aim therefore was to investigate the relationship between BMD and hip fracture severity.

We reviewed 142 patients, 96 females and 46 males, mean age 74 years (49-92), who had sustained a hip fracture following a simple ground level fall. All had subsequently undergone DEXA bone scanning of the contralateral hip and lumbar spine. Fractures were classified as intra-capsular, extra-capsular or subtrochanteric, then sub-classified using the Garden, Jensen and Seinsheimer classifications respectively. They were grouped into simple (stable) or comminuted (unstable) fracture patterns. Risk factors for osteoporosis were recorded.

A low hip BMD (<2.5) was associated with an increased risk of extra-capsular fracture (p=0.025). However, no association with fracture type (extra vs. intra-capsular, p>0.05) was identified with the following variables; age, gender, BMI <25, smoking, and excess alcohol intake. We did not find any statistically significant associations between fracture severity and the nine principle variables tested for: age; gender; smoking; BMI < 25; alcohol excess and low hip or lumbar BMD T or Z score <-2.5.

Although the association between BMD and risk of fragility fractures is well documented, the results of this study would suggest that severity of hip fractures does not follow this correlation. Therefore, no assumption can be made about BMD of the proximal femur based on the severity of fracture observed on plain radiographs alone.

Total knee arthroplasty is an established and successful operation. In up to 13% of patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty continue to complain of pain. Recently computerised tomography (CT) has been used to assess the rotational profile of both the tibial and femoral components in painful total knee arthroplasty.

We reviewed 56 painful total knee replacements and compared these to 56 matched patients with pain free total knee replacements. Patients with infection, aseptic loosening, revision arthroplasties and gross coronal malalignment were excluded. Datum gathered from case notes and radiographs using a prospective orthopaedic database to identify patients. The age, sex, preoperative and postoperative Oxford scores, visual analogue scores and treatments recorded. The CT information recorded was limb alignment, tibial component rotation, femoral component rotation and combined rotation.

The two cohorts of patients had similar demographics. The mean limb alignments were 1.7 degrees varus and 0.01 degrees valgus in the painful and control groups respectively. A significant difference in tibial component rotation was identified between the groups with 3.2 degrees of internal rotation in the painful group compared to 0.5 degrees of external rotation in the control group (p=0.001). A significant difference in femoral component rotation was identified between the groups with 3.8 degrees of internal rotation in the painful group compared to 1.1 degrees of external rotation in the control group (p=0.001). A significant difference in the combined component rotation was identified between the groups with 6.8 degrees of internal rotation in the painful group compared to 1.7 degrees of external rotation in the control group (p=0.001).

We have identified significant internal rotation in a patient cohort with painful total knee arthroplasty when compared to a control group with internal rotation of the tibial component, femoral component and combined rotation. This is the largest comparison series currently in the literature.