Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Addressing recurrent instability in patients with poor bone stock and inadequate abductor tensioning remains a challenge in revision total hip arthroplasty. One treatment method is implantation of a constrained liner. The purpose of this study was to determine clinical outcomes, redislocation rate, and revisions of a focally constrained liner in a high-risk patient cohort. METHODS:Fifty-eight hips between 2008 and 2011 underwent implantation of a focally constrained liner. Nineteen were placed concurrent with acetabular component revision and 39 were placed into a well-fixed acetabular shell. Mean age was 69 years and mean number of previous ipsilateral hip surgeries was 4.2. At mean follow-up of 3.5 years, we analyzed clinical outcomes, redislocation, and revisions. RESULTS:Mean Harris Hip Scores was 74. Fourteen hips (24%) were revised and 3 hips (5%) required reoperation at final follow-up. Eleven hips (19%) redislocated at a mean time to dislocation of 12.2 months; 31% (11 of 36 patients) that underwent modular exchange specifically for instability redislocated. Risk factors for redislocation included number of previous surgeries (P = .013), implantation of a 28 mm femoral head (hazards ratio 12.8), revision indication of instability (P = .04), and modular exchange with constrained liner implantation without acetabular shell revision (P = .01). CONCLUSION:Implantation of a focally constrained liner in revision total hip arthroplasty for recurrent instability has a high failure rate, especially with a modular exchange. Although concurrent acetabular revision had a lower redislocation rate, the decision to revise a well-fixed cup should be weighed with potential complications associated with cup revision.

AIMS/OBJECTIVE:Animal models have been developed that allow simulation of post-traumatic joint contracture. One such model involves contracture-forming surgery followed by surgical capsular release. This model allows testing of antifibrotic agents, such as rosiglitazone. METHODS:A total of 20 rabbits underwent contracture-forming surgery. Eight weeks later, the animals underwent a surgical capsular release. Ten animals received rosiglitazone (intramuscular initially, then orally). The animals were sacrificed following 16 weeks of free cage mobilisation. The joints were tested biomechanically, and the posterior capsule was assessed histologically and via genetic microarray analysis. RESULTS:There was no significant difference in post-traumatic contracture between the rosiglitazone and control groups (33° (standard deviation (sd) 11) vs 37° (sd14), respectively; p = 0.4). There was no difference in number or percentage of myofibroblasts. Importantly, there were ten genes and 17 pathways that were significantly modulated by rosiglitazone in the posterior capsule. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:Rosiglitazone significantly altered the genetic expression of the posterior capsular tissue in a rabbit model, with ten genes and 17 pathways demonstrating significant modulation. However, there was no significant effect on biomechanical or histological properties.Cite this article: M. P. Abdel. Effectiveness of rosiglitazone in reducing flexion contracture in a rabbit model of arthrofibrosis with surgical capsular release: A biomechanical, histological, and genetic analysis. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:11-17. doi: 10.1302/2046-3758.51.2000593.

BACKGROUND:Dupuytren's disease is an inherited disorder in which patients develop fibrotic contractures of the hand. Current treatment strategies include surgical excision or enzymatic digestion of fibrotic tissue. MicroRNAs, which are key posttranscriptional regulators of genes expression, have been shown to play an important regulatory role in disorders of fibrosis. Therefore in this investigation, we apply high throughput next generation RNA sequencing strategies to characterize microRNA expression in diseased and healthy palmar fascia to elucidate molecular mechanisms responsible for pathogenic fibrosis. METHODS:We applied high throughput RNA sequencing techniques to quantify the expression of all known human microRNAs in Dupuytren's and control palmar fascia. MicroRNAs that were differentially expressed between diseased and healthy tissue samples were used for computational target prediction using the bioinformatics tool ComiR. Molecular pathways that were predicted to be differentially expressed based on computational analysis were validated by performing RT-qPCR on RNA extracted from diseased and non-diseased palmar fascia biopsies. RESULTS:A comparison of microRNAs expressed in Dupuytren's fascia and control fascia identified 74 microRNAs with a 2-fold enrichment in Dupuytren's tissue, and 32 microRNAs with enrichment in control fascia. Computational target prediction for differentially expressed microRNAs indicated preferential targeting of collagens and extracellular matrix related proteins in control palmar fascia. RT-qPCR confirmed the decreased expression of microRNA targeted collagens in control palmar fascia tissues. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:Control palmar fascia show decreased expression of mRNAs encoding collagens that are preferentially targeted by microRNAs enriched in non-diseased fascia. Thus alterations in microRNA regulatory networks may play an important role in driving the pathogenic fibrosis seen in Dupuytren's disease via direct regulatory effects on extracellular matrix protein synthesis. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Dupuytren's fascia and healthy palmar fascia can be distinguished by unique microRNA profiles, which are predicted to preferentially target collagens and other extracellular matrix proteins.

The results of total hip arthroplasty in 42 primary total hip arthroplasties in super-obese patients (BMI ≥ 50) were reviewed. The mean body mass index for the study group was 53.2 kg/m(2) (range 50-64). The mean preoperative Harris hip score improved from 35 to 74.8 postoperatively (P<0.001). Twenty-four of the THAs had at least one complication. At least one major complication occurred in 11 of the THAs and at least one minor complication in 14 THAs When compared to matched 2:1 control group the super-obese patient had a significantly increased risk to experience a complication (HR 5.6 , CI = 2.8-11.0). Caution should be used when proceeding with primary total hip arthroplasty with a BMI greater than 50.

BACKGROUND:We observed isolated tibial component debonding from the cement in one modern primary TKA design (NexGen LPS 3° tibial tray; Zimmer, Warsaw, IN, USA). This failure mechanism is sparsely reported in the literature. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES/OBJECTIVE:We (1) assessed survivorship of this tibial tray with special emphasis on debonding; (2) described clinical and radiographic features associated with tibial failure; and (3) compared patient and radiographic features of the failures with a matched cohort. METHODS:A total of 1337 primary TKAs were performed with a cemented NexGen LPS 3° tibial tray over an 11-year period. Twenty-five knees (1.9%) were revised for tibial debonding. BMI and radiographic alignment in the tibial debonding group were compared with a matched control group. Implant survivorship was assessed using tibial debonding as the end point. RESULTS:Survival free of revision from tibial debonding was 100% at 1 year and 97.8% at 5 years. The tibial failures shared a typical radiographic pattern with debonding at the cement-implant interface and subsidence into varus and flexion. We found no link between limb alignment or individual component alignment and failure because 22 of the 25 failures occurred in well-aligned knees. CONCLUSIONS:Our standardized followup of patients undergoing TKA at routine intervals allowed us to discover a higher rate of revision resulting from tibial debonding. We have discontinued the use of this particular tibial tray for primary TKA and surveillance for patients undergoing TKA continues to be warranted.