Total knee arthroplasty performed with either a mini-subvastus or a standard approach: a prospective randomized controlled study with a minimum follow-up of 2 years

Background

There is currently a trend toward minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to decrease the morbidity related to the standard approach. The aim of our study was to clarify whether the mini-subvastus surgical had an advantage over the standard in term of pain level, blood loss, and postoperative recovery, whether the mini-subvastus surgical was prone to radiographic malalignment, prolonged operative time, and increased complications.

Methods

In a prospective randomized study, we compared the clinical and radiological results of primary TKA using a mini-subvastus approach or a standard approach in 68 patients. The mini-subvastus approach was used on 35 patients (group I) and the standard approach on 33 patients (group II).

Results

The mean follow-up was 28 months (range 24–36 months). Patients in group I had less blood loss and better visual analogue scale score at 1 day postoperatively. They achieved active straight leg raise earlier and underwent less lateral retinacular releases. The mean Knee Society function score, Oxford knee score, and range of movement were significantly better in group I up to 9 months after surgery (all, p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in these parameters between the groups at final follow-up. Reduced access and visibility in group I prolonged tourniquet time by an average of 22 min and resulted in five technical errors on radiographic evaluation.

Conclusions

Patients can receive marked but temporary benefits from the mini-subvastus technique, with a definite cost: that of component malposition and prolongation of operative time.     

External or internal fixation in the treatment of non-reducible distal radial fractures?: A 5-year follow-up of a randomized study involving 50 patients

Background and purpose

We have previously shown in a randomized study that in the first year after treatment, open reduction and internal fixation resulted in better grip strength and forearm rotation than closed reduction and bridging external fixation. In the present study, we investigated whether this difference persists over time.

Patients and methods

The 50 patients included in the original study (mean age 53 years, 36 women) were sent a QuickDASH questionnaire and an invitation to a radiographic and clinical examination after a mean of 5 (3–7) years.

Results

All 50 patients returned the QuickDASH questionnaire and 45 participated in the clinical and radiographic examination. In the internal fixation group, the grip strength was 95% (SD 12) of the uninjured side and in the external fixation group it was 90% (SD 21) of the uninjured side (p = 0.3). QuickDASH score, range of motion, and radiographic parameters were similar between the groups.

Interpretation

The difference originally found between internal and external fixation in distal radial fractures at 1 year regarding grip strength and range of motion was found to diminish with time. At 5 years, both groups had approached normal values.In unstable, non-reducible distal radial fractures, surgical treatment is recommended but can be complex. The choice of method is still controversial (Chen and Jupiter 2007), especially regarding the result over time (Downing and Karantana 2008). External fixation has been the method of choice for decades (Atroshi et al. 2006, Krukhaug et al. 2009), but with the introduction of the volar locking plate technique, internal fixation has rapidly become more and more popular—but without any solid evidence (Margaliot et al. 2005).Recently, we showed in a randomized study that open reduction and internal fixation (O) of distal radial fractures using the TriMed fragment-specific system resulted in better grip strength and forearm rotation than closed reduction and bridging external fixation (C) (Abramo et al. 2009). The difference was seen early (at 3 months), which might be expected since the mobilization started earlier, but the difference prevailed at the 1-year follow-up. That study was initiated to investigate whether better anatomical reduction, achieved by the open technique, was important for the final result. Apart from the positive results regarding rotation and grip strength after internal fixation, we found a tendency for closed reduction to result in more malunions, but the difference was not statistically significant. Subjective outcome was similar between the groups, which we believe is either due to an absence of such a difference or to blunt outcome instruments. In the present report, we evaluated the same cohort at a later point in time, between 3 and 7 years, with the primary aim of determining whether the superior short-term results of internal fixation in unstable distal radial fractures persist over time.     

Results of surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy in patients aged 75 years or more: a comparative study of operative methods

Introduction

The number of surgical procedures in elderly patients has been increasing as the population has grown older; recently, spine surgeons have been more likely to encounter elderly patients with cervical myelopathy in need of surgical treatment. There are many reports about surgical treatment of elderly patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM); however, there are no studies about the proper selection of surgical methods and comparison of their results in CSM patients aged ≥75 years. The objective of this study was to review the results of operative methods in CSM patients aged ≥75 years.

Methods

Forty-three consecutive cases with an average age of 79 years that underwent surgical treatment were included in this study. The neurological severity was assessed using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score for cervical myelopathy (JOA). The JOA scores were evaluated before surgery and at final follow-up. There were 21 laminoplasty procedures (from C3 to C7), 13 selective laminoplasty procedures (one above and one below the affected intervertebral level), and nine anterior decompression and fusion procedures. A selective laminoplasty was performed in cases with general complications and was diagnosed as one intervertebral level both clinically and electrophysiologically. Surgical results were compared among the three treatment groups.

Results

The average preoperative JOA score was 7.7 points and the average JOA recovery rate was 45 %. There were three cases of C5 palsy and one wound infection. Operative time and intraoperative bleeding in the selective laminoplasty group were significantly smaller than those in the other groups. There was no significant difference in the JOA recovery rates among the groups.

Conclusions

Selective laminoplasty is less invasive and the surgical results in our study were almost good. It also has good short-term results. However, the indication for surgery has to be selected carefully in elderly CSM patients.     

Tibial shaft fractures - to monitor or not? a multi-centre 2 year comparative study assessing the diagnosis of compartment syndrome in patients with tibial diaphyseal fractures

AimsThe aim of this study was to compare the outcome in patients who did and did not undergo continuous compartment pressure monitoring (CCPM) following a tibial diaphyseal fracture.Patients and methodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of 287 patients with an acute tibial diaphyseal fractures who presented to three centres over a two-year period. Demographic data, diagnosis, management, wound closure, complications, and subsequent surgeries were recorded. The primary outcome measure was the rate of short-term complications. Secondary outcomes were time to fasciotomy and split-skin grafting rates.ResultsOf the 287 patients in the study cohort, 171 patients underwent CCPM (monitored group; MG) and 116 did not (non-monitored group; NMG). There were 21 patients who developed ACS and underwent fasciotomy, with comparable rates in both groups (n=13 in the MG vs n=8 in NMG; p=0.82). There was no difference in the rate of complications between groups (all p>0.05). The mean time from admission to fasciotomy was 22.1hrs, with a mean time of 19.8hrs in the MG and 25.8hrs in the NMG (mean difference, 6hrs; p=0.301). One patient in the NMG required a below-knee amputation. There was a trend towards a reduced requirement for split-skin grafting post decompression in the MG (15% vs 50%; p=0.14).ConclusionThis study found no difference in the short-term complication rates in those patients that underwent CCPM and those that did not following a fracture of the tibial diaphysis. CCPM does appear to be safe with no increase in the rate of fasciotomies performed. There was a trend towards a reduced time to fasciotomy and a reduced rate of split skin grafting for wound closure with CCPM.Level of evidenceLevel III (Diagnostic: Retrospective cohort study)     

An open-label extension study of ivacaftor in children with CF and a CFTR gating mutation initiating treatment at age 2–5 years (KLIMB)

BackgroundKIWI (NCT01705145) was a 24-week, single-arm, pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy study of ivacaftor in children aged 2 to 5 years with cystic fibrosis (CF) and a CFTR gating mutation. Here, we report the results of KLIMB (NCT01946412), an 84-week, open-label extension of KIWI.MethodsChildren received age- and weight-based ivacaftor dosages for 84 weeks. The primary outcome was safety. Other outcomes included sweat chloride, growth parameters, and measures of pancreatic function.ResultsAll 33 children who completed KIWI enrolled in KLIMB; 28 completed 84 weeks of treatment. Most adverse events were consistent with those reported during KIWI. Ten (30%) children had transaminase elevations >3 × upper limit of normal (ULN), leading to 1 discontinuation in a child with alanine aminotransferase >8 × ULN. Improvements in sweat chloride, weight, and body mass index z scores and fecal elastase-1 observed during KIWI were maintained during KLIMB; there was no further improvement in these parameters.ConclusionsIvacaftor was generally well tolerated for up to 108 weeks in children aged 2 to 5 years with CF and a gating mutation, with safety consistent with the KIWI study. Improvements in sweat chloride and growth parameters during the initial 24 weeks of treatment were maintained for up to an additional 84 weeks of treatment. Prevalence of raised transaminases remained stable and did not increase with duration of exposure during the open-label extension.     

Factors associated with preference for sildenafil citrate and tadalafil for treating erectile dysfunction in men naïve to phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor therapy: post hoc analysis of data from a multicentre, randomized, open-label, crossover study

OBJECTIVES: To determine if baseline characteristics, treatment efficacy, psychosocial outcomes or tolerability were associated with patient preference for sildenafil citrate (sildenafil) or tadalafil for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) in men naive to phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In an open-label, crossover study of sildenafil (25, 50 or 100 mg) and tadalafil (10 or 20 mg), dosed as needed, after a 4-week baseline assessment, 367 men with ED were randomly assigned to sildenafil followed by tadalafil or vice versa (8-week dose optimization and 4-week assessment phase for each treatment period). Patients completing both periods chose which treatment they preferred for an 8-week extension phase. Bivariate logistic regression and stepwise logistic regression were used to determine if any baseline characteristics or post-baseline measurements were associated with the patients' treatment preference. Baseline variables examined were age, race, ED aetiology/duration, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, vital signs, comorbid medical conditions, and baseline scores for the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) domains, Psychological and Interpersonal Relationship Scales (PAIRS) domains, and Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) diary questions. Post-baseline variables examined were therapy sequence, dosage, and differences in IIEF and PAIRS domains, SEP scores, in number/timing of sexual attempts and in the severity of side-effects (overall patient perception). RESULTS: Of 291 patients completing both treatments and indicating a preference, 85 (29%) preferred sildenafil and 206 (71%) preferred tadalafil. Variables were individually analysed using bivariate analysis; one baseline characteristic (presence/absence of hyperlipidaemia) and 13 post-baseline measurements were significantly associated with the patients' treatment preference. Variables were analysed as a group using stepwise logistic regression; a set of six post-baseline factors was identified as significantly associated with patient preference. Dosage choice, reductions in the PAIRS time concerns domain, IIEF intercourse satisfaction domain improvements, smaller side-effect severity scores, more sexual attempts, and increased SEP4 scores (satisfaction with erection hardness) during the tadalafil or sildenafil treatment periods were all significantly associated with preference for tadalafil or sildenafil. CONCLUSIONS: We identified no baseline characteristics that prospectively distinguish patients who will prefer tadalafil or sildenafil. Patient differences in time concerns, dosage choice, intercourse satisfaction, treatment tolerability, number of sexual attempts and satisfaction with erection hardness were the set of factors most significantly associated with treatment preference, and the preference observed for tadalafil (71%) or sildenafil (29%) might be substantially accounted for by differences in these factors during the tadalafil and sildenafil treatment periods.