Eight- to 13-year follow-up evaluation of chemonucleolysis patients

739 patients treated eight to 13 years previously with chymopapain injection are evaluated by questionnaire. The results were 76% satisfactory and 24% unsatisfactory. When those with prior surgery, midline discs, and spondylolisthesis were eliminated, there is a satisfactory result in 82% with 60% excellent, reinforcing the importance of patient selection for the procedure. Thirty-one percent of patients had preoperative myelograms, and all had discograms and were done under general anesthesia with the single needle technique. Of the excellent and good results, 50% had a two-level injection, while one-level injections produced only 23% and 20%, respectively. Results in midline discs are comparable to lateral displacement and the 13 patients with spondylolisthesis had 85% satisfactory outcome. In ten patients younger than 19 years of age, only one was a failure. Sixteen percent of patients had prior surgery and they reported a successful outcome of injection in 55%. Of the 179 unsatisfactory results in the series, subsequent treatment reduced the rate of failed end results to 14%. The study verifies the persistence of early satisfactory results and shows no late complications such as symptomatic iatrogenic spinal stenosis.     

A ten- to 15-year follow-up of the cementless spotorno stem

We followed the first 354 consecutive implantations of a cementless, double-tapered straight femoral stem in 326 patients. Follow-up was at a mean of 12 years (10 to 15). The mean age of the patients was 57 years (13 to 81). At follow-up, 56 patients (59 hips) had died, and eight (eight hips) had been lost to follow-up. Twenty-five hips underwent femoral revision, eight for infection, three for periprosthetic fracture and 14 for aseptic loosening. The overall survival was 92% at 12 years (95% CI 88 to 95). Survival with femoral revision for aseptic loosening as an endpoint was 95% (95% CI 92 to 98). The median Harris hip score at follow-up was 84 points (23 to 100). Radiolucent lines (< 2 mm) in Gruen zones 1 and 7 were present in 38 (16%) and 34 hips (14%), respectively. Radiolucencies in zones 2 to 6 were found in five hips (2%). The results for mid- to long-term survival with this femoral component are encouraging and compare with those achieved in primary cemented total hip arthroplasty. The high rate of loosening of the cup and the high rate of pain are, however, a source of concern.     

Idiopathic hyperphosphatasia with dermal pigmentation. A twenty-year follow-up

Hyperphosphatasia, or hereditary bone dysplasia with hyperphosphatasaemia, is a rare genetic disorder which is characterised by failure to transform woven into lamellar bone. Clinical, radiological and histological features establish the diagnosis, fractures, deformities, diffuse sclerosis on radiographs and high serum alkaline phosphatase being characteristic. We report the case of a 27-year-old man with follow-up at the same hospital for 20 years. Attempts at treatment with calcitonin and disocium etidronate (EHDP) failed, but stapling of the growth plates at the knee was successfully performed. Transverse "brittle" fractures of the humerus, lower leg and ribs healed normally, but internal fixation and late bone grafting were required for a subtrochanteric stress fracture of the femur at the age of 24 years. At present the patient has no clinical problems and leads a normal life.     

Femoral revision with the Wagner tapered stem: a ten- to 15-year follow-up study

Revision after failed femoral components may be technically demanding due to loss of peri-prosthetic bone. This retrospective study evaluated the long-term results of femoral revision using the cementless Wagner Self-Locking stem. Between 1992 and 1998, 68 consecutive hips in 66 patients underwent femoral revision using this implant. A total of 25 patients died from unrelated causes without further revision; the remaining 41 hips in 41 patients (12 men and 29 women) with a mean age of 61 years (29 to 80) were reviewed at a mean follow-up of 13.9 years (10.4 to 15.8). A transfemoral approach was used in 32 hips. A total of five stems required further revision because of infection in two, progressive subsidence in two and recurrent dislocation in one. Four hips had dislocated and eight stems had subsided ≥?10?mm. The mean Harris hip score improved from 33 points pre-operatively to 75 points at final follow-up (p < 0.001). In all, 33 stems (91.7%) showed radiological signs of stable bone fixation. The cumulative survival rates at 15.8 years with femoral revision for any reason and for stem failure as the endpoints were 92.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 86.0% to 98.4%) and 96.6% (95% CI 92.2% to 100%), respectively. The survivorship with revision and ≥ 10 mm migration of the stem as the endpoint was 83.6% (95% CI 76.6% to 91.4%). This study shows quite good survival and moderate clinical outcome when using a monoblock tapered titanium stem for supporting the regeneration of bone in complex revision hip surgery.     

Charnley total hip arthroplasty. A ten- to 14-year follow-up study

The long-term results of 325 consecutive Charnley total hip arthroplasties (THAs) were assessed at an average of 62 and 140 months (five-year and ten-year follow-up examinations) postoperatively. Cases developing deep infection during the first five years were not included. Pain, walking ability, and mobility were rated as advocated by Charnley. The results were then graded as excellent, good, fair (clinically successful), and failure. At the five-year follow-up evaluation, 77 hips were excluded; 92% (228/248) of the results were successful. At the ten-year follow-up examination, interest was focused on the 228 hips graded as successful after five years. Sixty-six were excluded, one that had not been included at the five-year evaluation was traced, and 92% (150/163) were again clinically successful. The failure rate owing to mechanical causes during the first five years and between the five-year and ten-year follow-up examinations was 6.9% and 6.7%, respectively. The clinical results were considered highly satisfactory because only 50% of the hips judged successful at the ten-year examination had roentgenographically intact components. There is good reason to have great confidence in the Charnley THA.     

The long-term results of chymopapain. Ten-year follow-up of 268 patients after chemonucleolysis

The effect of chymopapain injection was investigated in myelographically confirmed intervertebral disc herniation in 268 patients after ten years. Mean age is 39.4 years, 178 males and 90 females. Sixty-two patients had compensation or litigation and 12 had prior lumbar spine surgery. Discography was performed in 223 patients, resulting in 134 one-level injections, 124 two-level injections, and ten three-level injections. Forty percent of the patients experienced postoperative muscle spasm for several days. No complications were seen in 241 patients (92%) who were available for follow-up examination at ten years; 86% had less leg pain, 82% were employed at a capacity equal to or greater than before injection, 9% were at a less strenuous job, 1% were disabled, and 8% had retired. In 22 patients treated surgically within one year of chemonucleolysis, disc-related pathology was present in 14 cases and spondylosis or spinal stenosis was present in seven cases. One had a negative exploration and continued to be disabled. Eight patients came to surgical intervention after one year because of persisting symptoms: four patients had disc protrusion, three had laminectomy and spinal fusion, and one had a decompressive laminectomy secondary to spondylotic change. Chemonucleolysis did not prejudice the outcome of subsequent surgical treatment with good results following this intervention. One tumor, a neurofibroma, was found in this study. Chemonucleolysis with chymopapain was a safe and effective treatment of radicular complaints caused by well-documented intervertebral disc herniation.     

The long-term outcome of high tibial osteotomy: a ten- to 20-year follow-up

We carried out a prospective study of 132 patients (159 knees) who underwent closed-wedge high tibial osteotomy for severe medial compartment osteoarthritis between 1988 and 1997. A total of 94 patients (118 knees) was available for review at a mean of 16.4 years (16 to 20). Seven patients (7.4%) (11 knees) required conversion to total knee replacement. Kaplan-Meier survival was 97.6% (95% confidence interval 95.0 to 100) at ten years and 90.4% (95% confidence interval 84.1 to 96.7) at 15 years. Excellent and good results as assessed by the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score were achieved in 87 knees (73.7%). A pre-operative body mass index > 27.5 kg/m(2) and range of movement < 100 degrees were risk factors predicting early failure. Although our long-term results were satisfactory, strict indications for osteotomy are required if long-term survival is required.     

Clinical follow-up of 54 patients with IgM-nephropathy

The clinical course of mesangial glomerulopathy with IgM deposits (IgM-nephropathy) was studied in 54 patients. The initial manifestations of the disease were nephrotic syndrome in 18, proteinuria in 21, proteinuria together with hematuria in 4 and isolated hematuria in 11 patients. The nephrotic syndrome was steroid-responsive in 60% of cases and of these 80% were steroid-dependent. During a 5-year postbiopsy follow-up 3 patients went into terminal uremia and in 6 more patients a milder renal insufficiency was observed. Three patients were rebiopsied and in 2 of these the second biopsy specimen disclosed typical focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. Hematuria was a favorable sign, as no patient with hematuria showed progressive impairment of renal function. The prevalence of hypertension in the whole material was 37%. At close of follow-up 35% of all patients were in clinical remission. It is suggested that IgM-nephropathy associated with abundant proteinuria or the nephrotic syndrome represents a distinct disorder from that associated with hematuria. While the nephrotic type often manifested itself with a morphologic change and a tendency to develop renal insufficiency, the hematuric type showed female predominance, a high tendency to spontaneous clinical remission and a favorable clinical course.     

A ten- to 15-year follow-up observation of high tibial osteotomy in medial compartment osteoarthrosis.

High tibial osteotomy (HTO) was performed on 86 medially osteoarthritic knees in 78 patients. Twelve patients died during the follow-up period. Fifty-six knees of 51 patients were evaluated twice postoperatively: once at six years after surgery and again after ten to 15 years. Results were satisfactory in 88% of the knees at the six-year follow-up evaluation and in 63% at the post-ten-year follow-up evaluation. Ten-year follow-up results significantly deteriorated. The femorotibial angle (FTA) at the time of bone union after HTO was a significant factor that contributed to the ten-year results. In patients maintaining excellent improvement of knee function at the post-ten-year follow-up evaluation, the mean FTA at one year after surgery was 165 degrees; this value was constant through ten years after HTO. An FTA of 164 degrees-168 degrees should be attained to ensure favorable long-term results in HTO.     

Medium to long-term functional outcome of patients after chemonucleolysis

Chemonucleolysis is an established modality in the treatment of lumbar disc prolapse and has been widely used for over 39 years since its introduction by Lyman Smith in 1963. We report the medium to long-term functional outcome of patients who had chemonucleolysis for single level disc prolapse. One hundred and twelve patients were reviewed retrospectively with a mean follow-up of 9.5 years. The Oswestry Disability Index questionnaire was used to estimate the functional outcome of chemonucleolysis. An excellent or good response occurred in 79 patients (70.5%) while 12 patients (10.7%) showed moderate response with minimal disability. Treatment failed in 21 patients (18.5%) who showed poor response and 12 of these 21 patients went for surgery within a mean period of 6 months. One patient had surgery at a different level than chemonucleolysis. There was only one incident of procedure termination because of epidural contrast leak. There was no case of anaphylaxis or discitis. We concluded on the basis of our results that in carefully selected patients, chemonucleolysis is a safe and effective treatment modality for lumbar disc herniation with good medium to long-term functional outcome.     

Condoliase chemonucleolysis for lumbar disc herniation: A post-hoc follow-up study of patients in previous clinical trials

BackgroundChemonucleolysis with condoliase significantly improved clinical symptoms in patients with lumbar disc herniation. We evaluated the surgical intervention rate and outcomes for >1 year after condoliase treatment.MethodsThis was a follow-up study of patients who received condoliase or placebo in two previous randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials with 1-year follow-ups. A post-treatment surgery survey and on-site examination were administered and patients' data from the clinical trial records and additional interview data were analyzed to evaluate the surgical intervention rate. Patients’ lumbar disease symptoms, Oswestry Disability Index, and imaging features were evaluated.ResultsAmong the patients (condoliase, n = 228; placebo, n = 128) enrolled in the clinical trials, additional post-treatment surgery data were available for 231 patients after the clinical trials ended, and 179 patients underwent post-trial examinations, at least 5 years and 17 months after the end of the clinical trials. The surgical intervention rate in the placebo and condoliase groups was 20.7% (95% confidence interval: 14.2–29.7) and 13.4% (95% confidence interval: 8.8–20.2), respectively. The mean change in Oswestry Disability Index score from pre-injection in placebo and condoliase groups was −24.7 ± 15.0 and −32.7 ± 18.6 (between-group difference: −8.0 ± 17.3; 95% confidence interval: −13.2 to −2.7). Modic Type 2 changes were observed, particularly in the condoliase group. No relationship between lumbar disease symptoms and change in imaging features was found.ConclusionsThis follow-up study more than 1 year revealed no new safety concerns of condoliase. However, because the study had several limitations, such as large loss of follow-up, further research is needed.     

Clinical studies of patients with bladder tumors

One hundred and seventy eight patients treated in our clinic were analyzed. The five-year survival rates for the patients (69 cases) given transurethral resection (TUR), total cystectomy (65 cases) and palliative treatment (40 cases) were 92.7%, 61.1% and 3.9%, respectively. The four patients who could not be treated lived no longer than one month. The five-year survival rate for the patients treated with TUR of the tumor was the highest. The recurrence rate for the TUR group was 19.5% at one year, 39.5% at three years and 47.1% at five years after surgery; and, it was higher in the patients with histologically high grade tumors. Generally, we obtained good results with TUR, but total cystectomy had to be performed later on three patients due to progression of the tumor. We felt the need for an indicator to express the biological activity of the tumor, and maintain that regular follow-up by endoscopy and cytology is mandatory. The clinical results of the total cystectomy and urinary diversion were considered to be satisfactory compared to other reports; and, patients with high stage tumor had poor prognosis. Five patients died of progression of the disease after total cystectomy. Operative mortality was 10.7%, which should be decreased by avoiding operative morbidity. In our experience, two-stage operations or preoperative irradiation can increase the indication for total cystectomy; and, improved clinical results are expected.     

CT examination of 91 patients after chemonucleolysis

Ninety-one patients underwent a repeat CT examination 2-3 months after chemonucleolysis. In 39 patients the size of the herniation was unchanged; no correlation could be found between the CT examination and t h e clinical results. One year after chemonucleolysis, 27 of the patients underwent a third CT examination. The majority of the scans revealed a reduction of the herniation, while 16 of the patients still had a hernia. No correlation could be found between the clinical results and the CT examination.

We conclude that a repeat CT examination after chemonucleolysis does not permit evaluation of patients with persistent or recurrent radicular pain.