1,721,033 research outputs found
Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields after Debridement and Microfracture of Osteochondral Talar Defects: Letter to the Editor
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New couplings, old problems: Is there a role for ceramic-on-metal hip arthroplasty?
No full textCeramic-on-metal (CoM) total hip arthroplasty (THA) theoretically combines both the advantages of ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) and metal-on-metal (MoM) bearings: negligible rupture risk of the liner with a limited ion release. As primary endpoint, we asked whether serum cobalt, chromium and molybdenum concentrations in 20 CoM-THA patients at an average of 3-years follow-up were higher than those measured in the pre-operative population and correlate with clinical/radiological parameters. As secondary endpoint, we wanted to verify whether ion levels in CoM-THA patients were different from those obtained in a similar cohort of 29 MoM-THA patients at the same average follow-up. Ion values were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Functional outcome was assessed with Harris Hip Score and UCLA scale. Presence of radiographic radiolucencies around the implant, and acetabular inclination angle were evaluated. Chromium and cobalt levels in CoM-THA patients were significantly higher (p < 0.001) at 3-years follow-up than before surgery. Molybdenum concentrations were not significantly different (p = 0.45). No signs of implant loosening were recorded. Functional outcome was excellent with HHS and UCLA scale rising from 50 and 3.6 pre-operatively to 90.8 and 6.3, respectively at 3-years follow-up (p < 0.001). Chromium serum levels were significantly lower in CoM-THA than in MoM-THA group (p = 0.02) while cobalt values, even if lower, did not reach statistically significance (p = 0.054). Our results show that CoM-THA patients achieve excellent clinical outcome with a limited chromium release at 3-years follow-up
Biophysical stimulation improves clinical results of matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation in the treatment of chondral lesions of the knee
No full textPurpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on clinical outcome in patients who underwent arthroscopic matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) for chondral lesions of the knee. Methods: Thirty patients affected by grade III and IV International Cartilage Repair Society chondral lesions of the knee underwent MACI. After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to either experimental group (PEMFs 4 h per day for 60 days) or control group. Clinical outcome was evaluated through International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation form, Visual Analog Scale, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and EuroQoL before surgery and 1, 2, 6, and 60 months postoperative. Results: Mean size of chondral lesion was 2.4 ± 0.6 cm2in the PEMFs group and 2.5 ± 0.5 cm2in the control one. No differences were found between groups at baseline. IKDC score increased in both groups till 6 months, but afterward improvement was observed only in the experimental group with a significant difference between groups at 60 months (p = 0.001). A significant difference between groups was recorded at 60 months for SF-36 (p = 0.006) and EuroQol (p = 0.020). A significant pain reduction was observed in the experimental group at 1-, 2- and 60-month follow-up. Conclusion: Biophysical stimulation with PEMFs improves clinical outcome after arthroscopic MACI for chondral lesions of the knee in the short- and long-term follow-up. Biophysical stimulation should be considered as an effective tool in order to ameliorate clinical results of regenerative medicine. The use of PEMFs represents an innovative therapeutic approach for the survival of cartilage-engineered constructs and consequently the success of orthopaedic surgery. Level of evidence: II
Fluoroscopic and Gait Analyses for the Functional Performance of a Custom-Made Total Talonavicular Replacement
No full textThe present study evaluated the restoration of joint function in a special clinical case: a professional rock climber who underwent an original total talonavicular replacement with a custom-made prosthesis after a complex articular fracture. Full body gait analysis and 3-dimensional joint kinematics using single-plane fluoroscopy were performed on the same day at the 30-month follow-up examination. Gait analysis was performed using stereophotogrammetric, dynamometric, electromyographic, and baropodometric systems. Gait analysis showed good restoration of rotation, as well as moment patterns in the main lower limb and foot joints in the operated leg. At the artificial tibiotalar joint, videofluoroscopic analysis revealed a flexion capability of about 20°, together with a few degrees of motion in the frontal and transverse planes. The neighboring joints of the foot did not present with severe kinematic abnormalities. A full talonavicular replacement can be a viable and effective solution for complex ankle injury sequelae, even in patients with highly demanding functionality
A 2- to 7-Year Follow-Up of a Modular Iliac Screw Cup in Major Acetabular Defects: Clinical, Radiographic and Survivorship Analysis With Comparison to the Literature
No full textBackground Inadequate acetabular bone stock is a major issue in total hip arthroplasty, and several treatment options are available. Stemmed cups have been used in this scenario with variable results. A novel modular polyaxial uncemented iliac screw cup (HERM-BS–Sansone cup—Citieffe s.r.l., Calderara di Reno, Bologna, Italy) has been recently introduced to overcome the drawbacks of stemmed cups. In this retrospective study, we report the results of this cup in patients with large acetabular bone defects at 2- to 7-year follow-up. Methods We evaluated a consecutive series of 121 hips (118 revisions and 3 complex primary arthroplasties) treated with this novel cup at a mean follow-up of 46 months. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed with implant revision for any reason as a primary end point. Further survival analysis was performed excluding septic failures. Clinical outcome was assessed with the Harris Hip Score. Results There had been 7 reoperations: 1 for aseptic loosening, 5 for deep infection, and 1 for recurrent dislocation. In 5 cases, the cup was removed; estimated survival rate at 5-year follow-up with implant removal for any reason was 95.6% (95% confidence interval = 91-99), and 98.3% (95% CI = 96-100) excluding those failed for infection. Mean Harris Hip Score at latest follow-up was 77 points (range, 44-95; standard deviation = 11.9). Conclusion The present findings show the short-term efficacy of the iliac screw cup with respect to implant survival. A longer follow-up and a larger number of patients are necessary to confirm the encouraging preliminary results
Custom-Made Total Talonavicular Replacement in a Professional Rock Climber
No full textProfessional athletes are often eager to resume sporting activities at preinjury levels. When facing the challenge of restoring joint function after a complex articular fracture, innovative solutions must be explored. We describe the results of what we believe to be the first custom-made talonavicular prosthesis implanted in a professional rock climber who had developed post-traumatic ankle and talonavicular arthritis as sequelae of a complex talar and navicular fracture. Using computed tomography scan reconstruction of the contralateral healthy ankle and direct metal laser sintering, a custom-made talonavicular prosthesis was obtained and implanted using an anteromedial approach. The patient was clinically and radiographically evaluated every 6 months after surgery for 30months. A 3-dimensional videofluoroscopic analysis was performed to assess the range of motion about the prosthesis. At the last follow-up visit, the functional scores were excellent (Tegner activity scale score of 9 of 10), and he had completely resumed his sporting activity. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score had increased from 36 to 81 points, and no signs of radiolucency were observed on the radiographs. The 3-dimensional videofluoroscopic analysis showed 15° of dorsiflexion and 4° of plantar flexion at the ankle. A customized solution is an option when the patient's expectations are not likely to be met by standard treatment, such as arthrodesis. A custom-made talonavicular prosthesis can be an effective solution for complex ankle injury sequelae in patients demanding high functionality
Surgical prevention of femoral neck fractures in elderly osteoporotic patients. A literature review
No full textFragility fractures of the femur are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The incidence of new contralateral hip fractures in elderly osteoporotic patients ranges from 7 to 12% within 2 years after the first fracture. Secondary prevention can be divided in: pharmacological therapy based on the prescription of anti-osteoporotic drugs with different mechanism of action and nonpharmacological therapy which is based on modification of environmental risk factors, on a healthy diet with daily supplements of calcium and Vitamin D and calcium and on the use of hip protectors. Recently a new form of prevention is becoming achievable: surgical prevention; the rationale of surgical reinforcement is the need to increase the resistance of the femoral neck to the compression and distraction forces acting on it. In this paper we analyse all the experimental and "on the market" device available for the surgical prevention of femoral neck fracture
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Functional tissue engineering in articular cartilage repair: is there a role for electromagnetic biophysical stimulation?
No full textHyaline cartilage lesions represent an important global health problem. Several approaches have been developed in the last decades to resolve this disability cause, including tissue engineering, but to date, there is not a definitive procedure that is able to promote a repair tissue with the same mechanical and functional characteristics of native cartilage, and to obtain its integration in the subchondral bone. The need of resolutive technologies to obtain a "more effective" tissue substitutes has led Butler to propose the "Functional Tissue Engineering" (FTE) paradigm, whose principles are outlined in a so-called FTE road map. It consists of a two-phase strategy: in vitro tissue engineering and clinically surgery evaluation. The first phase, based on construct development, should take into account not only the chondrocyte biology, as their sensitivity to biochemical and physical stimuli, the risk of dedifferentiation in culture, and the ability to produce extracellular matrix, but also the features of suitable scaffolds. The in vivo phase analyzes the inflammatory microenvironment where the construct will be placed, because the cytokines released by synoviocytes and chondrocytes could affect the construct integrity, and, in particular, cause matrix degradation. The use of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) represents an innovative therapeutic approach, because it is demonstrated that this physical stimulus increases the anabolic activity of chondrocytes and cartilage explants with consequent increase of matrix synthesis, but, at the same time, PEMFs limit the catabolic effects of inflammatory cytokines, reducing the construct degradation inside the surgical microenvironment. PEMFs mediate an up-regulation of A2A adenosine receptors and a potentiation of their anti-inflammatory effects
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