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We encountered a rare case of severe subluxation of the femoral head after the performance of rotational acetabular osteotomy to treat osteoarthritis of the hip, secondary to acetabular dysplasia. The subluxation was corrected by performing varus and flexion osteotomy.

Introduction: Marked activation of thrombosis is common in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty, especially during reaming of the femur and after insertion of the femoral prosthesis. This suggests that management designed to minimize deep vein thrombosis and fatal pulmonary embolism after total hip arthroplasty should be focused on the period during insertion of the femoral component. In some previous studies, a low dose of heparin administered intraoperatively was shown to suppress the formation of fibrin., Objective: The present study was performed to evaluate the influence of intraoperative heparin administration on the D-dimer level and on the prevention of pulmonary embolism after total hip arthroplasty., Material/methods: A total of 22 and 26 consecutive patients respectively underwent total hip arthroplasty with and without intraoperative administration of unfractionated heparin. Postoperatively, all patients wore knee-high elastic stockings and were fitted with calf-to-thigh intermittent pneumatic compression devices. Active ankle flexion and extension exercises were commenced as soon as motor function recovered. None of the 48 patients received prophylactic anticoagulants postoperatively., Results: There was a significant difference of the mean D-dimer level on the 1st day between the patients with and without intraoperative administration of heparin (8.9 +/- 6.6 vs. 15.7 +/- 12.7, P < 0.05). Although there were no patients with symptomatic deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, asymptomatic pulmonary embolism was detected by pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy in three patients who did not receive intraoperative heparin. The operative blood loss and postoperative drainage were similar in both groups and no bleeding complications were observed. In conclusion, we recommend a safe and inexpensive regimen comprising 1,000 U of intravenous unfractionated heparin intraoperatively, postoperative pneumatic compression, and early active mobilization for prevention of thoromboembolic complications after total hip arthroplasty.

The operative procedures chosen to treat arthrosis in patients with severe acetabular dysplasia vary among orthopaedic surgeons, particularly in younger patients. We operated on 450 hips with acetabular dysplasia by using the rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) method of Ninomiya and Tagawa by Ninomiya (Clin Orthop 247:127-137, 1989). In this report, we describe our technique of performing RAO with hydroxyapatite tricalcium phosphate-composite (HAP-TCP) blocks to achieve good acetabular coverage and the results of this procedure in 16 hips with severe dysplasia, including nine with advanced arthrosis. Adequate coverage of the osteotomized acetabulum was maintained and symptoms, especially pain, showed marked improvement at the latest follow up.

Introduction: The goal of this study is to establish the influence of tensioning the graft during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, with a semitendinosus tendon graft, on postoperative stability., Type of Study: Prospective controlled clinical trial., Material and Methods: Forty-eight patients were randomly allocated to three groups in which three different tensions, 8, 12, or 15 kg force, was applied on the reconstructed ACL during the operation. The patients were observed for 1 year or more after surgery (min. 1 year, max. 2 years 8 months). Clinical outcome was evaluated using the visual analogue scale, anterior knee laxity (using the KT2000 arthrometer) and the torque of the knee extensor., Results: Postoperatively, the average side-to-side differences in anterior laxity were 1.3 mm in the 8 kg group, 2.1 mm in the 12 kg, and 2.4 mm in the 15 kg group. The visual analogue scale averaged 84, 83, and 79 mm, respectively. There were no significant differences among the three groups. There were also no significant differences between the groups for muscle strength recovery during isokinetic and isometric contraction at 1 year postoperatively., Conclusion: There were no significant differences among the groups in subjective clinical results, anterior laxity, and knee extensor strength in the ACL reconstructions that used the autogenous semitendinosus tendon graft.

Introduction: Biodegradable polylevolactic acid implants have become more commonly used for the treatment of fractures and osteotomies over the past few years. In the present study, the biocompatibility and degradation of polylevolactide screws used for rotational acetabular osteotomy were assessed on the basis of radiographic and MRI findings., Materials and Methods: Forty-nine hips of 47 patients were analyzed for this study. The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 38.0 years (range 18-62 years). The original diagnosis was osteoarthritis in 43 hips and osteonecrosis in 6 hips. The mean duration of follow-up was 2.8 years (range 1.5-5.5 years). Anteroposterior radiographs obtained at 1 week, 6 months, 1 year after the operation, as well as the most recent radiographs, were used to assess bony union, the radiolucent tract of each screw, and the sclerotic rim around each screw. Fifteen patients were chosen randomly to undergo MRI., Results: Union of the osteotomized surfaces occurred in all patients within 6 months of surgery. Radiographs showed no osteolysis, no formation of bone cysts, and no displacement of the osteotomized acetabulum in any of the 49 hips. None of the patients was found to have any complications caused by problems with the biocompatibility of the implants. At the final postoperative examination, a central radiolucent tract and a sclerotic rim around the screws were seen in 34/49 hips (69%) and 23/49 hips (47%), respectively. On MRI findings, we were able to detect significant resorption of the screws in two patients after 1.2 and 1.7 years of follow-up. Though localized low-intensity areas on T1-weighted images and high-intensity areas on T2-weighted images were observed at the top of the screws in 5 patients, there was no development of pain, tenderness, or a sinus during the follow-up period., Conclusion: Although absorption of polylevolactic acid screws did not occur in a large majority of cases, rotational acetabular osteotomy appears to be a good indication for the use of polylevolactic acid screws.

We report the case of a patient who underwent acrylic hemi-arthroplasty of the hip and survived 45 years without revision. The patient had undergone hemi-arthroplasty of the hip at the age of 17 years following failure of a previous hemi-arthroplasty at the age of 12 years. We saw her 45 years later and carried out physical examination, standard radiographs of the hip as well as computed tomography. In addition, we reviewed the literature concerning the acrylic prosthesis and discussed the reasons for long-term durability.

We measured the cobalt and chromium concentrations in the serum and urine of 32 patients with current designed metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty and 43 patients with conventional metal on ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cementless total hip arthroplasty. The results of our study showed that the serum and urine chromium concentrations increased in 37.5% and 90.6%, respectively, of 32 patients with well-fixed metal articulation (the mean values were 0.09 microg/dl and 2.2 microg/l, respectively) and also increased in 28.6% and 85.7%, respectively, of 7 patients who received metal-on-UHMWPE articulation with loosened acetabular component or stem made of Co/Cr alloy (the mean values were 0.06 microg/dl and 1.6 microg/l, respectively). On the other hand, the serum and urine cobalt concentrations were below the detection limit in all patients.

We performed revision total hip arthroplasty on 12 patients via the transfemoral approach because difficulty with surgery was anticipated preoperatively. The total hip score improved in all of the patients. Radiographically, there were no radiolucent lines around the acetabular and femoral components, but one hip still showed sinking of the stem by 2 cm. Although the transfemoral approach might seem very aggressive, this is actually a relatively simple method that allows rapid removal of the prosthesis and cleaning of the medullary canal.

We describe a 37-year-old man complaining of right back pain and gait disturbance. He had a big soft tumor on his right back, hemihypertrophy of the right lower extremity, and right thoracic scoliosis. We diagnosed Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome based on the pathological findings of the soft tumor. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed severe spinal stenosis due to a hypertrophic vertebral body and facet joint at T7. Treatment by decompression of hypertrophic bone led to complete neurological recovery. To our knowledge, no case has been reported of Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome with myelopathy which originated from thoracic scoliosis with a hypertrophic facet joint and vertebral body. We suggest that the cause of myelopathy in Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome originated not only from arteriovenous fistula, medullary angioma, and extradural hemangioma but also vertebral hypertrophy with scoliosis.

We present three cases of cervical spinal fracture, involving two columns without an obvious neurological deficit. Usually if two of three columns are fractured, the injury is considered unstable structurally and clinically. Fortunately our cases did not involve sensory or motor impairment because of an enlargement of the spinal canal.

The operative procedures chosen for arthrosis with severe acetabular dysplasia vary among orthopaedic surgeons. We operated on 250 hips using the rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) method of Ninomiya and Tagawa [8]. In this report, we describe the technique of RAO and the results of this procedure in patients with severely dysplastic hips. Among the 250 hips, there were 6 which were classified as Severin group V. In those hips, the CE angle was less than 0 degrees, and the femoral head showed superolateral subluxation. After acetabular osteotomy with straight and curved osteotomes, smooth inferolateral rotation could be done in all cases. At the latest follow-up symptoms were improved remarkably, especially pain. Radiographically, adequate coverage of the femoral head was achieved and joint congruence improved in all 6 hips.