Ten-year comparison of two different techniques for femoral bone cavity preparation-broaching versus compaction in patients with cementless total hip arthroplasty:a randomized radiostereometric study of 30 total hip arthroplasties in 15 patients operated bilaterally

AIMS: Femoral bone preparation using compaction technique has been shown to preserve bone and improve implant fixation in animal models. No long-term clinical outcomes are available. There are no significant long-term differences between compaction and broaching techniques for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) in terms of migration, clinical, and radiological outcomes. METHODS: A total of 28 patients received one-stage bilateral primary THA with cementless femoral stems (56 hips). They were randomized to compaction on one femur and broaching on the contralateral femur. Overall, 13 patients were lost to the ten-year follow-up leaving 30 hips to be evaluated in terms of stem migration (using radiostereometry), radiological changes, Harris Hip Score, Oxford Hip Score, and complications. RESULTS: Over a mean follow-up period of 10.6 years, the mean stem subsidence was similar between groups, with a mean of -1.20 mm (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.28 to -0.12) in the broaching group and a mean of -0.73 mm (95% CI -1.65 to 0.20) in the compaction group (p = 0.07). The long-term migration patterns of all stems were similar. The clinical and radiological outcomes were similar between groups. There were two intraoperative fractures in the compaction group that were fixed with cable wire and healed without complications. No stems were revised. CONCLUSION: Similar stem subsidence and radiological and clinical outcomes were identified after the use of compaction and broaching techniques of the femur at long-term follow-up. Only the compaction group had intraoperative periprosthetic femur fractures, but there were no long-term consequences of these. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(12):1035–1042

Differential contributions of specimen types, culturing, and 16S rRNA sequencing in diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections

ABSTRACT Prosthetic joint failure is mainly caused by infection, aseptic failure (AF), and mechanical problems. Infection detection has been improved with modified culture methods and molecular diagnostics. However, comparisons between modified and conventional microbiology methods are difficult due to variations in specimen sampling. In this prospective, multidisciplinary study of hip or knee prosthetic failures, we assessed the contributions of different specimen types, extended culture incubations, and 16S rRNA sequencing for diagnosing prosthetic joint infections (PJI). Project specimens included joint fluid (JF), bone biopsy specimens (BB), soft-tissue biopsy specimens (STB), and swabs (SW) from the prosthesis, collected in situ , and sonication fluid collected from prosthetic components (PC). Specimens were cultured for 6 (conventional) or 14 days, and 16S rRNA sequencing was performed at study completion. Of the 156 patients enrolled, 111 underwent 114 surgical revisions (cases) due to indications of either PJI ( n = 43) or AF ( n = 71). Conventional tissue biopsy cultures confirmed PJI in 28/43 (65%) cases and refuted AF in 3/71 (4%) cases; one case was not evaluable. Based on these results, minor diagnostic adjustments were made. Fourteen-day cultures of JF, STB, and PC specimens confirmed PJI in 39/42 (93%) cases, and 16S rRNA sequencing confirmed PJI in 33/42 (83%) cases. One PJI case was confirmed with 16S rRNA sequencing alone and five with cultures of project specimens alone. These findings indicated that JF, STB, and PC specimen cultures qualified as an optimal diagnostic set. The contribution of sequencing to diagnosis of PJI may depend on patient selection; this hypothesis requires further investigation. </jats:p

Preparation of the femoral bone cavity in cementless stems:broaching versus compaction

Background and purpose — Short-term experimental studies have confirmed that there is superior fixation of cementless implants inserted with compaction compared to broaching of the cancellous bone. Patients and methods — 1-stage, bilateral primary THA was performed in 28 patients between May 2001 and September 2007. The patients were randomized to femoral bone preparation with broaching on 1 side and compaction on the other side. 8 patients declined to attend the postoperative follow-up, leaving 20 patients (13 male) with a mean age of 58 (36–70) years for evaluation. The patients were followed with radiostereometric analysis (RSA) at baseline, at 6 and 12 weeks, and at 1, 2, and 5 years, and measurements of periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD) at baseline and at 1, 2, and 5 years. The subjective part of the Harris hip score (HHS) and details of complications throughout the observation period were obtained at a mean interval of 6.3 (3.0–9.5) years after surgery. Results — Femoral stems in the compaction group had a higher degree of medio-lateral migration (0.21 mm, 95% CI: 0.03–0.40) than femoral stems in the broaching group at 5 years (p = 0.02). No other significant differences in translations or rotations were found between the 2 surgical techniques at 2 years (p > 0.4) and 5 years (p > 0.7) postoperatively. There were no individual stems with continuous migration. Periprosthetic BMD in the 7 Gruen zones was similar at 2 years and at 5 years. Intraoperative femoral fractures occurred in 2 of 20 compacted hips, but there were none in the 20 broached hips. The HHS and dislocations were similar in the 2 groups at 6.3 (3.0–9.5) years after surgery. Interpretation — Bone compaction as a surgical technique with the Bi-Metric stem did not show the superior outcomes expected compared to conventional broaching. Furthermore, 2 periprosthetic fractures occurred using the compaction technique, so we cannot recommend compaction for insertion of the cementless Bi-Metric stem