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Background: Periprosthetic infection is a major cause of failure after segmental endoprosthetic reconstruction. The purpose of this study is to determine whether certain aspects of drain output affect infection risk, particularly the 30 mL/day criterion for removal. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-five patients underwent segmental bone resection and lower limb endoprosthetic reconstruction at one institution. Data on surgical drain management and occurrence of infection were obtained from a retrospective review of patients' charts and radiographs. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with infection. Results: Thirty-one of 295 patients (10.5%) developed infection at a median time of 13 months (range 1–108 months). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism and was responsible for the majority of cases developing within 1 year of surgery. Mean output at the time of drain removal was 72 mL/day. Ten of 88 patients (11.3%) with ≤ 30 mL/day drainage and 21 of 207 patients (10.1%) with > 30 mL/day drainage developed infection (p = 0.84). In multivariate analysis, independent predictive factors for infection included sarcoma diagnosis (HR 4.13, 95% CI 1.4–12.2, p = 0.01) and preoperative chemotherapy (HR 3.29, 95% CI 1.1–9.6, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Waiting until drain output is < 30 mL/day before drain removal is not associated with decreased risk of infection for segmental endoprostheses of the lower limb after tumor resection. Sarcoma diagnosis and preoperative chemotherapy were independent predictors of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Clear cell chondrosarcoma (CCC) represents less than 6% of all chondrosarcomas, and thus, our understanding of this rare entity is limited. Analyzing clinical characteristics and treatment patterns, thus increasing our knowledge, may improve treatment strategy. We review our institutional experience with 15 patients, including one case with dedifferentiation. Methods. A retrospective review was conducted in CCC patients treated at our institution from 1996 to 2015, with at least 2-year follow-up. Descriptive statistics and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were performed. Results. Of 19 patients identified, 15 patients had at least 2-year follow-up and were included. The median age at diagnosis was 43 years. 80% were male. The most common presenting signs were pain (12 patients; 80%) and fracture (2 patients; 13.3%). The most common site was proximal femur (8 patients; 53%). All patients had MSTS Stage I disease. Primary treatment included wide resection in 10 patients (67%) and intralesional or marginal resection in 5 patients (33%). Three patients died of disease during the study period, 1 with dedifferentiation of recurrent CCC. The median time to death from disease was 15.3 years (95% CI: (14.2; NA)). The median time to either recurrence or death was 7.73 years for patients who had intralesional/marginal resection and 16.44 years for patients with wide resection (HR (wide vs. intralesional/marginal) = 0.21, 95% CI: (0.04; 1.18), p = 0.053). The median time to recurrence or death was significantly shorter for patients not initially treated at a sarcoma center (p = 0.01). Conclusions. CCC is a rare entity, and our understanding of it is still evolving. We observed a higher recurrence rate for intralesional or marginal resection, and wide resection alone remains the mainstay of treatment. Better outcomes were observed in patients initially treated by trained musculoskeletal oncologists. Due to the propensity of CCC to recur decades after initial resection, lifelong surveillance is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patellar resurfacing after routine arthroplasty remains controversial. Few studies have specifically examined the effect of patellar resurfacing on outcomes after resection of the distal part of the femur and reconstruction with a megaprosthesis. Our objective was to compare the outcomes of megaprosthesis reconstructions of the distal part of the femur with and without patellar resurfacing after resection of a distal femoral tumor.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of patients with a femoral tumor who underwent resection of the distal part of the femur and endoprosthetic reconstruction between 1993 and 2013. We excluded patients who had had extra-articular knee resection, patellectomy, revision, reconstruction with an expandable prosthesis, or a proximal tibial replacement associated with the distal femoral replacement. We compared demographic characteristics, surgical variables, anterior knee pain, range of motion, extensor lag, Insall-Salvati ratio, Insall-Salvati patellar tendon insertion ratio, impingement, patellar degenerative disease, additional patellar procedures, complications, and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score between the patellar resurfacing and nonresurfacing groups.Results: One hundred and eight patients--sixty without patellar resurfacing and forty-eight with patellar resurfacing--were included in the study. The mean age was 33.9 years (range, twelve to seventy-five years). There were fifty-four men and fifty-four women. The mean duration of follow-up was 4.5 years (range, 0.7 to twenty years). There was no significant difference in anterior knee pain between the groups (p = 0.51). Anterior knee pain did not significantly affect the range of motion, extensor lag, or reoperation or complication rate. Patellar degenerative disease occurred in 48% of the nonresurfaced knees but was not associated with focal pain. Complication rates were similar in the two groups, although peripatellar calcifications were significantly more common in the resurfacing group (19% versus 2%; p = 0.005). There was no significant difference in the mean MSTS score between the nonresurfacing (81%) and resurfacing (71%) groups (p = 0.34).Conclusions: There were no differences in anterior knee pain, range of motion, extensor lag, or MSTS score between the patients with and those without patellar resurfacing. There were no cases of patellar component loosening or revision. In light of the similar outcomes in the two groups, the decision to resurface should be left up to the individual surgeon, who should take into account preoperative peripatellar pain and the status of the patella at the time of resection.Level Of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In growing children, an expandable endoprosthesis is commonly used after distal femoral resection to compensate for loss of the distal femoral physis. Our hypothesis was that such prostheses can affect proximal tibial growth, which would contribute to an overall leg-length discrepancy and cause angular deformity.Methods: Twenty-three skeletally immature patients underwent the placement of a distal femoral expandable endoprosthesis between 1994 and 2012. Tibial length, femoral length, and mechanical axis were measured radiographically to determine the growth rate.Results: No patient had radiographic evidence of injury to the proximal tibial physis at the time of surgery other than insertion of the tibial stem. Fifteen (65%) of the patients experienced less proximal tibial growth in the operative compared with the contralateral limb. In ten (43%) of the patients, the discrepancy progressively worsened, whereas in five (22%) of the patients, the discrepancy stabilized. Seven patients did not develop tibial length discrepancy, and one patient had overgrowth of the tibia. For the ten patients with progressive shortening, the proximal tibial physis grew an average of 4.0 mm less per year in the operative limb. Five (22%) of the patients had ≥ 20 mm of tibial length discrepancy at last follow-up. Three of these patients underwent contralateral tibial epiphysiodesis. Three patients required corrective surgery for angular deformity.Conclusions: The tibial growth plate may not resume normal growth after implantation of a distal femoral prosthesis. Physeal bar resection, prosthesis revision, and contralateral tibial epiphysiodesis may be needed to address tibial growth abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with primary bone and soft tissue sarcoma are at risk for skeletal metastases. Although uncommon, these metastases can result in impending or pathologic fractures. Intramedullary nailing traditionally has been an accepted form of palliative treatment for patients with metastatic carcinoma, but we could find no studies that report specifically on intramedullary nailing of metastatic sarcoma lesions.Questions/purposes: We asked: (1) What is the survival of patients with an impending or pathologic fracture from a sarcoma metastasis? (2) What proportion of patients treated with intramedullary nailing subsequently underwent a revision procedure or nail removal during their lifetimes?Methods: Between 1996 and 2014, we performed 40 intramedullary nailing procedures in 34 patients with multifocal metastases from sarcomas who showed signs or symptoms of impending fracture or who presented with a pathologic fracture. All of these patients are accounted for, either through the time of death or to the present, and all are included at a mean of 13 months (range, 0.3-86 months) in this retrospective study. During the study period, we generally applied the same surgical indications for patients with nailing of metastatic sarcoma lesions as we did for patients with metastatic carcinoma; in general, we used intramedullary nailing (with or without cement) rather than resection for diaphyseal lesions with less cortical destruction and no substantial soft tissue mass or metadiaphyseal lesions that could be adequately supplemented with cementation. The goal was to use this approach when it would allow immediate weightbearing, or in patients whose medical conditions were such that a more-extensive procedure seemed unsafe. During the same period, an additional 58 patients underwent resection procedures for metastatic sarcomas to long bones because they either did not meet the above indications, had a solitary resectable metastasis, or because of surgeon preference; these patients were excluded from this study. The median age of the patients was 52 years (range, 27-81 years). Eleven patients with 11 impending or pathologic fractures were documented to have received either preoperative or postoperative radiation therapy and 29 patients received some form of chemotherapy.Results: Thirty (88%) patients died during the period of observation, at a median of 5 months (range, 0.3-80 months) after surgery. Twenty-nine patients (85%) underwent no additional surgery and retained their original intramedullary nail. One patient (3%) underwent nail removal for infection, and four patients (12%) underwent further surgical revision secondary to local progression.Conclusions: Patients with an impending or pathologic fracture from multifocal metastatic sarcoma to a long bone have a dismal prognosis, but they may gain short-term benefit from surgical fixation with the goal of reducing pain and maintaining mobility. Although we have no group for comparison, such as treating with radiotherapy alone or resection and an endoprosthesis, our findings suggest that use of intramedullary nails is helpful for providing fixation that in most instances lasts for the lifetime of patients with multifocal bone metastases from sarcomas.Level Of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]