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Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) is an integral part of treatment concepts for early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. This analysis reports on RT quality in the recent HD16 and 17 trials of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG). Methods and Materials: All RT plans of involved-node radiation therapy (INRT) in HD 17 were requested for analysis, along with 100 and 50 involved-field radiation therapy (IFRT) plans in HD 16 and 17, respectively. A structured assessment regarding field design and protocol adherence was performed by the reference radiation oncology panel of the GHSG. Results: Overall, 100 (HD 16) and 176 (HD 17) patients were eligible for analysis. In HD 16, 84% of RT series were evaluated as correct, with significant improvement compared with the predecessor studies (P < .001). In HD 17, 76.1% of INRT cases revealed a correct RT design compared with 69.0% of IFRT-cases, which was superior to previous studies (P < .001). Comparing INRT and IFRT, we found no significant differences in the percentage of any deviation (P = .418) or major deviations (P = .466). Regarding dosimetry, INRT was accompanied by an improvement in thyroid doses. Comparing different RT techniques, we found that intensity-modulated RT showed a reduction of high doses in the lung at the expense of an increased low-dose exposure in HD 17. Conclusions: The latest study generation of the GHSG demonstrates an improved quality in RT. A modern INRT design could be established without deterioration in quality. On a conceptual level, an individual consideration of the appropriate RT technique has to be performed.

Background:. With increasing life expectancy, the demand for knee replacement is continuously rising. Despite the use of antibiotic prophylaxis and improved aseptic surgical techniques, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) still occurs in 1% to 5% of patients after primary arthroplasty. An open question is the influence of PJI and resulting surgical procedures on the occurrence of long-term complications such as aseptic loosening. Patients needing multiple revision surgeries are especially at risk for decreases in bone mass and damage to the medullary cavity. Thus, we theorized that prior surgeries on the affected knee increase the risk of aseptic loosening in patients with PJI. Methods:. We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 100 patients who underwent total knee replacement exchange surgery as a result of PJI. In addition to clinical, paraclinical, and radiographic examination, we assessed comorbidities and the number of prior surgeries. Results:. Prosthetic survival was drastically decreased after PJI-related revision arthroplasty: during the first 7.3 years after reimplantation, 22% and 16% of all patients had aseptic loosening and recurrent PJI, respectively. The prevalence of aseptic loosening was 27.8% for female and 15.2% for male patients. A significant association between increasing patients’ American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification and prosthetic failure rates was found, as was a strong correlation between number of prior surgeries and aseptic loosening Conclusions:. In this study, we found notable rates of aseptic loosening and recurrent PJI following PJI-related revision arthroplasty. The difference in the rate of aseptic loosening among male and female patients supports theories of the role of bone metabolism in the development of aseptic loosening. The economic and clinical burdens of prosthetic failure make it paramount to gain a better understanding of bone metabolism in PJI. Additional research should address the need to optimize treatment strategies to increase prosthetic survival. Level of Evidence:. Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.