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Background: Tibiofemoral components rotational congruency affects the total knee arthroplasty (TKA) success. The smart insert sensor (I-S) helps to establish tibial component rotation reciprocally to a fixed femoral rotation. We aimed (1) to validate the use of I-S as a possible tool to reach reproducible reciprocal femorotibial rotation (RftR) in TKA independently from anatomic landmarks, reducing outliers in combined and mismatched femorotibial rotation (CftR and MMftR, respectively) positioning and (2) to validate the “curve-on-curve” method for a specific type of asymmetrical tibial component. Methods: From February 2018, we conducted a prospective case-control study including 106 patients undergoing TKA. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the method used to establish tibial component rotation: with the I-S use (group A, n = 53) and with the standard “curve-on-curve” technique (group B, n = 53). Rotational alignment was calculated using the Berger protocol with postoperative computed tomography scanning. Alignment parameters measured were tibial and femoral component rotations (tR, fR), the CftR, the MMftR, and the RftR. Results: Intraoperative rotation measured by I-S correlated the best with RftR (r = 0.84; P < .001) at the post-operative CT scanning. No significant differences were found between groups A and B regarding all types of rotation (fR: P = .774; tR: P = .467; CftR: P = .847) except for MMftR (P = .036) and RftR (P = .023). There were no outliers in group A but 27 and 12 outliers in group B for MMftR and CftR respectively (P < .001; P = .032). Conclusions: The TKA components’ rotation established using a smart I-S intraoperatively is ascribable to the RftR at postoperative computed tomography scan. The I-S helps reduce outliers in the CftR and MMftR. An asymmetrical tibial base plate implanted using the curve-on-curve technique does not create a neutral reciprocal femorotibial rotation significantly increasing the number of cases with mismatched femorotibial internal rotation.

This study explored correlation between CYP2C9 polymorphisms and liver injury induced by flurbiprofen axetil (FBA). A total of 100 patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were mainly administered with basic analgesic, FBA. All the patients participating in this study were required to take blood samples for detecting CYP2C9 polymorphisms before surgery after admission. After TKA surgery, the level of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase in blood was detected to determine whether liver injury occurred in patients. The overall incidence of liver injury after TKA was 12.00% and the incidence of liver injury was 12.22% for CYP2C9*1/*1 and 16.67% for CYP2C9*1/*3. The incidence of liver injury in patients with CYP2C9*1/*3 was higher than the incidence of overall patients and patients with CYP2C9*1/*1, but the difference was not statistically significant. However, given the occurrence of liver injury, clinicians should still pay attention to patients with CYP2C9*1/*3 to avoid serious liver injury that may be induced by FBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total knee arthroplasty is one of the most widely performed surgical procedures today. Its widespread popularity has helped drive innovation and improvement in the field. Different schools of thought have developed regarding the best way to perform this operation. Specifically, there are controversaries regarding the best alignment philosophy for the femoral and tibial components to optimize implant stability and longevity. Traditionally, neutral mechanical alignment has been the preferred alignment target. More recently, some surgeons advocate for alignment matching the patient's pre-arthritic anatomic alignment (“physiologic” varus or valgus), which has been described as kinematic alignment. Functional alignment is a hybrid technique that focuses on the coronal plane minimizing soft tissue releases. To date, there is no evidence demonstrating superiority of one method over another. There is growing popularity of robotic surgical techniques to improve accuracy of implant position and alignment. The choice of alignment philosophy is an important aspect of robotic assisted TKA surgery and has the potential to clarify the optimal alignment technique.

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a significant complication following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), representing a substantial challenge due to the difficulty in diagnosis and management. The main causes are predominantly common bacteria, but rare pathogens such as Actinomyces europaeus can complicate diagnosis and treatment. We report a unique case of a 75-year-old Caucasian patient with a history of multiple comorbidities including obesity, arterial hypertension, total thyroidectomy, rheumatoid arthritis, and prior venous thrombosis. The patient presented with pain, functional impairment, and signs of inflammation in the left knee seven months post-TKA. An active fistula was also noted. Initial management with broad-spectrum antibiotics did not halt the progression of infection, prompting further diagnostic evaluation. Actinomyces europaeus was identified as the causative agent through cultures and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A two-stage surgical intervention was necessitated, involving removal of the infected prosthesis followed by reimplantation with an antibiotic-impregnated spacer. This case highlights the importance of considering rare organisms like Actinomyces europaeus in atypical PJI. It underscores the necessity of advanced diagnostic tools and susceptibility testing in managing infections effectively. Timely intervention, tailored antimicrobial therapy, and appropriate surgical strategies are crucial for successful outcomes in infections involving uncommon pathogens., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Research Ethics Committee of the Emergency University Hospital Bucharest issued approval 15213. All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Spiridonica et al.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the brain functional alterations with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in older patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to assess the causal relationship of the brain function and neuropsychological changes.Methods: We performed rs-fMRI to investigate brain function of 23 patients aged ≥65 with KOA and 23 healthy matched controls. Of the KOA patients, 15 completed postoperative rs-fMRI examinations. Analyzes of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) were used to estimate differences in brain functional parameters between KOA patients, postoperative patients, and the controls. The relationship between changes of pre- and post-surgical status in ALFF and neuropsychological test results was analyzed.Results: Compared with the controls, all patients with KOA exhibited decreased ALFF in the default mode network (bilateral angular gyrus, precuneus gyrus, medial superior frontal gyrus) and increased ALFF in the bilateral amygdala and cerebellum posterior lobe before surgery (P < 0.001). Altered ALFF persisted in the same brain regions 1 week postoperatively. The decreased ALFF in the left precuneus gyrus and middle temporal gyrus was found after surgery when compared with preoperative data (P < 0.01). Preoperatively, the KOA patients exhibited increased FC between the left precuneus gyrus and the right supplementary motor area compared to the controls (P < 0.001), but this connectivity became no significant difference after TKA. The left Cerebelum_9 was found to have decreased FC with the right precuneus gyrus postoperatively (P < 0.001) although this was not significantly different before surgery. The significantly altered ALFF values were not correlated with changes in cognitive assessment scores.Conclusion: In older patients with end-stage KOA, functional alterations in important brain regions were detected with the persistence and further changes observed at an early stage after knee replacement. Our data further our understanding of brain functional abnormalities and cognitive impairment in older patients following knee replacement, which may provide therapeutic targets for preventive/treatment strategy to be developed.Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, ChiCTR1800016437; Registered June 1, 2018.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the brain functional alterations with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in older patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to assess the causal relationship of the brain function and neuropsychological changes. Methods: We performed rs-fMRI to investigate brain function of 23 patients aged ≥65 with KOA and 23 healthy matched controls. Of the KOA patients, 15 completed postoperative rs-fMRI examinations. Analyzes of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) were used to estimate differences in brain functional parameters between KOA patients, postoperative patients, and the controls. The relationship between changes of pre- and post-surgical status in ALFF and neuropsychological test results was analyzed. Results: Compared with the controls, all patients with KOA exhibited decreased ALFF in the default mode network (bilateral angular gyrus, precuneus gyrus, medial superior frontal gyrus) and increased ALFF in the bilateral amygdala and cerebellum posterior lobe before surgery (P < 0.001). Altered ALFF persisted in the same brain regions 1 week postoperatively. The decreased ALFF in the left precuneus gyrus and middle temporal gyrus was found after surgery when compared with preoperative data (P < 0.01). Preoperatively, the KOA patients exhibited increased FC between the left precuneus gyrus and the right supplementary motor area compared to the controls (P < 0.001), but this connectivity became no significant difference after TKA. The left Cerebelum_9 was found to have decreased FC with the right precuneus gyrus postoperatively (P < 0.001) although this was not significantly different before surgery. The significantly altered ALFF values were not correlated with changes in cognitive assessment scores. Conclusion: In older patients with end-stage KOA, functional alterations in important brain regions were detected with the persistence and further changes observed at an early stage after knee replacement. Our data further our understanding of brain functional abnormalities and cognitive impairment in older patients following knee replacement, which may provide therapeutic targets for preventive/treatment strategy to be developed. Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, ChiCTR1800016437; Registered June 1, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proper limb alignment and implant positioning are important for successful total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Whether any differences exist in restoration of limb alignment for valgus knees between fixed and individual femoral valgus correction angle (VCA) for distal femoral resection remains unknown.Methods: The PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Wangfang databases were searched to identify studies comparing individualized VCA and fixed VCA in the distal femoral valgus resection. The primary outcomes were the mechanical femorotibial angle (MFT angle) and the proportion of postoperative alignment deviation within ±3°. The secondary outcomes were femoral valgus correction angle (VCA), component angle (α angle and β angle).Results: Six studies with 1167 TKAs were analyzed quantitatively. The coronal limb alignments in individualized group were closer to neutral than fixed group with a mean 0.77° difference (95% CI, -1.43 to -0.11; P = .022; I2 = 71.0%). Moreover, there were more patients' postoperative alignment deviation within neutral ±3° in the individualized group (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.38; P = .00; I2 = 36.4%). The α angle were closer to neutral in the individualized group, and there's 1.2° more deviation from neutral in the fixed group (95% CI, 0.99 to 1.41; P = .00; I2 = 0%). No difference was found in the β angle between groups (WMD, 0.85; 95% CI, -0.09 to 1.78; P = .075; I2 = 88.3%).Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that the individualized VCA for distal femoral resection could enhance the accuracy of postoperative limb alignment and femoral component alignment in the coronal plane. However, further high-quality RCTs and well-designed trials are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Total joint arthroplasty is a successful operation with increasing prevalence in the United States. Kaiser Permanente has been using multiple tools to optimize patient outcomes while keeping health-care expenditures in check.Methods: We describe the patient, surgeon, and hospital perspective toward the delivery of sustainable arthroplasty care for a growing elderly population. Quality metrics for each stakeholder are presented.Results: Kaiser Permanente optimizes value for the patient, surgeon, and hospital with the use of evidence-based integrated care pathways and a national joint arthroplasty registry.Conclusion: A continued focus on value-driven care will provide continued efficiency in a time of growth with maintenance of excellent outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although it remains the golden standard, several authors have questioned the role of pneumatic tourniquets in primary knee arthroplasty in recent studies. An intra-articular wound drainage is widely used in the field of total knee arthroplasty although the benefit of postoperative wound drainage is controversial in the literature. This study questioned whether the use of an intra-articular drain is an advance over the lack of a drain in total knee arthroplasty which is performed without a tourniquet. Methods: We documented the ROM, the knee circumference at the upper patellar pole pre-operatively and on days two, four and six postoperatively. The blood volume and loss was calculated. As surrogate parameter for wound healing we counted the number of days until no residual secretion was observed via the wound/drainage site. Results: The results of our investigation showed a significantly better wound healing without the use of a drain. All other parameters revealed no significant differences. Conclusion: The data of this study demonstrate a faster wound healing without the use of a postoperative wound drain in primary total knee arthroplasty which is performed without a tourniquet. Other parameters could not show any significant differences thus indicating that a postoperative wound drain has no significant advantage and the risk of a retrograde bacterial colonisation is well documented. Based on these data we recommend performing a primary total knee arthroplasty without a postoperative drain if the procedure is done without a tourniquet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A retrospective review and survey was performed to evaluate a new protocol for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The goal of the new protocol was to improve postoperative pain control, decrease side effects and facilitate participation in physical therapy. Previously, patients received an epidural infusion overnight (n =130). With the new protocol, patients received a femoral nerve catheter (FNC) infusion until the morning of postoperative day two (POD2) (n =170). Both groups received a combination of oral and intravenous analgesics. The FNC group was able to ambulate further, and was more likely to participate in physical therapy on the day of surgery. Patients in the FNC group also reported less pain, nausea and pruritis. Length of stay was not impacted on. Patients with an epidural required less opioid on the day of surgery but, there was no difference in opioid consumption compared through POD2. A survey was administered to nurses in the post anesthesia care unit and the orthopedic ward to investigate perceptions about the new protocol. The results of the survey demonstrated that although the change was effective, sufficient staff education is an important component of staff perceptions and implementing a change in practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Der Radiologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Der Orthopäde is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to examine experienced physiotherapists' perceptions of best practices for patients following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in publicly funded outpatient hospital settings in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The secondary objective was to identify the facilitators of and barriers to implementing best practices in the subacute phase of rehabilitation. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive, focused ethnographic approach was used to explore physiotherapists' perceptions of best practices for patients with TKA. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with expert physiotherapists acting as key informants. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit physiotherapists in the GTA. Interviews were conducted in person by two of the investigators. Results: Physiotherapists from seven acute-care hospitals in the GTA participated in the study. Analysis of the 140 pages of transcripts from the interviews with 10 physiotherapists revealed that participants perceived best practices as encompassing the adoption of a client-centred approach; inter-professional collaboration; aggressive rehabilitation for patients who are unsuccessful in achieving their outcomes; the use of relevant outcome measures; and consideration of the impact of scarce resources on care. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight physiotherapists' perceived best practices for patients with TKA and the unique contribution that hospital-based outpatient physiotherapy can make to patients' rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of bone density by means of dual energy Xray absorptiometry is a valid option for monitoring bone changes. In this study, time-related bone changes after total knee arthroplasty implantation were assessed in eight postmenopausal women (aged 62–72 years) up to one year from surgery. The pattern of bone changes followed a well-known design: an initial phase of accelerated bone loss and a subsequent phase of partial bone recovery. The greatest bone loss was observed at 2 months after surgery: 5.0% for the whole periprosthetic bone in the AP projection and 11.5% for the bone in the LL projection. In the following ten months the bone loss in the AP projection was completely recovered while the periprosthetic bone evaluated in the LL projection showed a residual bone loss of 9.0%. At 12 months from surgery, the distal femur in LL projection showed the greatest bone loss: 20.0% for the anterior region of interest and 17.0% for the posterior one. A significant correlation was found between the maximum postoperative bone loss and the residual bone loss at 12 months. These results suggest that pharmacological and rehabilitative strategies may be useful for the conservation of bone stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]