Extended Trochanteric Osteotomy with Intermediate Resection Arthroplasty Is Safe for Use in Two-Stage Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty for Infection

Background: This study sought to compare the results of two-stage revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) for periprosthetic infection (PJI) in patients with and without the use of an extended trochanteric osteotomy (ETO) for removal of a well-fixed femoral stem or cement. Methods: Thirty-two patients who had undergone an ETO as part of a two-stage revision without spacer placement were matched 1:2 with a cohort of sixty-four patients of the same sex and age who had stem removal without any osteotomy. Clinical outcomes including interim revision, reinfection and aseptic failure rates were evaluated. Modified Harris hip scores (mHHS) were calculated. Minimum follow-up was two years. Results: Patients undergoing ETO had a significantly lower rate of interim re-debridement compared to non-ETO patients (0% vs. 14.1%, p = 0.026). Reinfection following reimplantation was similar in both groups (12.5% in ETO patients vs. 9.4% in non-ETO patients, p = 0.365). Revision for aseptic reason was necessary in 12.5% in the ETO group and 14.1% in the non-ETO group (p = 0.833). Periprosthetic femoral fractures were seen in three patients (3.1%), of which all occurred in non-ETO patients. Dislocation was the most common complication, which was equally distributed in both groups (12.5%). The mean mHHS was 37.7 in the ETO group and 37.3 in the non-ETO group, and these scores improved significantly in both groups following reimplantation (p < 0.01). Conclusion: ETO without the use of spacer is a safe and effective method to manage patients with well-fixed femoral stems and for thorough cement removal in two-stage revision THA for PJI. While it might reduce the rate of repeated debridement in the interim period, the use of ETO appears to lead to similar reinfection rates following reimplantation.

The Relationship Between Arthroplasty Surgeons’ Experience Level and Optimal Cable Tensioning in the Fixation of Extended Trochanteric Osteotomy

Introduction In this study, our aim was to examine the relationship between the arthroplasty surgeons’ experience level and their aptitude to adjust the cable tension to the value recommended by the manufacturer when asked to provide fixation with cables in artificial bones that underwent extended trochanteric osteotomy (ETO). Materials and Methods A custom-made cable tensioning device with a microvoltmeter was used to measure the tension values in Newtons (N). An ETO was performed on 4 artificial femur bones. Surgeons at various levels of experience attending the IXth National Arthroplasty Congress were asked to fix the osteotomized fragment using 1.7-mm cables and the tensioning device. The participants’ demographic and experience data were investigated and recorded. The surgeons with different level of experience repeated the tensioning test 3 times and the average of these measurements were recorded. Results In 19 (35.2%) of the 54 participants, the force applied to the cable was found to be greater than the 490.33 N (50 kg) value recommended by the manufacturer. No statistically significant difference was determined between the surgeon’s years of experience, the number of cases, and the number of cables used and the tension applied over the recommended maximum value ( P = .475, P = .312, and P = .691, respectively). Conclusions No significant relationship was found between the arthroplasty surgeon’s level of experience and the adjustment of the cable with the correct tension level. For this reason, we believe that the use of tensioning devices with calibrated tension gauges by orthopedic surgeons would help in reducing the number of complications that may occur due to the cable.