Background: Recently, impingement between the femoral stem and ceramic liner, which appears as a notch in the stem neck on radiographs, has emerged as a new complication. However, the proportion of impingement, potential risk factors, and related complications are poorly elucidated. Question/purposes: In patients who underwent ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) THA and had at least 10 years of follow-up, we asked: (1) What proportion had radiographic evidence of stem neck–ceramic liner impingement (notching of the stem), and what implant design, implantation factors, or complications such as ceramic fracture or metallosis are associated with impingement? (2) How common are the complications of noise and ceramic fracture? (3) What are the radiologic changes (including fixation of femoral and acetabular components, osteolysis, and heterotopic ossification) and clinical outcomes as determined by the modified Harris hip score (mHHS) for this cohort? (4) What is the survivorship with implant revision as the endpoint and with reoperation for any reason as the endpoint after CoC THA using a thick-neck stem design? Methods: Between May 2003 and April 2010, 643 patients underwent primary THA at a tertiary referral hospital. After excluding patients with metal-on-polyethylene and with ceramic-on-polyethylene implants, 621 patients were considered eligible for this study. All patients received the same hemispherical titanium cup, a standard-length tapered titanium stem, and a CoC bearing. Of those, 19% (115) were lost to follow-up before 10 years, and 8% (50) were excluded because they died before the minimum follow-up duration of 10 years, leaving 73% (456) for analysis. Patients had a mean age of 50 ± 14 years and were followed for a median (range) of 13 years (10 to 17). The mean cup abduction was 38° ± 5°, and the mean cup anteversion was 26° ± 7°. To determine the proportion of patients with the neck-liner impingement, we analyzed the plain radiographs of every patient during follow-up to detect notches around the stem. The detection of stem neck notches on the radiographs was reliable (intraobserver reliability: κ = 0.963; p < 0.001 and interobserver reliability: κ = 0.975; p < 0.001). To evaluate factors related to notching, we compared the possible confounding factors including gender, age, BMI, implant position, neck length, and head diameter. Complications such as ceramic fracture, noise, dislocation, and periprosthetic joint infection were recorded. Noise was evaluated via interview and with the Hip Noise Assessment Questionnaire, which assessed the noise qualitatively. For clinical outcome, we assessed the mHHS, which includes pain and function scales (0 [worst] to 100 [best]), every visit. Tilting of at least 4° or migration of at least 4 mm was the criteria for cup loosening; subsidence more than 3 mm, any change in position, or a continuous radiolucent line greater than 2 mm was the criteria for stem loosening. To evaluate osteolysis, we performed CT scans in 57% (262 of 456) of patients. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed using the endpoints of survivorship free from implant revision and survivorship free from reoperation for any cause. Results: The proportion of stem neck notching was 11% (49 of 456). There were no differences in cup abduction and anteversion between hips with notches and those without notches. Notched hips were more likely to have 28-mm than 32-mm heads (90% [44 of 49] versus 70% [285 of 407]; odds ratio 3.77 [95% CI 1.46 to 9.73]; p = 0.004). None of the 49 notched hips had a ceramic head or liner fracture or evidence of metallosis. A ceramic head fracture was reported in 2% (9 of 456); all fractures occurred in 28-mm short neck heads. A ceramic liner fracture occurred in 0.2% (1 of 456), and noise was noted in 6% (27 of 456). Acetabular osteolysis developed in 2% (7 of 456). The mHHS was 91 ± 12 points at the final follow-up. The survivorship free from implant revision was 97% (95% CI 96% to 99%), and the survivorship free from reoperation for any cause was 96% (95% CI 95% to 98%) at 13 years. Conclusion: The proportion of stems with neck–ceramic liner impingement and ceramic component fracture were unacceptably high after the use of a thick-neck stem design, especially when a 28-mm head was used. We have discontinued the use of this stem design and we recommend that such stems should not be used when CoC bearings are used. As these findings might be generalized to other bearing couples, further studies focused on polyethylene liner wear and local metallosis due to thick stem neck are warranted. Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study.

Background: Presently, hip arthroscopy is a widely adopted surgical intervention for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). However, there is insufficient evidence regarding which between arthroscopy and nonoperative treatment is more optimal for symptomatic FAI. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies that compared arthroscopy and nonoperative interventions for FAI treatment from inception to August 4, 2020. We included studies that directly compared surgical and nonsurgical treatment for symptomatic FAI and excluded those that did not use arthroscopic treatment as a surgical technique and studies performed on patients with concomitant diagnoses instead of pure FAI. We compared the following clinical outcome scores at 6 and 12 months of follow-up: International Hip Outcome Tool 33 (iHOT-33), hip outcome score (HOS), EuroQol-visual analog scale (EQ-VAS), modified Harris hip score (mHHS), and nonarthritic hip score (NAHS). Results: Five studies totaling 838 patients were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis; 382 patients underwent hip arthroscopy, and 456 patients were treated by nonoperative interventions. At 6 months of follow-up, there were no statistically significant differences in iHOT-33 ratings (mean difference [MD] = 7.92, P = .15), HOS (MD of HOS-ADL = 5.15, P = .26 and MD of HOS-Sports = 2.65, P = .79, respectively), and EQ-VAS (MD = 1.22, P = .76) between the 2 treatment strategies. At 12 months of follow-up, the arthroscopy group had a greater mean improvement in iHOT-33 score than the conservative treatment group (MD = 8.42, P = .002), but there was no difference between the groups in terms of mHHS rating (MD = −0.24, P = .83) and NAHS (MD = −2.08, P = .09). Conclusion: Despite arthroscopy being associated with significantly superior iHOT-33 scores after 12 months of follow-up, we were unable to discern the difference between the treatment strategies using other scoring methods, such as HOS, EQ-VAS, mHHS, and NAHS. Further studies will be needed to conclusively determine if 1 strategy is superior to the other for treating FAI.

Background: Pelvic bone fractures may cause extensive bleeding; however, the efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) usage in pelvic fracture surgery remains unclear. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of TXA in open reduction and internal fixation surgery for pelvic and acetabular fracture. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for studies published before April 22, 2020, that investigated the effect of TXA in the treatment of pelvic and acetabular fracture with open reduction and internal fixation. A pooled analysis was used to identify the differences between a TXA usage group and a control group in terms of estimated blood loss (EBL), transfusion rates, and postoperative complications. Results: We included 6 studies involving 764 patients, comprising 293 patients who received TXA (TXA group) and 471 patients who did not (control group). The pooled analysis showed no differences in EBL between the groups (mean difference –64.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] –185.27 to –55.93, P = .29). The study period transfusion rate showed no significant difference between the groups (odds ratio [OR] 0.77, 95% CI 0.19–3.14, P = .71, I ² = 82%), nor in venous thromboembolism incidence (OR 1.53, 95% CI 0.44–5.25, P = .50, I ² = 0%) or postoperative infection rates (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.13–9.98, P = .90, I ² = 48%). Conclusions: Despite several studies having recommended TXA administration in orthopedic surgery, our study did not find TXA usage to be more effective than not using TXA in pelvic and acetabular fracture surgery, especially in terms of EBL reduction, transfusion rates, and the risk of postoperative complications.

Background With the development of 4th generation ceramic bearing, the large ceramic head is available for ceramic-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasty (THA). This retrospective study aimed to compare the outcomes of ceramic-on-ceramic THA with 4th generation 36 mm head to those with 3rd generation 28 mm head using propensity score matching. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the results of 133 ceramic-on-ceramic THAs with 4th generation 36 mm ceramic head in 129 patients and 133 ceramic-on-ceramic THAs identified from 405 ceramic-on-ceramic THAs with 3rd generation 28 mm head by propensity score matching. There were 83 males and 50 females in both groups with a mean age of 55 years. There was no significant difference in other demographic features except for follow-up period (4.2 years in the 36 mm group and 6.4 years in the 28 mm group, p < 0.001). Clinical and radiological results and occurrence of complication were compared between the two groups. Results Harris Hip Score was increased significantly from 46.4 to 92.1 in the 36 mm group and from 46.7 to 93.6 in the 28 mm group. No loosening or osteolysis was observed in the 36 mm group. However, one hip showed radiologic sign of loosening in the 28 mm group. As for complication, postoperative dislocation was more frequent in the 28 mm group (6 in the 28 mm group vs. 0 in the 36 mm group, p = 0.03). Otherwise, there was no significant difference in other results including inguinal pain, squeaking or ceramic fracture. Conclusion Ceramic-on-ceramic THA with 4th generation 36 mm head significantly reduced postoperative dislocation rate without increasing the rate of inguinal pain, squeaking, or ceramic fracture compared to that with 3rd generation 28 mm head.

Background: Periprosthetic joint infection and native hip infections often require staged surgical intervention due to extensive bone and soft tissue destruction. This study evaluates the clinical feasibility and mechanical reliability of a modified functional articulating hip spacer (FAHS) incorporating a cemented dual-mobility-bearing (DMB) metal liner. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 20 patients who underwent a DMB-incorporated FAHS between March 2018 and December 2019. The technique involved cementing a DMB metal liner directly into the prepared acetabulum without a standard outer shell. Successful clinical outcome was defined as either transition to second-stage total hip arthroplasty (THA) or stable spacer retention, the latter including cases with definitive eradication or symptom-controlled chronic suppression therapy. Infection eradication required the clinical absence of infection for at least twelve months following the cessation of antimicrobial therapy. Construct-related mechanical complications and radiographic parameters were also analyzed. Results: The mean follow-up was 23.5 months, ranging from 6.0 to 62.6 months. Successful clinical outcome was achieved in 17 patients (85%), with seven (35%) transitioning to second-stage THA and ten (50%) opting for spacer retention. Within the retention group, seven achieved definitive eradication while three were maintained under chronic suppression therapy. Construct integrity was maintained in 80% of the cohort. Mechanical complications included two dislocations (10%) and two implant failures (10%). Radiographic analysis showed higher inclination and anteversion angles of the metal liner in the dislocation cases. Conclusions: The off-label use of DMB-incorporated FAHS represents a feasible option with acceptable mechanical performance in selected cases of PJI and native hip joint infection. However, as mechanical complications cannot be fully prevented, meticulous surgical techniques and careful patient selection remain essential.