Total hip replacement arthroplasty is performed in many cases of osteonecrosiss of the femoral head(ONFH). However, there are still problems associated with postoperative functional limitation and revision arthroplasty due to wear of implants because ONFH usually occurs at relatively young adults. Therefore, the efforts to promote regeneration of ONFH or to delay progression of the disease should be required. Recently, the use of pharmacological agents for the treatment of ONFH has been introduced based on several hypotheses of pathophysiology or risk factors for ONFH. We describe theoretical rationale and short-term clinical results of pharmacological treatments for ONFH.
Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Head ; Humans ; Osteonecrosis ; Regeneration ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

We evaluated the clinical course of subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head (SIFFH) and its characteristic findings with special regard to joint space narrowing (JSN). Thirty-one cases of SIFFH of mean age 68.9 yr initially underwent limited weight-bearing conservative treatment. During the follow-up period, the patients with intractable pain underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA). For radiographic evaluation, lateral center-edge angle, JSN and femoral head collapse (FHC) were documented, and the extent of FHC was classified as mild (<2 mm), moderate (2-4 mm), and severe (>4 mm). The progression or new development of FHC more than 2 mm was evaluated on sequential plain radiographs. The relationship between radiographic parameters and clinical outcomes were evaluated. THAs were performed in 15 cases (48.4%). There was no significant correlation between clinical outcomes and the extent of initial FHC. However, a significantly larger proportion of patients that underwent THA showed JSN and FHC progression compared to the symptom improvement group. The risk factor significantly associated with failed conservative treatment was JSN (P=0.038; OR, 11.8; 95% CI, 1.15-122.26). Clinical results of conservative treatment for SIFFH in elderly patients are relatively poor. The patients with JSN are at higher risk of failed conservative treatment.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Body Mass Index ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Femur Head/pathology/*radiography ; Hip Fractures/pathology/*radiography ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors

We present a case of Aspergillus septic hip arthritis in an immunocompetent patient with undiagnosed recurrent pulmonary aspergillosis who underwent arthroscopic surgery. Biopsy specimens of synovium revealed fungal hyphae, confirming Aspergillus infection. Aspergillus septic hip arthritis can occur in immunocompetent patients, and arthroscopy can be a noninvasive surgical option in these cases.
Arthritis ; Arthritis, Infectious* ; Arthroscopy ; Aspergillus* ; Biopsy ; Female* ; Hip* ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Pulmonary Aspergillosis* ; Synovial Membrane

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical and radiologic results of impacted femoral neck fractures treated with multiple pinning and determined the influence of the progression of impaction at the fracture site on clinical outcome. METHODS: There were 34 patients with a mean age of 65.5 years. The mean follow-up period was 3.4 years. Progression of fracture site impaction was measured using an articulo-trochanteric distance index and the percentage decrease in the articulo-trochanteric distance index between follow-up intervals. The failure of treatment was clarified as non-union and avascular necrosis. Other characteristics of the patients, including mean waiting time for surgery, preoperative Singh index score, and body mass index, were also measured to evaluate the influence on the clinical outcome of surgery. RESULTS: There were 6 fractures which were not treated successfully (3 non-union, 8.8% and 3 avascular necrosis, 8.8%). The mean percentage decrease of the articulo-trochanteric distance index within the first 6 weeks after surgery was 4.5% in the successful group and 25.1% in the failure group (p < 0.001). There was also a significant mean percentage decrease in the articulo-trochanteric distance index between 6 weeks and 3 months (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Primary stabilization with Knowles pins for impacted femoral neck fractures had a reasonable clinical outcome with low morbidity. Despite a significant difference of a mean percentage decrease in the articulo-trochanteric distance index between the successful group and the failure group, we could not verify it as a risk factor for failure of treatment because the odds ratio was not statistically significant.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Nails ; Female ; Femoral Neck Fractures/complications/radiography/*surgery ; Femur Head Necrosis/etiology/radiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; *Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fractures, Ununited/radiography ; Hip Joint/*pathology/radiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical and radiologic results of impacted femoral neck fractures treated with multiple pinning and determined the influence of the progression of impaction at the fracture site on clinical outcome. METHODS: There were 34 patients with a mean age of 65.5 years. The mean follow-up period was 3.4 years. Progression of fracture site impaction was measured using an articulo-trochanteric distance index and the percentage decrease in the articulo-trochanteric distance index between follow-up intervals. The failure of treatment was clarified as non-union and avascular necrosis. Other characteristics of the patients, including mean waiting time for surgery, preoperative Singh index score, and body mass index, were also measured to evaluate the influence on the clinical outcome of surgery. RESULTS: There were 6 fractures which were not treated successfully (3 non-union, 8.8% and 3 avascular necrosis, 8.8%). The mean percentage decrease of the articulo-trochanteric distance index within the first 6 weeks after surgery was 4.5% in the successful group and 25.1% in the failure group (p < 0.001). There was also a significant mean percentage decrease in the articulo-trochanteric distance index between 6 weeks and 3 months (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Primary stabilization with Knowles pins for impacted femoral neck fractures had a reasonable clinical outcome with low morbidity. Despite a significant difference of a mean percentage decrease in the articulo-trochanteric distance index between the successful group and the failure group, we could not verify it as a risk factor for failure of treatment because the odds ratio was not statistically significant.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Nails ; Female ; Femoral Neck Fractures/complications/radiography/*surgery ; Femur Head Necrosis/etiology/radiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; *Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fractures, Ununited/radiography ; Hip Joint/*pathology/radiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Treatment Outcome

This study aimed to analyze the epidemiologic characteristics of patients who underwent hip arthroplasty using the Korean nationwide database and investigate the recent trends in implant fixation methods and bearing surface selection. We aimed to compare clinical characteristics and differences with the results from the registry of other western countries. We analyzed the data collected by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database of Korea from 2007 to 2011 and the Main Surgery Statistical Yearbook from 2014 to 2018, published by the National Health Insurance Service. The number and rate of patients who underwent hip joint arthroplasty per 10,000 persons have been steadily increasing since 2007. There was a big difference in mean age and preoperative diagnosis of patients between the bipolar hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty groups. Most patients underwent surgery using a cementless biological fixation method, and the cemented fixation method was selectively used for a small portion of old aged osteoporotic patients. In relation to the use of bearing surfaces, the registry data showed that ceramic-ceramic bearings were used at an overwhelmingly high rate (81%) in Korea compared to other countries. The reason was attributable to various factors, such as patient’s age or economic status, differences in the health insurance system between countries, and recently reported complications, such as ceramic fracture or noise.

The aim of this study was to examine the incidence and trends of clinically relevant venous thromboembolism (VTE) including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) after hip and knee replacement arthroplasty (HKRA) in Korea. Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, 22,127 hip replacement arthroplasty (HRA) patients and 52,882 knee replacement arthroplasty (KRA) patients were enrolled in the analysis using the administrative claims database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). All available parameters including procedure history and clinically relevant VTE during the 90 days after HKRA were identified based on diagnostic and electronic data interchange (EDI) codes. The overall incidence of VTE, DVT, and PE during the 90 days was 3.9% (n=853), 2.7% (n=597), and 1.5% (n=327) after HRA, while the incidence was 3.8% (n=1,990), 3.2% (n=1,699), and 0.7% (n=355) after KRA. The incidence of VTE after HKRA was significantly higher in patients who had previous VTE history (odds ratio [OR], 10.8 after HRA, OR, 8.5 after KRA), chronic heart failure (2.1, 1.3), arrhythmia (1.8, 1.7), and atrial fibrillation (3.4, 2.1) than in patients who did not. The VTE incidence in patients with chemoprophylaxis was higher than that in patients without chemoprophylaxis. The incidence of VTEs revealed in this retrospective review was not low compared with the results of the studies targeting other Asian or Caucasian populations. It may warrant routine prevention including employment of chemoprophylaxis. However, the limitation of the reviewed data mandates large scale prospective investigation to affirm this observation.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; *Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; National Health Programs ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Venous Thromboembolism/*diagnosis/epidemiology

PURPOSE: We designed this study to demonstrate recent trends in the proportion of adult hip research in orthopedics, to identify countries leading the adult hip research, and to evaluate the relationship between the economic power of the countries and their contributions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies published in seven select orthopedic journals were retrieved from PubMed. Among them, we determined the number of adult hip studies. The countries-of-origin of adult hip studies, and the economic power of the countries were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 7218 orthopedic publications and 1993 (27.6%) addressed adult hip research were identified. Adult hip studies increased from 313 (23.7%) in 2000 to 555 (27.9%) in 2011. Twenty-five countries accounted for 97.6% of the total number of adult hip studies, and gross domestic product correlated with publication volume (Spearman's rho, 0.723; p=0.000). CONCLUSION: Researchers from a limited number of developed countries have published their studies in the adult hip discipline.
Adult ; Geography ; Hip/*physiology ; Humans ; PubMed ; Publications/*trends ; Research/*trends

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the data for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the Korean nationwide database to assess (1) the epidemiology and national trends of bearing surface usage in THAs and (2) the prevalence of each type of bearing surface according to age, gender, hospital type, primary payer, and hospital procedure volume. METHODS: A total of 30,881 THAs were analyzed using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database for 2007 through 2011. Bearing surfaces were sub-grouped according to device code for national health insurance claims and consisted of ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC), metal-on-polyethylene (MoP), ceramic-on-polyethylene (CoP), and metal-on-metal (MoM). The prevalence of each type of bearing surface was calculated and stratified by age, gender, hospital type, primary payer, and procedure volume of each hospital. RESULTS: CoC was the most frequently used bearing surface (76.7%), followed by MoP (11.9%), CoP (7.3%), and MoM (4.1%). The proportion of THAs using a CoC bearing surface increased steadily from 71.6% in 2007 to 81.4% in 2011, whereas the proportions using CoP, MoP, and MoM bearing surfaces decreased. The order of prevalence was identical to that in the general population regardless of age, gender, hospital type, primary payer, and hospital procedure volume. CONCLUSIONS: The trends and epidemiology of bearing surface usage in THAs in Korea are different from those in other countries, and the CoC bearing surface is the most prevalent articulation. In future, the results of a large-scale study using nationwide data of THAs involving a CoC bearing surface will be reported in Korea.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/methods/*statistics & numerical data/*trends ; Ceramics/therapeutic use ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hip Prosthesis/*statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Male ; Metals/therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene/therapeutic use ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) results from abnormal anatomic relationship between acetabulum and femoral head-neck junction, which causes secondary chondrolabral injury. FAI is the common cause of hip joint pain in young adults who have nearly normal hip joint structure. The pain usually progresses on hip flexion and internal rotation. Although it is still controversial whether FAI is one of the reason of secondary hip osteoarthritis or the contrary, instruments and surgical technique for treating FAI is continuing to improve. When we initially diagnosed with FAI, conservative treatment is recommended. But if the conservative treatment has no response, we can consider surgical intervention. The arthroscopic technique is one of the promising options, and it is the fastest growing fields for the treatment FAI.
Acetabulum ; Arthroscopy ; Femoracetabular Impingement* ; Hip ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Hip ; Young Adult