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Biomedical subjects

J W Goodfellow

Publications and source records attributed to J W Goodfellow.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Theory and practice of meniscal knee replacement: designing against wear.

This paper attributes the high rate of high-density polyethylene (HDP) wear in many knee prostheses to incongruity of their articular surfaces. The authors discuss the anatomical and kinematic features of the knee which have led most designers to choose incongruous surfaces and review the reasons for employing free bearings, analogues of the natural menisci, to provide congruity without restriction of movement. There are theoretical reasons against employing freely mobile bearing in the absence of a functioning anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the authors' experience has confirmed this limitation in practice. It is concluded that, in bicompartmental replacement, the movements of the meniscal bearing should be limited in the anteroposterior direction. For unicompartmental arthritis, an unconstrained bearing can be employed if, as is usually the case, all ligaments are intact.

Humans

Bilateral knee replacements: simultaneous or staged?

Approximately one-third of primary knee replacements are performed on patients with bilateral symptomatic disease. This retrospective study compared the complication rate, functional outcome and cost implications of performing bilateral total knee replacements under a single anaesthetic or as staged procedures with a control group of unilateral cases. There was no significant difference in the complications or outcome. There was a significant reduction in the mean hospital admission time of 7 days per knee replacement (P < 0.001, Student's t test) by performing bilateral knee replacements for osteoarthritis under the same anaesthetic. However, a survey of practising knee surgeons in three health regions in the United Kingdom shows that only 24% would regularly perform bilateral knee replacements under one anaesthetic.

Adult

The radiographic classification of medial gonarthrosis. Correlation with operation methods in 200 knees.

Ahlbäck's classification of gonarthrosis can be applied with improved precision by careful interpretation of anteroposterior varus stress and lateral radiographs of the knee. The tibial lesion in early gonarthrosis is located in the anterior and middle part of the medial plateau. In more advanced disease, when the anterior cruciate ligament is invariably damaged, the lesion extends to the posterior margin of the medial tibial plateau. We studied the preoperative radiographs of 200 knees with arthrosis. We were able to predict the integrity of the anterior cruciate ligament (and the use of unicompartmental arthroplasty) with 95 percent accuracy and rupture or damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (and the use of total condylar arthroplasty) with 100 percent accuracy. We believe that the Ahlbäck classification reflects the anatomic and pathologic progression of medial compartment gonarthrosis, and is of value in allowing more accurate comparisons to be made of different methods of treatment.

Adult

Sagittal plane laxity following knee arthroplasty.

We measured the sagittal laxity in 70 knee replacements at least six months after surgery, using a KT 1000 arthrometer. With an unconstrained prosthesis (the Oxford meniscal knee) anteroposterior stability was normal in joints known to have intact cruciate ligaments. There was increased laxity in those which lacked an anterior cruciate ligament. In knees with an intact anterior cruciate ligament, sagittal laxity did not increase with time.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Anteromedial osteoarthritis of the knee.

Medial tibial plateaux excised during 46 unicompartmental arthroplasties for osteoarthritis were collected and photographed. The anterior cruciate ligament was intact in all joints. In every case the cartilage and bone erosion was centred anteriorly on the plateau and the posterior cartilage was intact. The site of the lesion and the intact state of the cruciate ligaments taken together explain why varus deformity was observed only in the extended knee, and why the deformity was correctable and had not become fixed. Failure of the anterior cruciate ligament may allow the erosion to extend posteriorly, producing fixed varus deformity and leading to degeneration of the lateral compartment. Anteromedial osteoarthritis is a distinct clinicopathological entity; its radiographic features enable it to be diagnosed from lateral radiographs; its anatomical features render it suitable for treatment by unicompartmental arthroplasty.

Age Factors

The geometry of the knee in the sagittal plane.

A geometric model of the tibio-femoral joint in the sagittal plane has been developed which demonstrates the relationship between the geometry of the cruciate ligaments and the geometry of the articular surfaces. The cruciate ligaments are represented as two inextensible fibres which, with the femur and the tibia, are analysed as a crossed four-bar linkage. The directions of the ligaments at each position of flexion are calculated. The instant centre, where the flexion axis crosses the parasagittal plane through the joint, lies at the intersection of the cruciates. It moves relative to each of the bones during flexion and extension. The successive positions of the flexion axis relative to a fixed femur and to a fixed tibia are deduced. The shapes of articular surfaces which would allow the bones to flex and extend while maintaining the ligaments each at constant length are calculated and are found to agree closely with the shapes of the natural articular surfaces. The calculated movements of the contact point between the femur and the tibia during flexion also agree well with measurements made on cadaver specimens. The outcome is a geometric simulation of the tibio-femoral joint in the sagittal plane which illustrates the central role played by the cruciate ligaments in the kinematics of the knee and which can be used for the analysis of ligament and contact forces.

Biomechanical Phenomena

A new device to aid knee surgery. A leg-positioning mechanism.

A novel leg-positioning and holding mechanism has been developed to facilitate knee surgery. The normal thigh tourniquet is used as the point of attachment of the mechanism. The knee may be placed in any of the positions desired for knee surgery by means of a single control lever. To facilitate alignment during arthroplasty a pointer has been incorporated to indicate the midline of the limb. The leg positioner has proved useful during knee arthroplasty, high tibial osteotomy, arthroscopic procedures, and ligament reconstruction. Its use has reduced fatigue, freed the assistant for other tasks, and held the limb more firmly than was possible hitherto.

Humans

Posterior interosseous nerve palsy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Bilateral posterior interosseous nerve palsy in a rheumatoid patient is described. Six previous case reports and our experience indicate that steroid injection into the elbow may not produce lasting recovery and may lead to unacceptable delay before surgical decompression. An anterolateral approach for division of the arcade of Frohse is effective in cases with diffuse synovitis; where there is a local cystic swelling a posterolateral approach provides better access. Good recovery of nerve function can be expected after early operation.

Aged

The Oxford Knee for unicompartmental osteoarthritis. The first 103 cases.

The Oxford Knee, a resurfacing prosthesis with a meniscal bearing, can be used for either bicompartmental or unicompartmental arthritis. The first 103 unicompartmental cases are presented at a mean time since operation of 36 months (range 21 to 56 months). In those cases with surviving arthroplasties, pain was relieved in 96%. The full range of pre-operative flexion was maintained and flexion deformity was improved from a mean of 6.7 to 5.4 degrees. Stability and alignment were restored to normal in nearly all the knees. Absence of the anterior cruciate ligament was associated with a significantly greater incidence of failure. Six failures occurred in 37 knees lacking a normal anterior cruciate ligament (16.2%); three occurred in 63 knees with a normal anterior cruciate ligament (4.8%) (p less than 0.02). Criteria for the future selection of patients have been deduced from our experience. The operation is recommended for knees with severe unicompartmental osteoarthritis in which all the ligaments are still intact.

Aged

Unicompartmental Oxford Meniscal knee arthroplasty.

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty is an attractive concept, but some reports on its use are unfavorable. A meniscal bearing prosthesis has many advantages in this mode of arthroplasty. The authors present preliminary results of 25 unicompartmental knee replacements done with the Oxford Meniscal knee, with a follow-up period of 12-54 months (mean, 21 months). They discuss the scientific basis of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, which they conclude may be the most appropriate treatment for selected cases of degenerative arthritis of the knee.

Aged

A radiographic study of bearing movement in unicompartmental Oxford knee replacements.

After a unicompartmental Oxford knee replacement, a clear lateral radiographic view of the components may be obtained without the shadow of prosthetic components in the other compartment. Radiographs of 20 knees were studied; with the patient supine and the muscles relaxed, views with the knee at full extension and 90 degrees of flexion were obtained and the movement of the meniscal bearings over this range of flexion was measured. The bearings were found to move backwards on the tibia through an average distance of 4.4 mm (range 0.0 to 13.5 mm) in the medial compartment and 6.0 mm (range 1.6 to 13.0 mm) in the lateral compartment. These movements were in the same direction as that observed in cadaver specimens but smaller in magnitude. At 90 degrees of flexion, radiographs were obtained with the tibia twisted manually to the limits of medial and lateral rotation. The average movement of the bearings between these extremes was found to be 6.6 mm in the medial compartment and 5.1 mm in the lateral; their movements on the tibia were in opposite directions in the two compartments. Bearing movement was still present in knees examined five years after operation.

Aged

Stress radiography in degenerative arthritis of the knee.

The accurate assessment of compartmental involvement in degenerative arthritis of the knee is important when planning operative treatment. Standard radiographic techniques often fail to define the degree of involvement of the less affected tibiofemoral compartment. The use of stress radiography in the preoperative assessment of 30 knees with degenerative arthritis is described and the radiographic findings correlated with the changes found at arthrotomy.

Humans

Clinical results of the Oxford knee. Surface arthroplasty of the tibiofemoral joint with a meniscal bearing prosthesis.

The Oxford method of knee arthroplasty replaces the femoral condyles with convex spherical metal components and relines the tibial plateaus with flat metal components. Free meniscal bearings of polyethylene, spherically concave above and flat below, lie between the fixed metal components, held in place by their geometry and ligamentous tension. Advantages of the design include: congruity of the articulating surfaces; unconstrained tibiofemoral movement; preservation of all the ligaments with facility to tension them accurately from a range of bearing thicknesses; minimal bone excision; applicability to unicondylar use. Laboratory studies showed that combined rolling and sliding at meniscofemoral and meniscotibial interfaces mimic normal joint kinematics and mechanics. One hundred twenty-five bicompartmental implants were followed for two to six years. Pain was relieved in 90%; mean flexion limit was 99 degrees and mean flexion deformity 7 degrees. Stability and alignment were recovered in nearly all joints. Six knees failed and were successfully arthrodesed (two) or converted to another prosthesis (four). Eight knees required revision to replace a dislocated bearing (five) or to recement a loose component (three). In knees with an intact anterior cruciate ligament, there were no failures and a low revision rate (4.8%). The prosthesis is proposed as a reliable and safe alternative to more invasive prostheses in rheumatoid and osteoarthritic joints in which the disease is still limited to the articular surfaces.

Aged

The natural history of anterior knee pain in adolescents.

Anterior knee pain in adolescents is generally recognised as a common but benign self-limiting condition. Although many operative procedures for its treatment have been proposed, there is little statistical evidence that they are more effective than expectant management. A group of 54 adolescent girls has been followed for two to eight years from presentation with anterior knee pain. Although some pain persisted in the majority, in many the symptoms declined in severity. This study provides a baseline for comparison with the results of operative intervention; it is suggested that surgical treatment is unproven and unnecessary.

Adolescent

The radiolucent line beneath the tibial components of the Oxford meniscal knee.

Radiolucent lines at the bone-cement interface beneath the tibial components were assessed in 91 consecutive Oxford meniscal knee replacements in 78 patients. Of 80 knees in which radio-opaque cement was used, a radiolucent line was observed in 77, with a radiodense line in the bone immediately adjoining. Radiolucent lines developed in the majority of patients within one year after operation. In 11 knees fixed with radiolucent cement (which precluded assessment of the radiolucent line) a radiodense line was observed beneath the lucent cement in all cases. Histological examination of the interface obtained from secure tibial components showed the lucent zone to be composed of fibrocartilaginous connective tissue and the radiodense line to be a thick lamella of bone. It is suggested that the living bone under a rigid prosthesis requires a layer of relatively compliant fibrocartilaginous material at its interface to accommodate load-bearing. Attention is drawn to the importance of the radiodense line: its presence may constitute positive evidence that healing at the level of bone section is complete and that equilibrium is established; its absence at a mature interface may indicate disequilibrium and impending failure.

Adult