Abstract
BackgroundKnee arthrodesis with intramedullary (IM) nail or external fixator (EF) is the most reliable therapeutic option to achieve definitive infection control in patients with septic failure of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The first aim of this study was to compare re-infection rates following knee arthrodesis for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) with IM nail or EF. The second aim was to compare rates of radiographic union, complication, and re-operation as well as clinical outcomes.MethodsA systematic search was performed in electronic databases for longitudinal studies of PJIs (minimum ten patients; minimum follow-up = 1 year) treated by knee arthrodesis with IM nail or EF. Studies were also required to report the rate of re-infection as an outcome measure. Eligible studies were meta-analyzed using random-effect models.ResultsThe rate (95% confidence intervals) of re-infection was 10.6% (95% CI 7.3 to 14.0) in IM nail arthrodesis studies. The corresponding re-infection rate for EF was 5.4% (95% CI 1.7 to 9.1). This difference was significant (p = 0.009). The use of IM nail resulted in more advantages than EF for frequency of major complications and limb shortening. Other postoperative clinical and radiographic outcomes were similar for both surgical strategies.ConclusionsThe available evidence from the aggregate published data suggests that knee arthrodesis with EF in the specific context of PJI has a reduced risk of re-infection in comparison with the IM nail strategy. The use of IM nail is more effective for the complication rate and shortening of the affected limb.
Highlights
Knee arthrodesis with intramedullary (IM) nail or external fixator (EF) is the most reliable therapeutic option to achieve definitive infection control in patients with septic failure of total knee arthroplasty (TKA)
Data sources and search strategy We searched for studies investigating different outcomes following knee arthrodesis performed with IM nail and/or EF in MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases from inception up to September 2017
Eligibility criteria We included longitudinal studies comprising of consecutive unselected patients affected by periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) who were treated by knee arthrodesis using an IM nail or EF
Summary
Knee arthrodesis with intramedullary (IM) nail or external fixator (EF) is the most reliable therapeutic option to achieve definitive infection control in patients with septic failure of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The first aim of this study was to compare re-infection rates following knee arthrodesis for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) with IM nail or EF. Twostage revision is considered as the most effective surgical technique for treating chronic PJI of the knee [1], but the one-stage revision has been recently gaining popularity [2]. These revision strategies have a re-infection rate of. Once any measures to salvage a functional TKA through multiple revision procedures have been exhausted, knee arthrodesis or the above-knee amputation represent the only options to eradicate the infection.
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