Joint preserving procedures and endoprostheses in hemophiliacs - indications and long term results

Hemophilic arthropathy is the result of recurrent joint bleedings in patients with severe haemophilia A or B and von Willebrand Syndrome. Conservative orthopaedic treatment is preferred in every stage of the arthropathy. Synovectomy is indicated only after failure of the conservative regimen after 3 to 6 months in order to control synovitis and recurrent bleeding. This paper presents the indications, methods, and results of different joint preserving operations. Especially synovectomy of the elbow joint with or without radial head resection shows very good long term results. Radiosynoviorthesis is an alternative in certain cases. The end stages of hemophilic arthropathy are characterised by pronounced joint contractures. We achieved very good long term results by implanting total hip joints (n = 13) and total knee joints (n = 20) with a median follow up of 102 respectively 53 months. No perioperative complications like bleeding or infection were registrated. Only one aseptic loosening of a cemented cup occurred 14 years postoperatively as well as one septic loosening 14 months postoperatively in an HIV-positive haemophilic. Another HIV positive patient developed a hematogenic abscess on both operated on hips without loosening of the endoprosthesis. Bicondylar prosthesis (n = 14) showed 6 very good, 6 good and 2 fair results in the HSS-score. Only one subsidence of an uncemented tibia plateau without definitive loosening occurred 55 months later. The functional results of constrained knee endoprostheses (n = 6) were not as good (2 good, 2 fair, 2 poor). However, these patients suffered preoperatively from severe contractures and malalignments. Aseptic loosening or late infections did not occur even in case of HIV infections.