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Novel Diagnostics in Revision Arthroplasty: Implant Sonication and Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: December 3, 2017
Periprosthetic knee infection reconstruction with a hinged prosthesis: Implant survival and risk factors for
Michael Jian-Wen Chen1, Jui-Fu Hung2, Chih-Hsiang Chang3
1Division of Joint Reconstruction, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Bone and Joint Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Background:
Severe bone and soft tissue defects are common after failed two-stage exchange arthroplasty for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). There is a paucity of evidence on the outcomes of using a hinged prosthesis for knee PJI reconstruction during second-stage re-implantation, especially regarding implant survivorship, reinfection risk factors, and functionality after successful reconstruction.
Methods:
A total of 58 knee PJI patients with Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute (AORI) type II/III defect and soft tissue insufficiency underwent reconstruction with hinged prosthesis. Enrolled patients adhered to a two-stage exchange arthroplasty protocol and were evaluated for a mean follow up of 65.1 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted for implant survivorship and infection-free survival. Multivariate analysis was used to determine independent risk factors for recurrent infections. Knee Society Score (KSS) was used to evaluate functional outcomes.
Results:
The survivorship of hinged prosthesis was 86.2% at 2 years and 70.2% at 5 years. Infection-free analysis revealed an estimation of 68.9% at 2 years and 60.6% at 5 years. Of the 58 patients, 13 (22.4%) developed recurrent PJI, three (5.2%) aseptic loosening, and one (1.7%) periprosthetic fracture. Multivariate analysis revealed that obesity (hazard ratio (HR), 3.11), high-virulent pathogen (HR, 3.44), and polymicrobial infection (HR, 3.59) were independent risk factors for reinfection. Patients showed a mean improvement of 32.8 ± 7.7 in Knee Society Clinical Score (KSCS) and 30.8 ± 11.0 in Knee Society Function Score (KSFS) after successful reconstruction (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
Using hinged knee prosthesis for PJI reconstruction provided an overall implant survival of 70.2% and an infection-free survival of 60.6% at mid-term follow up. Obesity, virulent pathogens, and polymicrobial infections were independent risk factors for infection recurrence.

