[Long-term experiences with the "St. Georg" sliding endoprosthesis]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomaterials science
• Medical device analysis

Background:

• Implantation of sliding surface prostheses is a common orthopedic procedure.
• Long-term outcomes and complication rates require thorough investigation.
• Understanding factors influencing prosthesis success is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze primary healing, secondary operations, and local sequelae after St. Georg sliding prosthesis implantation.
• To evaluate the long-term functional outcomes and complication incidence.
• To identify the primary causes of complications and unsatisfactory results.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 65 St. Georg sliding prostheses.
• Follow-up examinations of 64 patients with a minimum of 5 years post-implantation (average 77 months).
• Assessment of early complications, re-arthrotomy rates, and prosthesis loosening.

Main Results:

• Overall incidence of early complications was 29.2%.
• Re-arthrotomy rate (prosthesis in situ) was 7.7%.
• Incidence of prosthesis loosening was 5.5%.

Conclusions:

• Complications and unsatisfactory results were predominantly linked to faulty indication, not implantation errors.
• St. Georg sliding prostheses demonstrate satisfactory long-term function, excluding loosening.
• Careful patient selection is paramount for successful outcomes with sliding surface prostheses.