Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative disease impairing elderly mobility. Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (OUKA) is effective for unicompartmental degenerative osteoarthritis, yet traditional intramedullary alignment methods may cause inaccuracies, compromising outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and accuracy of a 3D-printed intramedullary femoral positioning guide in Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (OUKA), with subgroup analysis by femoral mechanical-anatomical angle (FMA).
Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial enrolled 120 patients with severe medial knee osteoarthritis undergoing OUKA. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (n = 60) used a 3D-printed intramedullary femoral positioning guide, while the control group (n = 60) employed traditional femoral intramedullary localization. The primary outcome measures were femoral component valgus/varus angle (FCVA) and femoral component posterior slope angle (FCPSA). Secondary outcomes included operative time, tourniquet time, and early postoperative complications. Stratified analyses were performed based on the femoral mechanical-anatomical angle (FMA) using cutoff values of < 5°, 5-7 °, and > 7°.
Results: Among the 119 patients with complete data (one lost to follow-up), no significant differences in FCVA (experimental: -0.63 ° [-2.46 ° to 1.60 °]; control: 2.31 ° [-4.17 ° to 3.12 °], P = 0.438) or FCPSA (9.72 ° [7.24 ° to 11.64 °] vs. 6.93 ° [3.96 ° to 15.70 °], P = 0.401) were observed overall. However, subgroups with FMA <5° or >7° showed significant improvements in FCVA (mean difference: -2.42 °, 95% CI: -3.12 ° to -1.72 °) and FCPSA (3.79 °, 95% CI: 2.45 ° to 5.13 °, both P < 0.05). No differences in operative time, complications, or functional scores were noted. Safety outcomes, including rates of deep vein thrombosis, infection, and prosthesis-related complications, were comparable between groups, with no severe adverse events reported.
Conclusion: 3D-printed guides improve prosthesis alignment in OUKA for patients with FMA <5° or >7° but not for FMA 5-7 °. Clinicians should consider patient-specific anatomical variations when deciding whether to use 3D-printed guides in OUKA.
Level of evidence: I; Randomized controlled trial.
Background: Knee osteoarthritis increasingly affects active adults under 65 years of age. As total and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (TKA/UKA) become common treatments, return to work (RTW) emerges as a key milestone in recovery. While age, obesity, and comorbidities have been identified as predictors, the specific impact of professional occupation remains underexplored. This prospective study addresses this gap by investigating (1) how socio-professional category (SPC) influences the duration of sick leave after knee arthroplasty; and (2) whether physically demanding jobs; higher body mass index (BMI), age, and/ or other demographic or clinical factors are associated with prolonged sick leave.
Hypothesis: The authors hypothesized that the type of profession is the most significant predictor of extended sick leave following knee arthroplasty.
Methods: A prospective, single-center study was conducted involving 120 professionally active patients aged 18-65 years who underwent TKA or UKA between February 2020 and December 2023. Sociodemographic data, job classification (using PCS-ESE 2017), job physical demands, and clinical characteristics were collected. RTW status was evaluated at three months postoperatively, with an additional follow-up at four months for patients with extended sick leave (> 90 days). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of prolonged sick leave (> 90 days).
Results: While patients in SPC-3 (executives and intellectual professions) and SPC-5 (employees) were significantly associated with prolonged sick leave in univariate analysis (OR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.15-0.81; p = 0.014 and OR = 3.95; 95% CI: 1.73-8.98; p = 0.001, respectively), neither association was confirmed in multivariate analysis (SPC-3: OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 0.47-4.88; p = 0.484; SPC-5: OR = 2.41; 95% CI: 0.89-6.51; p = 0.0837). Secondly, physically demanding jobs strongly predicted extended sick leave, with nearly a fivefold increase in risk (OR = 4.58 95% CI:1.63-12.87; p = 0.0038). Thirdly, while a trend was observed for higher BMI to be associated with longer sick leave (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.99-1.19; p = 0.060), no significant associations were found for sex, age, ASA score, length of hospital stay, discharge modality, or caregiver availability.
Conclusion: Physically demanding occupations and not professional status are the main factors delaying return to work after knee arthroplasty. In contrast, traditional demographic factors such as sex, BMI and ASA score appear less influential. These findings highlight the importance of integrating occupational context and modifiable risk factors into preoperative planning to facilitate earlier RTW and optimize patient recovery trajectories.
Level of evidence: II; prospective study.
Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is one of the most frequent pediatric disorders. Management of DDH is age-related. While an outpatient orthopedic treatment may be initiated during the neonatal period, open reduction with/out pelvic and/or femoral osteotomy is reserved for cases of failed closed reduction or late presentation. Open reduction aims at stable concentric hip reduction, with capsulorrhaphy enhancing stability. An S-shaped capsulotomy is proposed for 10 patients with an average follow-up 9.4 months, to enhance hip joint access and provide a more secure, double-layered capsulorrhaphy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V; Technical note.

