Clinical skills - Monoarticular joint pain Flashcards
Major joints
Hip Knee Shoulder Elbow Ankle
Symptoms of OA
Pain esp at night Swelling Deformity Reduced mobility Daily activities compromised
Management of OA
Lose weight if overweight Painkillers Ease off on aggravating activity Exercise Walking stick Shoe wear
Clinical management of OA
NSAIDs Physiotherapy Intra-articular injections Joint replacement Excision femoral head Osteotomy Athrodesis
Osteotomy
Cutting and realignment of bone
Pros of joint replacement
Almost instant cure of arthritic pain
Return of mobility
‘Normal life’ - get life back
Majority of joints are long lasting, only few need revisions
Cons of joint replacement
Operation
Major complications e.g death
Revision surgeries
Need to be careful
Options of surgeries
Fixation method
Bearing surface
Bone preserving/ sacrificing
Hemiarthroplasty/ total
Cemented joint replacement
Coated in hydroxypapatite
Principles of joint replacement operations
Bearing surface
Fixation to bone
Problems w/ joint replacement surgery
Infections
Aseptic looseinng
Metal on metal
Knee replacement surgeries
Total knee replacement - ACL always sacrificed
Unicompartmental total knee replacement
Patellar femoral joint replacement
Total knee replacement
PCL preserving
PCL sacrificing
Unicompartmental tkr
Fixed bearing
Mobile bearing
Complications of surgery
Infection Dislocation Thromboembolic disease Leg length discrepancy Nerve palsy Fracture Ongoing pain
How long do hip and knee replacements last
10-15 yrs
What properties should joint replacement material have
Strength Elastic modulus Biocompatible Bearing surface Attachment to bone
Crystals in crystal arthritis
Monosodium urate (uric acid) - gout Calcium pyrophosphate - Pseudogout
Characteristic of synovial fluid in crystal synovitis
>3.5 ml Low viscosity Straw/ opaque colour vs clear >10,000 WBC/ mm3 vs 200 >50% PMN vs <25 Crystals present
Pathognesis of crystal arthritis
Over production of uric acid (exogenous or endogenous)
Underexcretion of uric acid (abnormal renal handling of urate)
A combination of both
Causes of hyperuricemia
Overproduction
Under excretion
Causes of hyperuricemia -overproduction
Excess dietary purines
Alcohol abuse
Myleoproliferative disorder
Lymphoproliferative disorder
Causes of hyperuricemia - under excretion
Renal disease
Polycystic kidney disease
Drugs causing hyperuricemia
CANT LEAP
Cyclosporine Alcohol Nicotinic acid Thiazides Lasix (feusemide) Ethambutol Aspirin (low dose) Pyrazinamide
Stages of crystal arthritis
Asymptomatic hyperuricemia
A/c gouty attack
Intercritical gout
Advanced tophaceous gout
Predisposing factors of crystal arthritis
Immediate post op period after major surgery
Stroke
Fasting
Alcohol abuse
Large intake of food w/ high purine content
Local infection
Lab tests for crystal arthritis
Joint fluid analysis Culture to rule out infection Renal function Urine dipstick - haemoturia (gout and kidney stone) S. uric acid and WCC < 15,000/mm3
Differential diagnosis of crystal arthritis
Degree of infl - diff to RhA
Matched only by other crystal disease (pseudogout) or infection
Podagra (1st MTP joint pain) characteristic of gout
Core aspects of management of crystal arthritis
Patient education
Diet - low purine
Reduce alcohol - increases serum urate production and reduces renal clearance
Weight reduction
Food high in purines
Red meat
Animal organs
Fish e.g mackerel, herring, sardines
Treatment of acute attacks of gout
Joint rest and local ice NSAIDs or COX inhibitors Oral steroids Local steroid injection Oral colchicine
Intercritical gout
2 or more attacks in a year
Treatment of intercritical gout
Diet
Alcohol
Colchicine prophylaxis - 1st 3-6 months to reduce freq. of attacks
Urate lowering drugs
Side effects of colchicine prophylaxis
Rash
Hepatoxicity
Severe hypersensitivity
Urate lowering drugs
Allopurinol
Uricosuric drugs
Presence of kidney stone or tophi - allopurinol drug of choice
Not started for 2-3 weeks after an a/c attack
Uricosuric agents
Increase excretion of uric acid in urine, reducing uric acid in blood plasma
Probenoid, Sulfinpyrazone & benzobromarone
Small risk of uric acid stone formation
Allopurinol
Most commonly used drug in lowering uric acid
Xanthine oxidase inhibitor: xanthine –> uric acid
Lowers serum and urinary uric acid excretion
Only started after lifestyle changes
Alternative to allopurinol
Febuxostat
Pseudogout
Deposition of CPPD in joint cartilage
Chondrocalcinosis
Presence of CPPD crystals associated w/ aggressive, destructive OA
A/c and c/c forms
Chondrocalcinosis
Calcified cartilage on a x-rays
Conditions predisposing Pseudogout
Ageing Hyperparathyroidism Haemochromatosis Hypomagnesia Hypophosphatasia Acromegaly Trauma Infection OA
Clinical manifestations of pseudogout
Asymptomatic chondrocalcinosis Radiographic evidence w/out joint symptoms Common in 8th decade No attacks occur CPPD deposition in joints Cartilage damage Acceleration of OA
Acute Pseudogout
a/c mono arthritic - 25% Occurs more in elderly women than men Knee most involved - symmetrical Attacks are self limiting Parathryoidectomy and severe medical illness can ppt attack
Chronic pseudogout
Can mimic OA or RhA - pseudo OA more common
CPPD crystals associated w/ more severe OA and found in 60% of knee joints at time of replacement
Diganosing pseudogout
History
Clinical examination
Joint fluid analysis
X-ray