Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28688018›Full record

ArticleClinical orthopaedics and related research2017

Current Pathologic Scoring Systems for Metal-on-metal THA Revisions are not Reproducible.

Christiaan Smeekes, Arjen H G Cleven, Bart C H van der Wal, Stefan V Dubois, Remigio W Rouse, Bastiaan F Ongkiehong, Ron Wolterbeek, Rob G H H Nelissen

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical orthopaedics and related research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Christiaan SmeekesDepartment of Orthopaedics, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. c.smeekes@lumc.nl.
Arjen H G ClevenDepartment of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Bart C H van der WalDepartment of Orthopaedics, Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Stefan V DuboisDepartment of Pathology, Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Remigio W RouseDepartment of Pathology, Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Bastiaan F OngkiehongDepartment of Orthopaedics, Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Ron WolterbeekDepartment of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Rob G H H NelissenDepartment of Orthopaedics, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aseptic lymphocyte vasculitis-associated lesion (ALVAL) score and the modified Oxford ALVAL score are frequently used scoring methods to evaluate the morphologic features of periprosthetic tissues around metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implants. Except for the initial studies of these two morphology scoring methods, to our knowledge, no other studies have reported on intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values for interobserver reliability of these scoring methods. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: Are the ALVAL and Oxford ALVAL scores reproducible?

methodsThe periprosthetic tissue of 37 revisions of 36 patients with failed MoM THAs were independently scored by three experienced pathologists using ALVAL and Oxford ALVAL scoring methods. All patients were included who underwent revision surgery in our hospital until January 2013, with a large-head MoM prosthesis and also met the criteria: blood serum cobalt levels, available MRI scan, and intraarticular cobalt levels. The population included 26 patients with pseudotumors diagnosed by two radiologists using the method described by Matthies et al. The ALVAL describes morphologic features of the synovial lining, tissue organization, and inflammatory cell infiltrate in periprosthetic tissues. The Oxford-ALVAL score uses a semiquantitative measure of the immune response which should be easier to score.

resultsThe ALVAL score showed an ICC of 0.38 (95% CI, 0.18-0.58) (fair) for the sum score and this improved up to 0.50 (95% CI, 0.31-0.68) (moderate) using the modified Oxford ALVAL score. The individual parameters of the ALVAL score showed an ICC for the scoring of inflammatory infiltrate of 0.37 (95% CI, 0.17-0.57), an ICC of 0.32 (95% CI, 0.12-0.53) for the scoring of tissue organization, and an ICC of 0.14 (95% CI, -0.04 to 0.34) for synovial lining.

conclusionsScoring morphologic features of MoM tissue is not reproducible using the ALVAL score or the Oxford ALVAL score. This may reflect heterogeneous morphologic features in tumor tissue and between different tumor tissue samples that cannot be reliably quantified by pathologists using the parameters of these two scoring methods. An alternative, simplified scoring system should be developed to improve the interrater agreement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic study.

Indexed as

Decision Support TechniquesHip ProsthesisMetal-on-Metal Joint ProsthesesProsthesis FailureAgedArthroplasty, Replacement, HipBiopsyFemaleHip JointHumansMaleMiddle AgedObserver VariationPostoperative ComplicationsPredictive Value of TestsProsthesis Design

Identifiers

PMID28688018
PMCPMC5670057

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.