The August 2024 Foot & Ankle Roundup360 looks at: ESWT versus surgery for fifth metatarsal stress fractures; Minimally invasive surgery versus open fusion for hallux rigidus; Diabetes and infection risk in total ankle arthroplasty; Is proximal medial gastrocnemius recession useful for managing chronic plantar fasciitis?; Fuse the great toe in the young!; Conservative surgery for diabetic foot osteomyelitis; Mental health and outcome following foot and ankle surgery.
To review the evidence and reach consensus on recommendations for follow-up after total hip and knee arthroplasty. A programme of work was conducted, including: a systematic review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness literature; analysis of routine national datasets to identify pre-, peri-, and postoperative predictors of mid-to-late term revision; prospective data analyses from 560 patients to understand how patients present for revision surgery; qualitative interviews with NHS managers and orthopaedic surgeons; and health economic modelling. Finally, a consensus meeting considered all the work and agreed the final recommendations and research areas.Aims
Methods
Surgical approaches that claim to be minimally invasive, such as the direct anterior approach (DAA), are reported to have a clinical advantage, but are technically challenging and may create more injury to the soft-tissues during joint exposure. Our aim was to quantify the effect of soft-tissue releases on the joint torque and femoral mobility during joint exposure for hip resurfacing performed via the DAA. Nine fresh-frozen hip joints from five pelvis to mid-tibia cadaveric specimens were approached using the DAA. A custom fixture consisting of a six-axis force/torque sensor and motion sensor was attached to tibial diaphysis to measure manually applied torques and joint angles by the surgeon. Following dislocation, the torques generated to visualize the acetabulum and proximal femur were assessed after sequential release of the joint capsule and short external rotators.Aims
Methods
The primary aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of recruiting and retaining patients to a patient-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing corticosteroid injection (CSI) to autologous protein solution (APS) injection for the treatment of subacromial shoulder pain in a community care setting. The study focused on recruitment rates and retention of participants throughout, and collected data on the interventions’ safety and efficacy. Participants were recruited from two community musculoskeletal treatment centres in the UK. Patients were eligible if aged 18 years or older, and had a clinical diagnosis of subacromial impingement syndrome which the treating clinician thought was suitable for treatment with a subacromial injection. Consenting patients were randomly allocated 1:1 to a patient-blinded subacromial injection of CSI (standard care) or APS. The primary outcome measures of this study relate to rates of recruitment, retention, and compliance with intervention and follow-up to determine feasibility. Secondary outcome measures relate to the safety and efficacy of the interventions.Aims
Methods
The current evidence comparing the two most common approaches for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA), the deltopectoral and anterosuperior approach, is limited. This study aims to compare the rate of loosening, instability, and implant survival between the two approaches for rTSA using data from the Dutch National Arthroplasty Registry with a minimum follow-up of five years. All patients in the registry who underwent a primary rTSA between January 2014 and December 2016 using an anterosuperior or deltopectoral approach were included, with a minimum follow-up of five years. Cox and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between the approach and the implant survival, instability, and glenoid loosening, independent of confounders.Aims
Methods
This study was designed to develop a model for predicting bone mineral density (BMD) loss of the femur after total hip arthroplasty (THA) using artificial intelligence (AI), and to identify factors that influence the prediction. Additionally, we virtually examined the efficacy of administration of bisphosphonate for cases with severe BMD loss based on the predictive model. The study included 538 joints that underwent primary THA. The patients were divided into groups using unsupervised time series clustering for five-year BMD loss of Gruen zone 7 postoperatively, and a machine-learning model to predict the BMD loss was developed. Additionally, the predictor for BMD loss was extracted using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). The patient-specific efficacy of bisphosphonate, which is the most important categorical predictor for BMD loss, was examined by calculating the change in predictive probability when hypothetically switching between the inclusion and exclusion of bisphosphonate.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to develop a core outcome set of what to measure in all future clinical research on hand fractures and joint injuries in adults. Phase 1 consisted of steps to identify potential outcome domains through systematic review of published studies, and exploration of the patient perspective through qualitative research, consisting of 25 semi-structured interviews and five focus groups. Phase 2 involved key stakeholder groups (patients, hand surgeons, and hand therapists) prioritizing the outcome domains via a three-round international Delphi survey, with a final consensus meeting to agree the final core outcome set.Aims
Methods
To identify variables independently associated with same-day discharge (SDD) of patients following revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) and to develop machine learning algorithms to predict suitable candidates for outpatient rTKA. Data were obtained from the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Programme (ACS-NSQIP) database from the years 2018 to 2020. Patients with elective, unilateral rTKA procedures and a total hospital length of stay between zero and four days were included. Demographic, preoperative, and intraoperative variables were analyzed. A multivariable logistic regression (MLR) model and various machine learning techniques were compared using area under the curve (AUC), calibration, and decision curve analysis. Important and significant variables were identified from the models.Aims
Methods
To systematically evaluate whether bracing can effectively achieve curve regression in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and to identify any predictors of curve regression after bracing. Two independent reviewers performed a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library to obtain all published information about the effectiveness of bracing in achieving curve regression in AIS patients. Search terms included “brace treatment” or “bracing,” “idiopathic scoliosis,” and “curve regression” or “curve reduction.” Inclusion criteria were studies recruiting patients with AIS undergoing brace treatment and one of the study outcomes must be curve regression or reduction, defined as > 5° reduction in coronal Cobb angle of a major curve upon bracing completion. Exclusion criteria were studies including non-AIS patients, studies not reporting p-value or confidence interval, animal studies, case reports, case series, and systematic reviews. The GRADE approach to assessing quality of evidence was used to evaluate each publication.Aims
Methods
Osteoporosis can determine surgical strategy for total hip arthroplasty (THA), and perioperative fracture risk. The aims of this study were to use hip CT to measure femoral bone mineral density (BMD) using CT X-ray absorptiometry (CTXA), determine if systematic evaluation of preoperative femoral BMD with CTXA would improve identification of osteopenia and osteoporosis compared with available preoperative dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) analysis, and determine if improved recognition of low BMD would affect the use of cemented stem fixation. Retrospective chart review of a single-surgeon database identified 78 patients with CTXA performed prior to robotic-assisted THA (raTHA) (Group 1). Group 1 was age- and sex-matched to 78 raTHAs that had a preoperative hip CT but did not have CTXA analysis (Group 2). Clinical demographics, femoral fixation method, CTXA, and DXA data were recorded. Demographic data were similar for both groups.Aims
Methods
Favourable short-term outcomes have been reported following latissimus dorsi tendon transfer for patients with an irreparable subscapularis (SSC) tendon tear. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcomes of this transfer in these patients. This was a retrospective study involving 30 patients with an irreparable SSC tear and those with a SSC tear combined with a reparable supraspinatus tear, who underwent a latissimus dorsi tendon transfer. Clinical scores and active range of motion (aROM), SSC-specific physical examination and the rate of return to work were assessed. Radiological assessment included recording the acromiohumeral distance (AHD), the Hamada grade of cuff tear arthropathy and the integrity of the transferred tendon. Statistical analysis compared preoperative, short-term (two years), and final follow-up at a mean of 8.7 years (7 to 10).Aims
Methods
The presence of facet tropism has been correlated with an elevated susceptibility to lumbar disc pathology. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of facet tropism on chronic lumbosacral discogenic pain through the analysis of clinical data and finite element modelling (FEM). Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data, with a specific focus on the spinal units displaying facet tropism, utilizing FEM analysis for motion simulation. We studied 318 intervertebral levels in 156 patients who had undergone provocation discography. Significant predictors of clinical findings were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses. Loading conditions were applied in FEM simulations to mimic biomechanical effects on intervertebral discs, focusing on maximal displacement and intradiscal pressures, gauged through alterations in disc morphology and physical stress.Aims
Methods
Rotator cuff tear (RCT) is the leading cause of shoulder pain, primarily associated with age-related tendon degeneration. This study aimed to elucidate the potential differential gene expressions in tendons across different age groups, and to investigate their roles in tendon degeneration. Linear regression and differential expression (DE) analyses were performed on two transcriptome profiling datasets of torn supraspinatus tendons to identify age-related genes. Subsequent functional analyses were conducted on these candidate genes to explore their potential roles in tendon ageing. Additionally, a secondary DE analysis was performed on candidate genes by comparing their expressions between lesioned and normal tendons to explore their correlations with RCTs.Aims
Methods
To compare the cost-effectiveness of high-dose, dual-antibiotic cement versus single-antibiotic cement for the treatment of displaced intracapsular hip fractures in older adults. Using data from a multicentre randomized controlled trial (World Hip Trauma Evaluation 8 (WHiTE-8)) in the UK, a within-trial economic evaluation was conducted. Resource usage was measured over 120 days post randomization, and cost-effectiveness was reported in terms of incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), gained from the UK NHS and personal social services (PSS) perspective in the base-case analysis. Methodological uncertainty was addressed using sensitivity analysis, while decision uncertainty was handled using confidence ellipses and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves.Aims
Methods
Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is the preferred treatment for symptomatic acetabular dysplasia in adolescents and young adults. There remains a lack of consensus regarding whether intra-articular procedures such as labral repair or improvement of femoral offset should be performed at the time of PAO or addressed subsequent to PAO if symptoms warrant. The purpose was to determine the rate of subsequent hip arthroscopy (HA) in a contemporary cohort of patients, who underwent PAO in isolation without any intra-articular procedures. From June 2012 to March 2022, 349 rectus-sparing PAOs were performed and followed for a minimum of one year (mean 6.2 years (1 to 11)). The mean age was 24 years (14 to 46) and 88.8% were female (n = 310). Patients were evaluated at final follow-up for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Clinical records were reviewed for complications or subsequent surgery. Radiographs were reviewed for the following acetabular parameters: lateral centre-edge angle, anterior centre-edge angle, acetabular index, and the alpha-angle (AA). Patients were cross-referenced from the two largest hospital systems in our area to determine if subsequent HA was performed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze risk factors for HA.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical models of two frequently used techniques for reconstructing severe acetabular defects with pelvic discontinuity in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) – the Trabecular Metal Acetabular Revision System (TMARS) and custom triflange acetabular components (CTACs) – using virtual modelling. Pre- and postoperative CT scans from ten patients who underwent revision with the TMARS for a Paprosky IIIB acetabular defect with pelvic discontinuity were retrospectively collated. Computer models of a CTAC implant were designed from the preoperative CT scans of these patients. Computer models of the TMARS reconstruction were segmented from postoperative CT scans using a semi-automated method. The amount of bone removed, the implant-bone apposition that was achieved, and the restoration of the centre of rotation of the hip were compared between all the actual TMARS and the virtual CTAC implants.Aims
Methods
Robotic arm-assisted surgery offers accurate and reproducible guidance in component positioning and assessment of soft-tissue tensioning during knee arthroplasty, but the feasibility and early outcomes when using this technology for revision surgery remain unknown. The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of robotic arm-assisted revision of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) versus primary robotic arm-assisted TKA at short-term follow-up. This prospective study included 16 patients undergoing robotic arm-assisted revision of UKA to TKA versus 35 matched patients receiving robotic arm-assisted primary TKA. In all study patients, the following data were recorded: operating time, polyethylene liner size, change in haemoglobin concentration (g/dl), length of inpatient stay, postoperative complications, and hip-knee-ankle (HKA) alignment. All procedures were performed using the principles of functional alignment. At most recent follow-up, range of motion (ROM), Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) were collected. Mean follow-up time was 21 months (6 to 36).Aims
Methods
The risk factors for recurrent instability (RI) following a primary traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation (PTASD) remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the rate of RI in a large cohort of patients managed nonoperatively after PTASD and to develop a clinical prediction model. A total of 1,293 patients with PTASD managed nonoperatively were identified from a trauma database (mean age 23.3 years (15 to 35); 14.3% female). We assessed the prevalence of RI, and used multivariate regression modelling to evaluate which demographic- and injury-related factors were independently predictive for its occurrence.Aims
Methods
The gold standard for percutaneous Achilles tendon tenotomy during the Ponseti treatment for idiopathic clubfoot is a tenotomy with a No. 15 blade. This trial aims to establish the technique where the tenotomy is performed with a large-bore needle as noninferior to the gold standard. We randomized feet from children aged below 36 months with idiopathic clubfoot on a 1:1 basis in either the blade or needle group. Follow-up was conducted at three weeks and three months postoperatively, where dorsiflexion range, Pirani scores, and complications were recorded. The noninferiority margin was set at 4° difference in dorsiflexion range at three months postoperatively.Aims
Methods
The aim of this investigation was to compare risk of infection in both cemented and uncemented hemiarthroplasty (HA) as well as in total hip arthroplasty (THA) following femoral neck fracture. Data collection was performed using the German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD). In HA and THA following femoral neck fracture, fixation method was divided into cemented and uncemented prostheses and paired according to age, sex, BMI, and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index using Mahalanobis distance matching.Aims
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