Publications by Year: 2020

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children. Patient survival with osteosarcoma is heavily influenced by the response to chemotherapy, measured by tumor necrosis upon histological analysis. Unfortunately, response is not measurable until the time of surgery and therefore modifications to chemotherapy protocol are only made after several weeks of treatment and surgery. Osteosarcoma tumors often demonstrate increased mineralization following the onset of chemotherapy. Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that this mineralization-apparent on radiographs-may correlate with chemotherapy response, however, this has not been demonstrated with qualitative visual evaluation. The ability to non-invasively measure a patient's response to chemotherapy using plain radiographs, which is currently included in the normal clinical workflow, would guide the medical oncologists to tailor treatment for patients with osteosarcoma. After obtaining appropriate multi-center institutional review board approvals, we identified 31patients that possess a pair of pre-and post-chemotherapy radiograph along with the necrosis measure. The images were digitized scans of physical radiographs between 1999 and 2013. Software was designed to measure the signal intensities in the tumor, a region of the soft tissue, air, and healthy bone. The tumor signals were normalized based on the random combination of air, soft tissue or bone, by subtraction or division. The differences in tumor signal between pre-and post-image were plotted against the percent necrosis determined by histological analysis. Different combinations of the normalization methods were compared 2based on the slope, coefficient of determination (R2) and Pearson correlation coefficient (ρ).

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence regarding the optimum extensor-sided fixation method for medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. There is increased interest in avoiding patellar drilling via soft tissue-only fixation to the distal quadriceps, thus reconstructing the medial quadriceps tendon-femoral ligament (MQTFL). The biomechanical implications of differing extensor-sided fixation constructs remain unknown.

HYPOTHESIS: The null hypothesis was there would be no differences between traditional MPFL reconstruction and MQTFL reconstruction with respect to resistance to lateral translation, patellar position, or patellofemoral contact pressures.

STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study.

METHODS: Nine adult knee specimens were mounted on a jig that applied static, physiologic loads to the quadriceps tendons. Patellar position and orientation, knee flexion angle, and patellofemoral pressure were recorded at 8 different flexion angles between 0° and 110°. Additionally, a lateral patellar excursion test was conducted wherein a load was applied directly to the patella in the lateral direction with the knee at 30° of flexion and subjected to 2-N quadriceps loads. Testing was conducted under 4 conditions: intact, transected MPFL, MQTFL reconstruction, and MPFL reconstruction. For MQTFL reconstruction, the surgical technique established by Fulkerson was employed. For MPFL reconstruction, a traditional technique was utilized.

RESULTS: The patellar excursion test showed no significant difference between the MQTFL and intact states with respect to lateral translation. MPFL reconstruction led to significantly less lateral translation (P < .05) than all other states. There were no significant differences between MPFL and MQTFL reconstructions with respect to peak patellofemoral contact pressure. MPFL and MQTFL reconstructions both resulted in increased internal rotation of the patella with the knee in full extension.

CONCLUSION: Soft tissue-only extensor-sided fixation to the distal quadriceps (MQTFL) during patella stabilization appears to re-create native stability in this time 0 cadaver model. Fixation to the patella (MPFL) was associated with increased resistance to lateral translation.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Evolving anatomic knowledge and concern for patellar fracture has led to increased interest in MQTFL reconstruction. Both MQTFL and MPFL reconstructions restored patellofemoral stability to lateral translation without increasing contact pressures under appropriate graft tensioning, with MQTFL more closely restoring native resistance to lateral translation at the time of surgery.

* Arthrofibrosis is a pathologic condition that is characterized by excessive periarticular scar-tissue formation. Arthrofibrosis may occur secondary to injury, surgical trauma, hemarthrosis, or infection, or it may occur idiopathically.* The pathogenesis of arthrofibrosis is incompletely understood but involves the dysregulation of normal reparative pathways, with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-[beta]) as a principal mediator.* Current treatment options for arthrofibrosis primarily involve physiotherapy, operative manipulation, and surgical debridement, all with imperfect results.* Currently, there are no pharmacologic treatment options for arthrofibrosis. This has prompted increased investigational interest in the development of antifibrotic intra-articular therapies.

BACKGROUND: The use of megaprostheses in nononcologic patients has been associated with complication rates greater than 50%. In patients with prior periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) with subsequent two-stage reimplantation, this complication rate may be even higher. This study was to investigate the outcomes of megaprostheses in nononcologic patients undergoing revision hip/knee arthroplasty.

METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients who underwent megaprosthesis replacements from 1999 to 2017 at 5 hospitals with minimum 24 months of follow-up. Patients were stratified based on history of prior PJI (septic vs aseptic) and location of the megaprosthesis (the hip or knee). Postoperative complications were classified as soft-tissue failure, aseptic loosening, structural failure, and infection.

RESULTS: Of the 42 patients, 19 were in the septic cohort and 23 were in the aseptic cohort. The overall complication rate was 28.6%. Complication rates for the septic and aseptic cohorts were 32% and 26%, respectively (P = .74). By anatomic location, there were 2 of 13 (15%) and 10 of 29 (34%) complications in the hip and knee groups, respectively (P = .28). In the septic cohort, there were no (0%) complications in the hip group and 6 of 14 (43%) complications in the knee group (P = .13), all due to infection. In the aseptic cohort, there were 2 of 8 (25%) and 4 of 15 (27%) complications in the hip and knee groups, respectively (P = 1.0).

CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in the postoperative complication rates between the septic or aseptic cohorts undergoing revision hip or knee megaprosthesis replacements. In patients with prior PJI, proximal femoral replacements have improved short-term survivorship compared with distal femoral or proximal tibial replacements.

The global burden of musculoskeletal trauma is high. There is a need to improve access to safe, high-quality surgery in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Numerous initiatives have taken aim at solving this underlying shortage in surgical care, including mission trips, academic programs, and international collaborations. However, much work remains to be done in LMICs compared with high-income countries (HICs). In HICs, the field of hand surgery has grown partially owing to the rigorous application of clinical research to examine outcomes and determine best practices. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have a key role as a valid patient-centered method of capturing symptoms and well-being. They have substantial promise in LMICs to understand patient symptom severity and quality of life better, monitor treatment success or failure, determine cost-effectiveness of procedures, and guide capacity building. Contextually appropriate PROMs can improve routine follow-up in LMICs and advance the practice and study of hand surgery worldwide.

BACKGROUND: Assessing and correcting malalignment is important when treating calcaneus fractures. The Harris axial view is commonly utilized to assess varus deformity but may be inherently inaccurate due to its tangential nature. The anterior-posterior (AP) calcaneal profile view is a novel radiographic view that is easily obtained with demonstrated increased accuracy for assessing calcaneal axial alignment.

METHODS: Five nonpaired ankle cadaveric specimens were used in this investigation. Oblique osteotomies were created in relation to the long axis, and varus deformities were produced by inserting solid radiolucent wedges into the osteotomies to create models of 10, 20, and 30 degrees of angulation of the calcaneal tuberosity. Specimens were imaged using both the Harris axial view and the AP calcaneal profile view.

RESULTS: For cadavers with 10 degrees of actual varus angulation, the mean Harris axial view angle and the AP calcaneal profile view angle were 10.9 ± 4.8 (range, 5.5-16.0) degrees and 13.0 ± 5.5 (range, 7.3-20.9) degrees, respectively. For cadavers with 20 degrees of actual varus angulation, the mean Harris view angle and the AP calcaneal profile view angle were 11.5 ± 2 (range, 8.2-13.6) degrees and 18.1 ± 4.8 (range, 11.7-23.5) degrees, respectively (P = .005). On pairwise comparison with Bonferroni correction, there was a significant difference between the Harris axial view angle and both the AP calcaneal profile view angle (P = .012) and actual angulation (P = .011). For cadavers with 30 degrees of actual varus angulation, the mean Harris axial view angle and the AP calcaneal profile view angle were 18.3 ± 4.3 (range, 13.3-23.6) degrees and 28.3 ± 2.9 (range, 24.4-31.1) degrees, respectively (P < .001). On pairwise comparison with Bonferroni correction, there was a significant difference between the Harris axial view angle and both the AP calcaneal profile view angle (P = .001) and actual angulation (P < .001). There was no significant difference between the AP calcaneal profile view angle and actual angulation (P > .999).

CONCLUSION: The AP calcaneal profile view is a novel radiographic view that is easily obtained with demonstrated increased accuracy for assessing calcaneal axial alignment. While both views demonstrated similar measurement error for lesser degrees of varus malalignment, the AP calcaneal profile view demonstrated more accurate measurement of increasing heel varus compared with the Harris view.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The AP calcaneal profile view could be used in addition to other radiographic views when treating displaced, intra-articular calcaneus fractures to help optimize correction of hindfoot alignment.

BACKGROUND: In the setting of apparently isolated distal fibula fractures, the gravity stress view (GSV) is a validated method to determine mortise stability. There is currently no published data evaluating whether dynamic muscle activation can reduce an unstable mortise. If patients with instability can overcome gravity, resultant images could yield false-negative results. The goal of this investigation was to determine if patient effort can influence medial clear space (MCS) measurements in proven unstable bimalleolar-equivalent ankle fractures.

METHODS: Patients presenting with Weber B fibula fractures were assessed for mortise stability using the GSV. If the GSV demonstrated instability based on MCS widening >4 mm, 3 additional views were performed: GSV with an assistant maintaining the ankle in a neutral position; GSV with the patient actively dorsiflexing to neutral; and GSV with the patient actively dorsiflexing and supinating the foot. Twenty-four consecutive patients met inclusion criteria, with a mean age of 48.7 (range, 22-85) years. Fifteen patients (62.5%) were female and 9 (37.5%) were male. The laterality was evenly divided.

RESULTS: The mean MCS was 5.8 ± 2.0 6.0 ± 2.6, and 6.2 ± 2.7 mm for the manual assist, active dorsiflexion, and active supination radiograph measurement groups, respectively (P = .434). Only 5 of 24 subjects had any measurable decrease in their MCS with active supination, with a maximum change of 1.2 mm. The remainder of the patients had an increase in MCS ranging from 0.1 to 4.0 mm.

CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between measurement states indicating that muscle activation is unlikely to yield a false-negative result on GSV. Mortise instability, secondary to deep deltoid injury in the presence of gravity stress, is unlikely to be actively overcome by dynamic stabilizers, supporting the validity and specificity of the GSV.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, prospective study.

PURPOSE: Great effort has been placed on determining the optimal surgical treatment for trapeziometacarpal joint arthritis (TMA). However, a paucity of literature exists concerning the optimal timing of surgical intervention. We hypothesized that an increased duration of TMA symptoms before operative intervention would negatively affect surgical outcomes.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective review on 109 adult patients with 121 joints with symptomatic TMA treated with trapeziectomy and ligament reconstruction with tendon interposition (LRTI) from 2006 to 2017. Outcome measures included Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) score, complication rates, and surgical revision rates.

RESULTS: Among 109 patients, average QuickDASH score at initial presentation was 41.1 ± 17.9. Patients had symptoms of TMA for an average of 3.2 years (median, 2.1 years) before undergoing operative intervention. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with symptoms less than 2 years and those with symptoms greater than 2 years. Patients who underwent LRTI after less than 2 years of symptoms achieved a significantly greater degree of improvement in the QuickDASH score compared with patients with symptoms greater than 2 years (26.2 vs 5.3).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with less than 2 years of symptomatic TMA before LRTI can expect the greatest improvement in patient-reported disability impairment compared with those with more than 2 years of symptoms. This can be used to counsel patients regarding the optimal timing of surgery if nonsurgical treatment has failed to provide durable symptomatic relief.

TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

BACKGROUND: Meniscal preservation has been demonstrated to contribute to long-term knee health. This has been a successful intervention in patients with isolated tears and tears associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, the results of meniscal repair in the setting of revision ACL reconstruction have not been documented.

PURPOSE: To examine the prevalence and 2-year operative success rate of meniscal repairs in the revision ACL setting.

STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS: All cases of revision ACL reconstruction with concomitant meniscal repair from a multicenter group between 2006 and 2011 were selected. Two-year follow-up was obtained by phone and email to determine whether any subsequent surgery had occurred to either knee since the initial revision ACL reconstruction. If so, operative reports were obtained, whenever possible, to verify the pathologic condition and subsequent treatment.

RESULTS: In total, 218 patients (18%) from 1205 revision ACL reconstructions underwent concurrent meniscal repairs. There were 235 repairs performed: 153 medial, 48 lateral, and 17 medial and lateral. The majority of these repairs (n = 178; 76%) were performed with all-inside techniques. Two-year surgical follow-up was obtained on 90% (197/218) of the cohort. Overall, the meniscal repair failure rate was 8.6% (17/197) at 2 years. Of the 17 failures, 15 were medial (13 all-inside, 2 inside-out) and 2 were lateral (both all-inside). Four medial failures were treated in conjunction with a subsequent repeat revision ACL reconstruction.

CONCLUSION: Meniscal repair in the revision ACL reconstruction setting does not have a high failure rate at 2-year follow-up. Failure rates for medial and lateral repairs were both <10% and consistent with success rates of primary ACL reconstruction meniscal repair. Medial tears underwent reoperation for failure at a significantly higher rate than lateral tears.

BACKGROUND: As rhinoplasty techniques have evolved to more extensive dissections, the incidence of iatrogenic deformities, such as alar rim retraction, has risen. Its mechanism is presently unknown. This study examined the microscopic anatomy of the nasal ala to define architectural support elements at the histologic level to determine why rhinoplasty dissection creates such deformities.

METHODS: Eight cadaveric noses were harvested and sectioned through the soft triangle and ala. Various tissue stains were performed. Slides were examined using light microscopy. Anatomical features pertaining to cartilage, skin, mucosa, elastic fibers, and muscle were documented.

RESULTS: Four male and four female noses were sectioned. The median cadaver age was 64 years (range, 47 to 83 years). On Elastica van Gieson stain, distinct elastic fibers span from the vestibular lining to the caudal margin of the lower lateral cartilage, and from the caudal edge of the lower lateral cartilage to the external alar skin. In the nasal ala midsection, trichrome stains reveal that skeletal muscle is located far beyond the lower lateral cartilage, close to the free alar margin. The soft triangle shows a distinct microanatomical structure, with heavy longitudinal condensations of elastin. These histologic findings have not been previously reported.

CONCLUSIONS: A distinct anatomical alar wall endoskeleton has been identified. It is obligatorily disrupted by specific rhinoplasty maneuvers when dissection is carried out over the lateral crura and into areas without cartilaginous support. This microanatomy may explain factors that contribute to postoperative alar wall retraction. Leaving this area undisturbed or performing adjunctive measures with rhinoplasty can provide structural support to the external valves, thus minimizing the risk of deformity.