Intraoperative range of motion (ROM) radiographs are routinely taken during scaphoidectomy and four corner fusion surgery (S4CF) at our institution. It is not known if intraoperative ROM predicts postoperative ROM. We hypothesize that patients with a greater intra-operativeROM would have an improved postoperative ROM at one year, but that this arc would be less than that achieved intra- operatively.

We retrospectively reviewed 56 patients that had undergone S4CF at our institution in the past 10 years. Patients less than 18, those who underwent the procedure for reasons other than arthritis, those less than one year from surgery, and those that had since undergone wrist arthrodesis were excluded. Intraoperative ROM was measured from fluoroscopic images taken in flexion and extension at the time of surgery. Patients that met criteria were then invited to take part in a virtual assessment and their ROM was measured using a goniometer. T-tests were used to measure differences between intraoperative and postoperative ROM, Pearson Correlation was used to measure associations, and linear regression was conducted to assess whether intraoperative ROM predicts postoperative ROM.

Nineteen patients, two of whom had bilateral surgery, agreed to participate. Mean age was 54 and 14 were male and 5 were male. In the majority, surgical indication was scapholunate advanced collapse; however, two of the participants had scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse. No difference was observed between intraoperative and postoperative flexion. On average there was an increase of seven degrees of extension and 12° arc of motion postoperatively with p values reaching significance Correlation between intr-operative and postoperative ROM did not reach statistical significance for flexion, extension, or arc of motion. There were no statistically significant correlations between intraoperative and postoperative ROM

Intraoperative ROM radiographs are not useful at predicting postoperative ROM. Postoperative extension and arc of motion did increase from that measured intraoperatively.

Trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition (LRTI) with the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) tendon is one of the most common procedures for the treatment of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis. An alternative method involves trapeziectomy alone (TA). The trapeziectomy with LRTI procedure was developed to theoretically improve biomechanical strength and hand function when compared to TA, which leaves an anatomical void proximal to the first metacarpal. The LRTI procedure takes longer to perform and includes an autologous tendon graft. The goal of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of trapeziectomy with or without LRTI at a minimum follow-up of 1 year.

A total of 43 adult patients who had underwent a total of 58 (TA=36, LRTI=22) surgical procedures for CMC arthritis participated in the study. This single surgeon retrospective cohort study sampled patients who underwent CMC arthroplasty with either TA or LRTI techniques between 2008 and 2020 with a minimum time of 1 year post-operatively. The patients were evaluated subjectively (The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire) and objectively (hand/thumb strength, pre/post-operative hand radiographs).

Both the TA and LRTI procedures provided good pain relief, motion, strength, and stability without any severe complications. There was no statistically significant difference in hand or thumb strength between the two groups. Radiography showed that compared to the preoperative status, the trapezial space decreased similarly between the two groups. There was no difference in size of collapse between TA and LRTI post-operatively.

The TA procedure had similar outcomes to LRTI and has the advantages of shorter surgical time, less incision length, and lower surgical complexity. TA provided equivalent trapezial space to LRTI after the operation. Future study should investigate these two procedures in a head-to-head comparison rather than longitudinally where both surgeon experience and time since procedure at follow-up may have impacted results.

Outcomes following carpal tunnel release are generally favorable. Understanding factors that contribute to inferior outcomes may allow for strategies targeted at improving results in these patients. Our purpose was to determine if patients' underlying personality traits, specifically resiliency and catastrophization, impact their post-operative outcomes following carpal tunnel release.

A prospective case series was performed. Based on our power analysis, 102 patients were recruited. Patients completed written consent, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Brief Resiliency Scale (BRS). A single surgeon, or his resident under supervision, then performed an open carpal release under local anaesthetic. Our primary outcome measure was a repeat BCTQ at three- and six-months. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to assess the correlation between PCS and BRS scores and final BCTQ scores.

Forty-three and sixty-three participants completed the BCTQ at three and six months respectively. All patients showed improvement in their symptoms (p = 0.001). There was no correlation between patients PCS or BRS and the amount of improvement. There was also no correlation between PCS or BRS and the patients' raw scores at baseline or follow-up.

Patients self-assessed resiliency and degree of pain catastrophization has no correlation with the amount of improvement they have three or six months post-operatively. Most patients improved following carpal tunnel release, and patients with low resiliency and high levels of pain catastrophization should expect comparable outcomes to patients without these features.

Essex-Lopresti injuries are often unrecognized acutely with resulting debilitating adverse effects. Persistent axial forearm instability may affect load transmission at both the elbow and wrist, resulting in significant pain. In the setting of both acute and chronic injuries metallic radial head arthroplasty has been advocated, however there is little information regarding their outcome. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a radial head arthroplasty to address both acute and chronic Essex-Lopresti type injuries.

A retrospective review from 2006 to 2016 identified 11 Essex-Lopresti type injuries at a mean follow-up of 18 months. Five were diagnosed and treated acutely at a mean of 11 days (range, 8 to 19 days) from injury, while 6 were treated in a delayed fashion at a mean of 1.9 years (range, 2.7 months to 6.2 years) from injury with a mean 1.5 (range, 0 to 4) prior procedures. The cohort included 10 males with a mean age was 44.5 years (range, 28 to 71 years). A smooth stem, modular radial head arthroplasty was used in all cases. Outcomes included range of motion and radiographic findings such as ulnar variance, capitellar erosion, implant positioning and implant lucency using a modification of the method described by Gruen. Reoperations, including the need for ulnar shortening osteotomy, were also recorded.

Three patients in each group (55%) reported persistent wrist pain. The mean ulnar variance improved from +5 mm (range, 1.8 to 7 mm) to +3.7 mm (range, 1 to 6.3 mm) at the time of final follow-up or prior to reoperation. Three (50%) patients in the chronic group underwent a staged ulnar shortening osteotomy (USO) to correct residual ulnar positive variance and to manage residual wrist pain. There were no reoperations in the acute group. Following USO, the ulnar variance in those three cases improved further to +3.5, +2.1, and −1.1 mm. No radial head prostheses required removal. Capitellar erosion was noted in five (45%) elbows, and was rated severe in one, moderate in two, and mild in two. Lucency about the radial head prosthesis stem was noted in eight (73%) cases, and rated as severe in 2 (18%), based on Gruen zones.

Treatment of acute and chronic Essex-Lopresti lesions with radial head arthroplasty often results in persistent wrist pain. In the chronic setting, a planned USO was often necessary to restore axial forearm stability after radial head arthroplasty. Essex-Lopresti lesions represent a rare clinical entity that are difficult treat, particularly in the chronic setting. Early recognition and management with a smooth stem modular radial head arthroplasty may provide improved outcomes compared to chronic reconstruction.

Distal ulna fractures (DUF) are commonly associated with distal radius fractures (DRF). Recent evidence suggests that the presence and type DUFs may impact the outcomes of associated healing distal radius fractures. There is currently no standardised and validated classification system for characterising distal ulna fractures. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of our newly created inclusive classification system for distal ulna fractures, shown to influence distal radius fracture outcomes in a previous study.

A classification system for distal ulna fractures was devised based on fracture pattern and location. Type 1 fractures were those in the ulnar styloid, with type 1a involving its apex and Type 1b being in the body of the styloid; Type 2 fractures are proximal to the styloid and involve the ulnar fovea, with type 2t adopting a transverse pattern and type 2o an oblique pattern; Type 3 fractures involve the ulnar head; and type 4 fractures were those proximal to the head, with 4n being through the neck (including the physeal scar) and 4s involving the distal shaft. A questionnaire was distributed to all members of the Canadian Orthopaedics Association in both French and English, asking participants to evaluate 29 radiographic images of distal ulnar fractures. Only one answer was deemed to be correct for all but one radiograph, while for one radiograph there were three fracture types to be identified.

There were 129 respondents to the questionnaire. For Type 1a fractures, of the 606 radiographs evaluated 90% answered correctly and 73% of the incorrect answers identified a Type 1b fracture pattern. For Type 1b fractures, of 600 radiographs, 83% were answered correctly, the incorrect answers including Types 1a and 2t fracture types. For Type 2t fractures, of 593 radiographs, 76% were answered correctly, and 90% of the incorrect answers identified a Type 1b fracture pattern. For Type 2o fractures, of 716 radiographs, 87% were answered correctly, and 91% of the incorrect answers were identified as either Type 4n or 2t. For Type 4n fractures, of the 465 radiographs evaluated 84% answered correctly and 80% of the incorrect answers identified a Type 4s fracture pattern. For Type 4s fractures, of the 355 radiographs evaluated 99% answered correctly and 100% of the incorrect answers identified a Type 4n fracture pattern. The results will guide the authors to further distinguish between the definitions of Types 1b and 2t, and 4n and 4s.

The Canadian orthopaedic community has demonstrated how readily they can reproduce this new classification system, previously shown to be predictive of radiographic outcomes for the associated distal radius fractures. This new classification is an inclusive and simple way of characterising these fractures with high reliability. This provides treating physicians with a uniform way of describing these fractures, useful both in predicting outcomes and conducting future research.