Acute achilles tendon ruptures are increasing in incidence and occur in 18 per 100 000 people per year, however there remains a lack of consensus on the best treatment of acute ruptures. Randomised studies comparing operative versus
Mid-shaft humeral fractures in adults are common these days and often present with a management dilemma between operative and
There is conflicting information regarding the recommendations of bracing, physical therapy and cessation of sports for young athletes with symptomatic spondylolysis. The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting the prognosis and to find the optimal method of
Decision-making regarding operative versus
The purpose of this study was to examine five-year outcomes of patients previously enrolled in a non-operative rotator cuff study. Patients with chronic, full-thickness rotator cuff tears (demonstrated on imaging) who were referred to one of two senior shoulder surgeons were enrolled in the study between October 2008 and September 2010. Patients participated in a comprehensive
Patella fractures constitute 1% of all fractures and may disrupt the extensor mechanism of the knee. The mainstay of treatment for most patella fractures is operative fixation; however, patients with intact extensor mechanisms may be treated with splinting. We describe a series of patients with patella fractures managed non- operatively, without restricted weight bearing or splinting. A consecutive series of 21 patients presenting with a patella fracture to two metropolitan hospitals were included in this study. All patients had an intact extensor mechanism but no distinction was made on age or fracture type. All patients were treated non-operatively with analgesia, were allowed to fully weight-bear and were not splinted. A retrospective review of the case notes was performed and data was collected with phone interview. The main outcome measure was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index, which has a maximum (worst) possible score of 240, and which provides an aggregate score of pain, stiffness and function. Mean time at follow up was 24 months (range 5–49 months). WOMAC scores were excellent (mean=18 of possible maximum 240; range 0–84). Only one patient had a significant complication related to their fracture (deep venous thrombosis), which was detected during hospital admission. Most patients had returned to usual work (9/14). No patients required operative fixation. There was no association between adjusted WOMAC score and age, sex, compensation status, time of follow up, or whether the patient had a significant ipsilateral injury. Patients who had returned to work (p=0.02) or who had lower levels of education (p=0.03) had better WOMAC scores. Management of patella fractures with an intact extensor mechanism does not require restricted weight bearing or splinting.
The primary objective of this study was to determine if paediatric proximal humerus fractures undergo significant displacement resulting in change in management. A retrospective analysis was performed on children who presented with proximal humeral fractures to our institution between 2009 and 2014. Patients were included if they were diagnosed with a fracture of the proximal humerus in the absence of an underlying bone cyst or pathological condition. Patients with open fractures, multiple fractures, neurologic, or vascular injuries were excluded. The primary endpoint was conversion to operative treatment after initial non-operative management. Secondary endpoints were a healed fracture with acceptable alignment at the final radiographic evaluation, as well as the number of follow-up radiographs obtained after the initiation of non-operative management. A decision to manage the fracture operatively at the initial presentation was made in 14 out of 239 patients. Of the 225 patients that were initially managed non-operatively, only 1 patient underwent subsequent surgical management. In this series, no non-unions, re-fractures, nor fracture-dislocations were identified. These data support that the majority of management decisions for paediatric proximal humeral fractures are made at the initial presentation. Once non-operative management is chosen, routine follow-up imaging rarely leads to any change in treatment.
Unstable chest wall injuries have high rates of mortality and morbidity. These injuries can lead to respiratory dysfunction, and are associated with high rates of pneumonia, sepsis, prolonged ICU stays, and increased health care costs. Numerous studies have demonstrated improved outcomes with surgical fixation compared to
Despite the current trend favoring surgical treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures (DIACFs), studies have not been able to demonstrate superior functional outcomes when compared to
Despite the current trend favoring surgical treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures (DIACFs), studies have not been able to demonstrate superior functional outcomes when compared to
Progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD) is a complex foot deformity with varying degrees of hindfoot valgus, forefoot abduction, forefoot varus, and collapse or hypermobility of the medial column. In its management, muscle and tendon balancing are important to address the deformity. Peroneus brevis is the primary evertor of the foot, and the strongest antagonist to the tibialis posterior. Moreover, peroneus longus is an important stabilizer of the medial column. To our knowledge, the role of peroneus brevis to peroneus longus tendon transfer in cases of PCFD has not been reported. This study evaluates patient reported outcomes including pain scores and any associated surgical complications for patients with PCFD undergoing isolated peroneus brevis to longus tendon transfer and gastrocnemius recession. Patients with symptomatic PCFD who had failed
There are many reasons that the surgically inclined orthopaedic surgeon should be responsible for the medical management of osteoarthritis of the knee. These include: 1) The
Michael Robinson has been a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom for 10 years. His special interests include the treatment of proximal humeral and clavicle fractures, and shoulder instability. The traditional view that the vast majority clavicle fractures heal with non- operative treatment with consistently good functional outcomes is no longer valid. Recent studies have identified a higher rate of nonunion and specific defects of shoulder function in sub-groups of patients with these injuries. These fractures should therefore be viewed as a spectrum of injuries with diverse functional outcomes, each requiring careful assessment and individualised treatment. This talk provides an overview of the current knowledge regarding their epidemiology, classification, clinical assessment and treatment in adults. The following key points will be highlighted:. Undisplaced fractures of both the diaphysis and the lateral end of the clavicle have a high rate of union and good functional outcomes after
Rotator cuff disease encompasses a spectrum from partial to full thickness tears. Despite being 2–3 times more common than full–thickness tears, effective
Rotator cuff injuries represent a significant burden to the health care system, affecting more than 30% of the population over the age of sixty. Despite the advanced surgical techniques that are available, poor results are sometimes seen in a subset of patients receiving surgical treatment for their rotator cuff disease. The reasons for this failure of treatment remain unclear, particularly if the surgery was ‘technically’ successful. An increasing body of evidence has demonstrated a strong correlation between pre-operative psychological factors and functional outcome following several orthopaedic procedures. This association, however, has not been fully demonstrated or effectively investigated in the context of rotator cuff treatment. The main objective for this study was to conduct a systematic review to determine the impact of psychosocial factors on the outcome of treatment in patients with rotator cuff disease. A systematic search was conducted of Medline, CINAHL, and PsychInfo databases for articles published from database inception until September 2018. The titles and abstracts were screened for all of the studies obtained from the initial search. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and a full text review was conducted on those studies meeting the eligibility criteria. A total of 1252 studies were identified. Following removal of duplicates and application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 46 studies underwent a full-text review. Ten studies were included in the final analysis. A total of 1,206 patients, with a mean follow-up of 13 months, were included. Three studies examined patient expectations prior to treatment. All three found that higher expectations prior to treatment led to a significantly improved outcome following both operative and
The purpose of this study was to define the risk and incidence of eventual ankle arthroplasty or fusion after documented ankle fracture in a large cohort, and compare that rate to matched healthy patients from the general population. The Ontario health insurance plan (OHIP) physician billing database, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Physician Database, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) databases, Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) and Same Day Surgery (SDS) were used to identify patients treated surgically and non-surgically for ankle fractures. Each patient was matched to four individuals from the general population (13.5 million) with no documented prior treatment for ankle fracture, according to age, sex, income, and urban/rural residence. Fusion and replacement incidence was compared using time-to-event analysis (Kaplan-Meier). A Cox Proportional Hazards model was used to explore the influence of patient, provider and surgical factors on time to surgery. We identified 45,444 (58.8% female, mean age 48.7 years) and 140, 629 (53.9% female, mean age 47.1 years) patients who had undergone open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) or non-operative management of an ankle fracture (NOA), respectively. Among ORIF patients, n=237 (0.5%) and n=69 (0.15%) patients underwent fusion or arthroplasty after a median 2.8 and 6.9 years, respectively. Among non-operatively treated ankle fractures, n=198 (0.14%) and n=36 (0.03%) patients underwent fusion or arthroplasty after a median of 3.2 and 5.6 years, respectively. Surgical treatment (vs. non-operatively treated fracture), older age, greater co-morbidity and a history of infection post fracture significantly increased the risk of eventual fusion or arthroplasty (HR 3.6 (3.1–4.3), p < 0 .001, HR 1.01 (1.01–1.02), p=0.009, HR 1.2 (1.1–1.3), p < 0 .001, HR 11.3 (6.8–18.7), p < 0 .001, respectively). Compared to matched controls, the risk of fusion/arthroplasty was not independent of time, following an exponential decay pattern. ORIF patient risk was 20 times greater than the general population in the first three years post-ORIF, and approached the risk of non-operatively treated patients (HR 4.5 (95CI: 3.5–5.8), p < 0 .0001) by approximately 14 years out from injury on time and comorbidity adjusted KM curves. Rates of fusion/arthroplasty are very low after ORIF and
Purpose. Displaced midshaft clavicular fractures are a common injury with a high occurrence rate in young, active individuals. Non-operative care has traditionally been the standard of care for such fractures, but more recent studies have suggested benefits following primary operative fixation. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on displaced midshaft clavicle fractures, identify randomized controlled trials of operative versus
General Principles. All repairs should be repaired in full extension. Repairs should be immobilised in full extension for 6–12 weeks. Gradual resumption of motion in a hinged brace over an additional 6–8 weeks almost always yields flexion to at least 90 degrees. Marlex mesh has been shown to be an excellent replacement as well as an augment for deficient soft tissue. Acute tibial tuberosity avulsion. Open repair is best accomplished with a non-absorbable heavy Krackow suture, secured distally around a screw and washer followed by 6 to 8 weeks of immobilization. Augmentation with a semitendinosus graft or Marlex mesh can provide additional support. Acute Patella Tendon Rupture. End-to-end repair is standard, but re-rupture is not uncommon, so supplemental semitendinosus reconstruction is recommended. The tendon is harvested proximally, left attached distally and passed through a transverse hole in the inferior patella. The gracilis tendon can be harvested and sutured to semitendinosus for additional length, if needed. Acute Quadriceps Tendon Rupture. These can be repaired end-to-end with a non-absorbable heavy Krackow suture. A superficial quadriceps fascial turndown or mesh may be a useful adjunct. Patella Fracture. Treatment depends on the status of the patellar component and the loss of active extension. If the component remains well fixed and the patient has less than a 20-degree lag,
Displaced proximal humerus fractures remain a difficult clinical problem, and techniques as diverse as percutaneous pinning, locked plating, intramedullary nailing, and shoulder arthroplasty have been proposed. In recent years, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has become a very popular option to fix just about any fracture. However, RTSA is not without risk, with complications ranging from infection, instability, acromial stress fractures, aseptic loosening, notching and more. In a 2017 study on 39 patients, Tokish et al. compared
As there is currently no evidenced-based and systematic way of prioritising people requiring JRS we aimed to develop a clinically relevant system to improve prioritisation of people who may require JRS. An important challenge in this area is to accurately assign a queue position and improve list management. To identify priority criteria areas eight workshops were held with surgeons and patients. Domains derived were pain, activity limitations, psychosocial wellbeing, economic impact and deterioration. Draft questions were developed and refined through structured interviews with patients and consultation with consultants. 38 items survived critical appraisal and were mailed to 600 patients. Eleven items survived clinimetric and statistical item reduction. Validation then included co-administration with standardised questionnaires (960 patients), verification of patient MAPT scores through clinical interview, examination of concordance with surgeon global ratings and test-retest. Ninety-six Victorian surgeons weighted items using Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs). The DCE scaling generated a scale, which clearly ranked patients across the disease continuum. The MAPT differentiated people on or not on waiting lists (p<0.001), and was highly correlated with other questionnaires, e.g., unweighted-MAPT vs WOMAC (r=0.78), Oxford Hip/Knee (r=0.86/0.75), Quality of Life (r=0.78), Depression (r=0.64), Anxiety (r=0.60), p<0.001 for all. Test-retest was excellent (ICC=0.89, n=90). Cronbachs reliability was also high 0.85. The MAPT is now routinely administered across all Victorian hospitals undertaking arthroplasty where the response rate is generally above 90%. In the hands of clinicians the MAPT has been used to facilitate fast-tracking of patients with the greatest need, monitoring for deterioration in those waiting for surgery or having a trial of