The aim of this study was to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate changes in diffusion metrics in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) up to five years after decompressive surgery. We correlated these changes with clinical outcomes as scored by the Modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) method, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). We used multi-shot, high-resolution, diffusion tensor imaging (ms-DTI) in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) to investigate the change in diffusion metrics and clinical outcomes up to five years after anterior cervical interbody discectomy and fusion (ACDF). High signal intensity was identified on T2-weighted imaging, along with DTI metrics such as fractional anisotropy (FA). MJOA, NDI, and VAS scores were also collected and compared at each follow-up point. Spearman correlations identified correspondence between FA and clinical outcome scores.Aims
Methods
Malreduction of the syndesmosis has been reported in up to 52% of patients after fixation of ankle fractures. Multiple radiological parameters are used to define malreduction; there has been limited investigation of the accuracy of these measurements in differentiating malreduction from inherent anatomical asymmetry. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of positive malreduction standards within the syndesmosis of native, uninjured ankles. Three observers reviewed 213 bilateral lower limb CT scans of uninjured ankles. Multiple measurements were recorded on the axial CT 1 cm above the plafond: anterior syndesmotic distance; posterior syndesmotic distance; central syndesmotic distance; fibular rotation; and sagittal fibular translation. Previously studied malreduction standards were evaluated on bilateral CT, including differences in: anterior, central and posterior syndesmotic distance; mean syndesmotic distance; fibular rotation; sagittal translational distance; and syndesmotic area. Unilateral CT was used to compare the anterior to posterior syndesmotic distances.Aims
Methods
Advances in surgical technique and implant design may influence the incidence and mechanism of failure resulting in revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA). The purpose of the current study was to characterize aetiologies requiring rTHA, and to determine whether temporal changes existed in these aetiologies over a ten-year period. All rTHAs performed at a single institution from 2009 to 2019 were identified. Demographic information and mode of implant failure was obtained for all patients. Data for rTHA were stratified into two time periods to assess for temporal changes: 2009 to 2013, and 2014 to 2019. Operative reports, radiological imaging, and current procedural terminology (CPT) codes were cross-checked to ensure the accurate classification of revision aetiology for each patient.Aims
Methods
Tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor (IL-6R) targeting antibody, enhances the anti-tumour effect of conventional chemotherapy in preclinical models of cancer. We investigated the anti-tumour effect of tocilizumab in osteosarcoma (OS) cell lines. We used the 143B, HOS, and Saos-2 human OS cell lines. We first analyzed the IL-6 gene expression and IL-6Rα protein expression in OS cells using reverse transcription real time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis and western blotting, respectively. We also assessed the effect of tocilizumab on OS cells using proliferation and invasion assay.Aims
Methods
When the present study was initiated, we changed the treatment for late-detected developmental dislocation of the hip (DDH) from several weeks of skin traction to markedly shorter traction time. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate this change, with special emphasis on the rate of stable closed reduction according to patient age, the development of the acetabulum, and the outcome at skeletal maturity. From 1996 to 2005, 49 children (52 hips) were treated for late-detected DDH. Their mean age was 13.3 months (3 to 33) at reduction. Prereduction skin traction was used for a mean of 11 days (0 to 27). Gentle closed reduction under general anaesthesia was attempted in all the hips. Concurrent pelvic osteotomy was not performed. The hips were evaluated at one, three and five years after reduction, at age eight to ten years, and at skeletal maturity. Mean age at the last follow-up was 15.7 years (13 to 21).Aims
Methods
With recent progress in cancer treatment, the number of advanced-age patients with spinal metastases has been increasing. It is important to clarify the influence of advanced age on outcomes following surgery for spinal metastases, especially with a focus on subjective health state values. We prospectively analyzed 101 patients with spinal metastases who underwent palliative surgery from 2013 to 2016. These patients were divided into two groups based on age (< 70 years and ≥ 70 years). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS), Barthel index (BI), and EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) score were assessed at study enrolment and at one, three, and six months after surgery. The survival times and complications were also collected.Aims
Methods
Young adults with hip pain secondary to femoroacetabular
impingement (FAI) are rapidly being recognised as an important cohort
of orthopaedic patients. Interest in FAI has intensified over the
last decade since its recognition as a precursor to arthritis of
the hip and the number of publications related to the topic has
increased exponentially in the last decade. Although not all patients
with abnormal hip morphology develop osteoarthritis (OA), those
with FAI-related joint damage rapidly develop premature OA. There
are no explicit diagnostic criteria or definitive indications for
surgical intervention in FAI. Surgery for symptomatic FAI appears
to be most effective in younger individuals who have not yet developed
irreversible OA. The difficulty in predicting
To assess the correlation between the histological response to preoperative chemotherapy and event-free survival (EFS) or overall survival (OS) in patients with high-grade localized osteosarcoma. Out of 625 patients aged ≤ 40 years treated for primary high-grade osteosarcoma between 1997 and 2016, 232 patients without clinically detectable metastases at the time of diagnosis and treated with preoperative high-dose methotrexate, adriamycin and cisplatin (MAP) chemotherapy and surgery were included. Associations of chemotherapy-induced necrosis in the resected specimen and EFS or OS were assessed using Cox model and the Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r). Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis was applied to determine the optimal cut-off value of chemotherapy-induced necrosis for EFS and OS.Aims
Methods
This exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to determine the splint-related outcomes when using the novel biodegradable wood-composite splint (Woodcast) compared to standard synthetic fibreglass (Dynacast) for the immobilization of undisplaced upper limb fractures in children. An exploratory RCT was performed at a tertiary paediatric referral hospital between 1 June 2018 and 30 September 2019. The intention-to-treat population consisted of 170 patients (mean age 8.42 years (SD 3.42); Woodcast (WCG), n = 84, 57 male (67.9%); Dynacast (DNG), n = 86, 58 male (67.4%)). Patients with undisplaced upper limb fractures were randomly assigned to WCG or DNG treatment groups. Primary outcome was the stress stability of the splint material, defined as absence of any deformations or fractures within the splint during study period. Secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction and medical staff opinion. Additionally, biomechanical and chemical analysis of the splint samples was carried out.Aims
Methods
The James Lind Alliance aims to bring patients, carers, and clinicians together to identify uncertainties regarding care. A Priority Setting Partnership was established by the British Association for Surgery of the Knee in conjunction with the James Lind Alliance to identify research priorities related to the assessment, management, and rehabilitation of patients with persistent symptoms after knee arthroplasty. The project was conducted using the James Lind Alliance protocol. A steering group was convened including patients, surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, physiotherapists, and researchers. Partner organizations were recruited. A survey was conducted on a national scale through which patients, carers, and healthcare professionals submitted key unanswered questions relating to problematic knee arthroplasties. These were analyzed, aggregated, and synthesized into summary questions and the relevant evidence was checked. After confirming that these were not answered in the current literature, 32 questions were taken forward to an interim prioritization survey. Data from this survey informed a shortlist taken to a final consensus meeting.Aims
Methods
Tibial plateau fractures are serious injuries about the knee that have the potential to affect patients’ long-term function. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with a musculoskeletal focus to assess the long-term outcome, as compared to a short-term outcome baseline, of tibial plateau fractures treated using modern techniques. In total, 102 patients who sustained a displaced tibial plateau fracture and underwent operative repair by one of three orthopaedic traumatologists at a large, academic medical centre and had a minimum of five-year follow-up were identified. Breakdown of patients by Schatzker classification is as follows: two (1.9%) Schatzker I, 54 (50.9%) Schatzker II, two (1.9%) Schatzker III, 13 (12.3%) Schatzker IV, nine (8.5%) Schatzker V, and 26 (24.5%) Schatzker VI. Follow-up data obtained included: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain scores, Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA), and knee range of movement (ROM). Data at latest follow-up were then compared to 12-month data using a paired Aims
Methods
The goal of closed reduction (CR) in the treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is to achieve and maintain concentricity of the femoral head in the acetabulum. However, concentric reduction is not immediately attainable in all hips and it remains controversial to what degree a non-concentric reduction is acceptable. This prospective study is aimed at investigating the dynamic evolution of the hip joint space after CR in DDH using MRI. A consecutive series of patients with DDH who underwent CR since March 2014 were studied. Once the safety and stability were deemed adequate intraoperatively, reduction was accepted regardless of concentricity. Concentricity was defined when the superior joint space (SJS) and medial joint space (MJS) were both less than 2 mm, based on MRI. A total of 30 children, six boys and 24 girls, involving 35 hips, were recruited for the study. The mean age at CR was 13.7 months (3.5 to 27.6) and the mean follow-up was 49.5 months (approximately four years) (37 to 60). The joint space was evaluated along with the interval between the inverted and everted limbus.Aims
Methods
The early mortality in patients with hip fractures from bony metastases is unknown. The objectives of this study were to quantify 30- and 90-day mortality in patients with proximal femoral metastases, and to create a mortality prediction tool based on biomarkers associated with early death. This was a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients referred to the orthopaedic department at a UK trauma centre with a proximal femoral metastasis (PFM) over a seven-year period (2010 to 2016). The study group were compared to a matched control group of non-metastatic hip fractures. Minimum follow-up was one year.Aims
Methods
Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is a kind of chronic osteochondropathy, thought to be caused by environmental risk factors such as T-2 toxin. However, the exact aetiology of KBD remains unclear. In this study, we explored the functional relevance and biological mechanism of cartilage oligosaccharide matrix protein (COMP) in the articular cartilage damage of KBD. The articular cartilage specimens were collected from five KBD patients and five control subjects for cell culture. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels were detected by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot. The survival rate of C28/I2 chondrocyte cell line was detected by MTT assay after T-2 toxin intervention. The cell viability and mRNA expression levels of apoptosis related genes between Aims
Methods
The lack of disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) is linked to a shortage of suitable biomarkers. This study combines multi-molecule synovial fluid analysis with machine learning to produce an accurate diagnostic biomarker model for end-stage knee OA (esOA). Synovial fluid (SF) from patients with esOA, non-OA knee injury, and inflammatory knee arthritis were analyzed for 35 potential markers using immunoassays. Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to derive a biomarker model for cohort classification. The ability of the biomarker model to diagnose esOA was validated by identical wide-spectrum SF analysis of a test cohort of ten patients with esOA.Aims
Methods