The FRCS (Tr & Orth) examination has three components: MCQs, Vivas and Clinical Examination. The Vivas are further divided into four sections comprising Basic Science, Adult Pathology, Hands and Children’s Orthopaedics and Trauma. The Clinical Examination section is divided into Upper and Lower limb cases. The aim of this section in the Journal is to focus specifically on the trainees preparing for the exam and to cater to all the sections of the exam. The vision is to complete the cycle of all relevant exam topics (as per the syllabus) in four years

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) should be diagnosed as early as possible to optimise treatment. The current United Kingdom recommendations for the selective screening of DDH include a clinical examination at birth and at six weeks. In Northern Ireland babies continue to have an assessment by a health visitor at four months of age. As we continue to see late presentations of DDH, beyond one year of age, we hypothesised that a proportion had missed an opportunity for earlier diagnosis. We expect those who presented to our service with Tonnis grade III or IV hips and decreased abduction would have had clinical signs at their earlier assessments. We performed a retrospective review of all patients born in Northern Ireland between 2008 and 2010 who were diagnosed with DDH after their first birthday. There were 75 856 live births during the study period of whom 645 children were treated for DDH (8.5 per 1000). The minimum follow-up of our cohort from birth, to detect late presentation, was four years and six months. Of these, 32 children (33 hips) were diagnosed after their first birthday (0.42 per 1000). With optimum application of our selective screening programme 21 (65.6%) of these children had the potential for an earlier diagnosis, which would have reduced the incidence of late diagnosis to 0.14 per 1000. As we saw a peak in diagnosis between three and five months our findings support the continuation of the four month health visitor check. Our study adds further information to the debate regarding selective versus universal screening. . Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1572–6

We prospectively assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the gravity stress test and clinical findings to evaluate the stability of the ankle mortise in patients with supination–external rotation-type fractures of the lateral malleolus without widening of the medial clear space. The cohort included 79 patients with a mean age of 44 years (16 to 82). Two surgeons assessed medial tenderness, swelling and ecchymosis and performed the external rotation (ER) stress test (a reference standard). A diagnostic radiographer performed the gravity stress test. For the gravity stress test, the positive likelihood ratio (LR) was 5.80 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 2.75 to 12.27, and the negative LR was 0.15 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.35), suggesting a moderate change from the pre-test probability. Medial tenderness, both alone and in combination with swelling and/or ecchymosis, indicated a small change (positive LR, 2.74 to 3.25; negative LR, 0.38 to 0.47), whereas swelling and ecchymosis indicated only minimal changes (positive LR, 1.41 to 1.65; negative LR, 0.38 to 0.47). . In conclusion, when gravity stress test results are in agreement with clinical findings, the result is likely to predict stability of the ankle mortise with an accuracy equivalent to ER stress test results. When clinical examination suggests a medial-side injury, however, the gravity stress test may give a false negative result. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015; 97-B:1126–31

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Recurrent dislocation is both a cause and consequence of glenoid bone loss, and the extent of the bony defect is an indicator guiding operative intervention. Literature suggests that loss greater than 25% requires glenoid reconstruction. Measuring bone loss is controversial; studies use different methods to determine this, with no clear evidence of reproducibility. A systematic review was performed to identify existing CT-based methods of quantifying glenoid bone loss and establish their reliability and reproducibility

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Current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance advises that MRI direct from the emergency department (ED) should be considered for suspected scaphoid fractures. This study reports the current management of suspected scaphoid fractures in the UK and assesses adherence with NICE guidance.

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The aim of this study was to determine whether total hip arthroplasty (THA) for chronic hip pain due to unilateral primary osteoarthritis (OA) has a beneficial effect on cognitive performance.

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To identify the minimum set of outcomes that should be collected in clinical practice and reported in research related to the care of children with idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV).

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Current literature suggests that survival outcomes and local recurrence rates of primary soft-tissue sarcoma diagnosed in the very elderly age range, (over 90 years), are comparable with those in patients diagnosed under the age of 75 years. Our aim is to quantify these outcomes with a view to rationalizing management and follow-up for very elderly patients.

We treated 17 knees in 15 patients with severe ligament derangement and dislocation by open repair and reconstruction. We assessed the competence of all structures thought to be important for stability by clinical examination, MRI interpretation, and surgery. Our findings showed that in these polytrauma patients clinical examination was not an accurate predictor of the extent or site of soft-tissue injury (53% to 82% correct) due mainly to the limitations of associated injuries. MRI was more accurate (85% to 100% correct) except for a negative result for the lateral collateral ligament and posterolateral capsule. The detail and reliability of MRI are invaluable in the preoperative planning of the surgical repair and reconstruction of dislocated knees

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The ideal management of acute syndesmotic injuries in elite athletes is controversial. Among several treatment methods used to stabilize the syndesmosis and facilitate healing of the ligaments, the use of suture tape (InternalBrace) has previously been described. The purpose of this study was to analyze the functional outcome, including American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, knee-to-wall measurements, and the time to return to play in days, of unstable syndesmotic injuries treated with the use of the InternalBrace in elite athletes.

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There is evidence that morbidly obese patients have more intra- and postoperative complications and poorer outcomes when undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) with the direct anterior approach (DAA). The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of DAA for THA, and compare the complications and outcomes of morbidly obese patients with nonobese patients.

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The aim of this study was to assess whether it is possible to predict the mortality, and the extent and time of neurological recovery from the time of the onset of symptoms and MRI grade, in patients with the cerebral fat embolism syndrome (CFES). This has not previously been investigated.

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Higher osteoblastic bone activity is expected in aseptic loosening and painful unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). However, insights into normal bone activity patterns after medial UKAs are lacking. The aim of this study was to identify the evolution in bone activity pattern in well-functioning medial mobile-bearing UKAs.

Most centres in the United Kingdom adopt a selective screening programme for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) based on repeated clinical examination and selective ultrasound examination. The Newborn Infant Physical Examination protocol implemented in 2008 recommends a first examination at birth and then a second and final examination at six to ten weeks of age. Due to concerns over an increase in late presentations we performed a retrospective review of our 15-year results to establish if late presentation increases treatment requirements. Of children presenting before six weeks of age, 84% were treated successfully with abduction bracing, whereas 86% of children presenting after ten months eventually required open reduction surgery. This equates to a 12-fold increase in relative risk of requiring open reduction following late presentation. Increasing age at presentation was associated with an increase in the number of surgical procedures, which are inevitably more extensive and complex, with a consequent increased in cost per patient. The implementation of an opportunistic examination at three to five months could help to reduce the unintended consequences of the Newborn Infant Physical Examination programme. . Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:846–50

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Cam and pincer morphologies are potential precursors to hip osteoarthritis and important contributors to non-arthritic hip pain. However, only some hips with these pathomorphologies develop symptoms and joint degeneration, and it is not clear why. Anterior impingement between the femoral head-neck contour and acetabular rim in positions of hip flexion combined with rotation is a proposed pathomechanism in these hips, but this has not been studied in active postures. Our aim was to assess the anterior impingement pathomechanism in both active and passive postures with high hip flexion that are thought to provoke impingement.