A new anterior intrapelvic approach for the surgical management of displaced acetabular fractures involving predominantly the anterior column and the quadrilateral plate is described. In order to establish five ‘windows’ for instrumentation, the extraperitoneal space is entered along the lateral border of the rectus abdominis muscle. This is the so-called ‘Pararectus’ approach. The feasibility of safe dissection and optimal instrumentation of the pelvis was assessed in five cadavers (ten hemipelves) before implementation in a series of 20 patients with a mean age of 59 years (17 to 90), of whom 17 were male. The clinical evaluation was undertaken between December 2009 and December 2010. The quality of reduction was assessed with post-operative CT scans and the occurrence of intra-operative complications was noted. In cadavers, sufficient extraperitoneal access and safe instrumentation of the pelvis were accomplished. In the patients, there was a statistically significant improvement in the reduction of the fracture (pre- versus post-operative: mean step-off 3.3 mm (sd 2.6) vs 0.1 mm (sd 0.3), p < 0.001; and mean gap 11.5 mm (sd 6.5) vs 0.8 mm (sd 1.3), p < 0.001). Lesions to the peritoneum were noted in two patients and minor vascular damage was noted in a further two patients. Multi-directional screw placement and various plate configurations were feasible in cadavers without significant retraction of soft tissues.

In the treatment of acetabular fractures predominantly involving the anterior column and the quadrilateral plate, the Pararectus approach allowed anatomical restoration with minimal morbidity related to the surgical access.

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome and complications of endoscopic versus open release for the treatment of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Patients with this condition were randomised to undergo either endoscopic (n = 27) or open release (n = 25). Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain and Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores were measured at 12 and 24 weeks after surgery. Scar satisfaction was measured using a VAS scale. The mean pain and DASH scores improved significantly at 12 weeks and 24 weeks (p <  0.001) in both groups. The scores were marginally lower in the endoscopic group compared to the open group at 12 weeks (p = 0.012 and p = 0.002, respectively); however, only the DASH score showed a clinically important difference. There were no differences between the groups at 24 weeks. The mean VAS scar satisfaction score was higher in the endoscopic group at 24 weeks (p < 0.001). Transient superficial radial nerve injury occurred in three patients in the endoscopic group compared with nine in the open release group (p = 0.033).

We conclude that endoscopic release for de Quervain’s tenosynovitis seems to provide earlier improvement after surgery, with fewer superficial radial nerve complications and greater scar satisfaction, when compared with open release.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:947–51.

This paper describes the current views on the pathology of lesions of the tendon of the long head of biceps and their management. Their diagnosis is described and their surgical management classified, with details of the techniques employed.

The management of closed fractures of the humerus with an associated nerve palsy remains controversial. With very little written about this injury in children, we present the case of a three-year-old child with a closed humeral shaft fracture in whom surgical exploration and reconstruction of the radial nerve with a sural nerve graft was performed three months after injury. The child regained full function. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such case to be reported in the English literature.

Given the growing prevalence of obesity around the world and its association with osteoarthritis of the knee, orthopaedic surgeons need to be familiar with the management of the obese patient with degenerative knee pain. The precise mechanism by which obesity leads to osteoarthritis remains unknown, but is likely to be due to a combination of mechanical, humoral and genetic factors.

Weight loss has clear medical benefits for the obese patient and seems to be a logical way of relieving joint pain associated with degenerative arthritis. There are a variety of ways in which this may be done including diet and exercise, and treatment with drugs and bariatric surgery. Whether substantial weight loss can delay or even reverse the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis remains to be seen.

Surgery for osteoarthritis in the obese patient can be technically more challenging and carries a risk of additional complications. Substantial weight loss before undertaking total knee replacement is advisable. More prospective studies that evaluate the effect of significant weight loss on the evolution of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee are needed so that orthopaedic surgeons can treat this patient group appropriately.

Orthopaedic surgeons have accepted various radiological signs to be representative of acetabular retroversion, which is the main characteristic of focal over-coverage in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Using a validated method for radiological analysis, we assessed the relevance of these signs to predict intra-articular lesions in 93 patients undergoing surgery for FAI. A logistic regression model to predict chondral damage showed that an acetabular retroversion index (ARI) > 20%, a derivative of the well-known cross-over sign, was an independent predictor (p = 0.036). However, ARI was less significant than the Tönnis classification (p = 0.019) and age (p = 0.031) in the same model. ARI was unable to discriminate between grades of chondral lesions, while the type of cam lesion (p = 0.004) and age (p = 0.047) were able to. Other widely recognised signs of acetabular retroversion, such as the ischial spine sign, the posterior wall sign or the cross-over sign were irrelevant according to our analysis. Regardless of its secondary predictive role, an ARI > 20% appears to be the most clinically relevant radiological sign of acetabular retroversion in symptomatic patients with FAI.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:893–9.

The term developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) describes a spectrum of disorders that results in abnormal development of the hip joint. If not treated successfully in childhood, these patients may go on to develop hip symptoms and/or secondary osteoarthritis in adulthood. In this review we describe the altered anatomy encountered in adults with DDH along with the management options, and the challenges associated with hip arthroscopy, osteotomies and arthroplasty for the treatment of DDH in young adults.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:732–7.

Smoking is known to have an adverse effect on wound healing and musculoskeletal conditions. This case-controlled study looked at whether smoking has a deleterious effect in the outcome of autologous chondrocyte implantation for the treatment of full thickness chondral defects of the knee.

The mean Modified Cincinatti Knee score was statistically significantly lower in smokers (n = 48) than in non-smokers (n = 66) both before and after surgery (p < 0.05). Smokers experienced significantly less improvement in the knee score two years after surgery (p < 0.05). Graft failures were only seen in smokers (p = 0.016). There was a strong negative correlation between the number of cigarettes smoked and the outcome following surgery (Pearson’s correlation coefficient −0.65, p = 0.004).

These results suggest that patients who smoke have worse pre-operative function and obtain less benefit from this procedure than non-smokers. The counselling of patients undergoing autologous chondrocyte implantation should include smoking, not only as a general cardiopulmonary risk but also because poorer results can be expected in smokers following this procedure.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of tissue hypoxia and apoptosis at different stages of tendinopathy and tears of the rotator cuff.

We studied tissue from 24 patients with eight graded stages of either impingement (mild, moderate and severe) or tears of the rotator cuff (partial, small, medium, large and massive) and three controls. Biopsies were analysed using three immunohistochemical techniques, namely antibodies against HIF-1α (a transcription factor produced in a hypoxic environment), BNip3 (a HIF-1α regulated pro-apoptotic protein) and TUNEL (detecting DNA fragmentation in apoptosis).

The HIF-1α expression was greatest in mild impingement and in partial, small, medium and large tears. BNip3 expression increased significantly in partial, small, medium and large tears but was reduced in massive tears. Apoptosis was increased in small, medium, large and massive tears but not in partial tears.

These findings reveal evidence of hypoxic damage throughout the spectrum of pathology of the rotator cuff which may contribute to loss of cells by apoptosis. This provides a novel insight into the causes of degeneration of the rotator cuff and highlights possible options for treatment.

Dislocation is a common and well-studied complication after total hip replacement. However, subluxation, which we define as a clinically recognised episode of incomplete movement of the femoral head outside the acetabulum with spontaneous reduction, has not been studied previously. Out of a total of 2521 hip replacements performed over 12 years by one surgeon, 30 patients experienced subluxations which occurred in 31 arthroplasties. Data were collected prospectively with a minimum follow-up of two years. Subluxation occurred significantly more frequently after revision than after primary hip replacement, and resolved in 19 of 31 cases (61.3%). In six of the 31 hips (19.4%) the patient subsequently dislocated the affected hip, and in six hips (19.4%) intermittent subluxation continued. Four patients had a revision operation for instability, three for recurrent dislocation and one for recurrent subluxation. Clinical and radiological comparisons with a matched group of stable total hips showed no correlation with demographic or radiological parameters.

Patients with subluxing hips reported significantly more concern that their hip would dislocate, more often changed their behaviour to prevent instability and had lower postoperative Harris hip scores than patients with stable replacements.

A 20-year-old man sustained an open medial dislocation of the ankle without an associated fracture after a low-energy inversion injury. Prompt debridement and reduction with primary wound closure of the skin were performed without suture of the capsule. Immobilisation in a non-weight-bearing cast for 30 days followed by ankle bracing for two weeks and subsequent physiotherapy, produced full functional recovery by three months. At follow-up at one year there was a full range of pain-free movement, although the radiographs and MR scan showed early post-traumatic degenerative change at the medial aspect of the tibiotalar and the calcaneocuboid joints.

We present the results of 17 children of Tanner stage 1 or 2 who underwent reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament between 1999 and 2006 using a transphyseal procedure, employing an ipsilateral four-strand hamstring graft. The mean age of the children was 12.1 years (9.5 to 14). The mean follow-up was 44 months (25 to 100). Survival of the graft, the functional outcome and complications were recorded. There was one re-rupture following another injury. Of the remaining patients, all had good or excellent results and a normal International Knee Documentation Committee score. The mean post-operative Lysholm score was 97.5 (sd 2.6) and the mean Tegner activity scale was 7.9 (sd 1.4). One patient had a mild valgus deformity which caused no functional disturbance. No other abnormality or discrepancy of leg length was seen. Measurements with a KT1000 arthrometer showed no significant difference between the normal and the operated legs.

In this small series, transphyseal reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament appeared to be safe in these young children.

The April 2013 Foot & Ankle Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: whether arthroscopic arthrodesis is advantageous; osteochondral autografts; suture button associated fractures; an ultrasound solution to Achilles tendinopathy; the safety of the tendo Achilles in men; charcot and antibiotic-coated nails; and botox and Policeman’s Heel.

We reviewed 42 consecutive children with a supination deformity of the forearm complicating severe birth lesions of the brachial plexus.

The overall incidence over the study period was 6.9% (48 of 696). It was absent in those in Narakas group I (27.6) and occurred in 5.7% of group II (13 of 229), 9.6% of group III (11 of 114) and 23.4% of group IV (18 of 77).

Concurrent deformities at the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand were always present because of muscular imbalance from poor recovery of C5 and C7, inconsistent recovery of C8 and T1 and good recovery of C6. Early surgical correction improved the function of the upper limb and hand, but there was a tendency to recurrence. Pronation osteotomy placed the hand in a functional position, and increased the arc of rotation of the forearm. The supination deformity recurred in 40% (17 of 42) of those treated by pronation osteotomy alone, probably because of remodelling of the growing bone.

Children should be followed up until skeletal maturity, and the parents counselled on the likelihood of multiple operations.

Mesenchymal stem-cell based therapies have been proposed as novel treatments for intervertebral disc degeneration, a prevalent and disabling condition associated with back pain. The development of these treatment strategies, however, has been hindered by the incomplete understanding of the human nucleus pulposus phenotype and by an inaccurate interpretation and translation of animal to human research. This review summarises recent work characterising the nucleus pulposus phenotype in different animal models and in humans and integrates their findings with the anatomical and physiological differences between these species. Understanding this phenotype is paramount to guarantee that implanted cells restore the native functions of the intervertebral disc.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2013;2:169–78.

A systematic search of the literature published between January 1985 and February 2006 identified 62 studies which reported the results of arthroscopic procedures for chronic anterior shoulder instability or comparisons between arthroscopic and open surgery. These studies were classified by surgical technique and research methodology, and when appropriate, were included in a meta-analysis.

The failure rate of arthroscopic shoulder stabilisation using staples or transglenoid suture techniques appeared to be significantly higher than that of either open surgery or arthroscopic stabilisation using suture anchors or bio-absorbable tacks. Arthroscopic anterior stabilisation using the most effective techniques has a similar rate of failure to open stabilisation after two years.

Recurrence of back or leg pain after discectomy is a well-recognised problem with an incidence of up to 28%. Once conservative measures have failed, several surgical options are available and have been tried with varying degrees of success. In this study, 42 patients with recurrent symptoms after discectomy underwent less invasive posterior lumbar interbody fusion (LI-PLIF). Clinical outcome was measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires and visual analogue scales for back (VAS-BP) and leg pain (VAS-LP). There was a statistically significant improvement in all outcome measures (p < 0.001). The debate around which procedure is the most effective for these patients remains controversial.

Our results show that LI-PLIF is as effective as any other surgical procedure. However, given that it is less invasive, we feel that it should be considered as the preferred option.

We retrospectively studied the possibility that direct trauma to the biceps muscle might be the cause of poor elbow flexion and supination in 18 consecutive children with birth lesions of the brachial plexus who had delayed or impaired biceps recovery despite neurophysiological evidence of reinnervation. All had good shoulder and hand function at three months of age. Eight recovered a strong biceps after six months, but nine required a pectoralis minor to biceps transfer to augment elbow flexion and supination. One had a delayed but good recovery of the biceps after microsurgical reconstruction of the plexus. All had a clinical ‘pseudotumour’ in the biceps muscle, which was biopsied during pectoralis minor transfer in two patients and showed rupture and degeneration of muscle fibres with a fibro-fatty infiltrate, suggesting previous muscle trauma.

Direct muscle trauma is an uncommon but important cause of delayed or impaired biceps recovery after brachial plexus birth injuries. Surgery to reinnervate the biceps muscle will not work if substantial muscle damage is present when a suitable muscle transfer should be considered.