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Introduction: Exaggerated inflammatory response is one of the main mechanisms underlying heterotopic ossification (HO). It has been suggested that the antifibrinolytic drug tranexamic acid (TXA) can exert a significant anti-inflammatory effect during orthopaedic surgery. However, no prospective studies have yet investigated the effects of TXA on HO recurrence in patients following open elbow arthrolysis (OEA)., Methods and Analysis: Here, we present a protocol for a single-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of TXA on HO recurrence after OEA in a single hospital. A minimum sample size of 138 eligible and consenting participants randomised into treatment and control groups in a 1:1 manner will be included. Patients will receive 2 g of intravenous TXA (experimental group) or placebo (normal saline, control group) administered before skin incision. The primary outcome is HO recurrence rate within 12 months after surgery. The secondary outcomes are the serum immune-inflammatory cytokines including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-13 at the first and third day postoperatively, and elbow range of motion and functional score at 1.5, 6, 9 and 12 months after surgery. After completion of the trial, the results will be reported in accordance with the extensions of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials Statement for trials. The results of this study should determine whether TXA can reduce the rates of HO occurrence after OEA., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval has been granted by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (reference number 2022-123-(1)). The results of this study will be disseminated through presentations at academic conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals., Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR2300068106., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Aims: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common complication after elbow trauma and can cause severe upper limb disability. Although multiple prognostic factors have been reported to be associated with the development of post-traumatic HO, no model has yet been able to combine these predictors more succinctly to convey prognostic information and medical measures to patients. Therefore, this study aimed to identify prognostic factors leading to the formation of HO after surgery for elbow trauma, and to establish and validate a nomogram to predict the probability of HO formation in such particular injuries., Methods: This multicentre case-control study comprised 200 patients with post-traumatic elbow HO and 229 patients who had elbow trauma but without HO formation between July 2019 and December 2020. Features possibly associated with HO formation were obtained. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model was used to optimize feature selection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to build the new nomogram: the Shanghai post-Traumatic Elbow Heterotopic Ossification Prediction model (STEHOP). STEHOP was validated by concordance index (C-index) and calibration plot. Internal validation was conducted using bootstrapping validation., Results: Male sex, obesity, open wound, dislocations, late definitive surgical treatment, and lack of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were identified as adverse predictors and incorporated to construct the STEHOP model. It displayed good discrimination with a C-index of 0.80 (95% confidence interval 0.75 to 0.84). A high C-index value of 0.77 could still be reached in the internal validation. The calibration plot showed good agreement between nomogram prediction and observed outcomes., Conclusion: The newly developed STEHOP model is a valid and convenient instrument to predict HO formation after surgery for elbow trauma. It could assist clinicians in counselling patients regarding treatment expectations and therapeutic choices. Cite this article: Bone Joint J  2022;104-B(8):963-971.

Study Design: A retrospective clinical study of 19 cases of ossification of ligamentum flavum (OLF) in Chinese population., Objective: To inspect the epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathology, radiologic findings, and treatment outcome in 19 Chinese patients of OLF at a single institution., Summary of Background Data: OLF in the thoracic region causing neurological impairment is a rare pathologic entity described mainly in Japanese literature. The present study represents a series of Chinese patients with OLF at the thoracic spine., Methods: Nineteen patients (7 male and 12 female; ages ranging between 39 and 73 y) were included in this study. All patients have been treated by posterior thoracic extensive decompressive laminectomy. Neurological status was evaluated using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, the recovery rate, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before and after surgery. Patients' pain relief was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score., Results: Mean JOA score was 3.16±1.05 before surgery to 8.34±3.28 after surgery. Mean recovery rate was 61.4%±32.5%. Mean ODI scores had significantly decreased from 66.36%±10.91% before surgery to 25.45%±12.19% after surgery. The result of VAS score were 6.29±1.83 before the operation and 2.18±1.90 at final follow-up. All patients improved at the end of the evaluation period. There was no recurrence., Conclusions: Early diagnosis and sufficient surgical treatment play key roles in improving functional outcomes. Posterior thoracic extensive decompressive laminectomy gives satisfactory results and leads to significant clinical improvement.