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Background: Patient-reported outcome measures are commonly used to measure knee pain and functional impairment. When structural abnormality is identified on examination and imaging, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy and chondroplasty are commonly indicated for treatment in the setting of pain and decreased function. Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between patient characteristics, mental health, intraoperative findings, and patient-reported outcome measures at the time of knee arthroscopy. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Between February 2015 and October 2016, patients aged 40 years and older who were undergoing routine knee arthroscopy for meniscal and cartilage abnormality, without reconstructive or restorative procedures, were prospectively enrolled in this study. Routine demographic information was collected, and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Pain, Quality of Life (QoL), and Physical Function Short Form (PS) subscales and the mental and physical component subscales of the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12 MCS and VR-12 PCS) were administered preoperatively on the day of surgery. Intraoperative findings were collected in a standardized format. Patient demographics, intraoperative findings, and the VR-12 MCS were used as predictor values, and a multivariate analysis was conducted to assess for relationships with the KOOS and VR-12 as dependent variables. Results: Of 661 eligible patients, baseline patient-reported outcomes and surgical data were used for 638 patients (97%). Lower scores on both subscales of the VR-12 were predicted by female sex, positive smoking history, fewer years of education, and higher body mass index (BMI). All KOOS subscales were negatively affected by lower VR-12 MCS scores, female sex, lower education level, and higher BMI in a statistically meaningful way. Positive smoking history was associated with worse scores on the KOOS-PS. Abnormal synovial status was associated with worse KOOS-Pain. Conclusion: The demographic factors of sex, smoking status, BMI, and education level had an overwhelming impact on preoperative KOOS and VR-12 scores. Of interest, mental health as assessed by the VR-12 MCS was also a consistent predictor of KOOS scores. The only intraoperative finding with a significant association was abnormal synovial status and its effect on KOOS-Pain scores.

Background Radiographs are routinely used to evaluate patients postoperatively after total knee arthroplasty, but no evidence-based guidelines exist regarding their use. The purpose of this study is to quantify the use of radiographs within 2 years of primary total knee arthroplasty by one surgeon and to determine if routine studies in asymptomatic patients altered patient management. Methods Patients undergoing consecutive primary total knee arthroplasties between 2008 and 2010 were identified. Patients undergoing revision or additional simultaneous procedures or those with less than 6 months of radiographic follow-up were excluded. Operative and clinic notes, radiographs, and radiology reports were reviewed. Results A total of 263 patients were identified; each patient had an average of 13.5 ± 3.8 individual radiographs obtained in 6.5 ± 1.7 series. Twelve radiographic series were noted to have abnormal findings by either the attending surgeon or by radiology report. Three of these patients underwent reoperation directly related to the findings; 2 for deep infections and 1 for extensor mechanism disruption. All 3 patients had reported abnormal symptoms when their films were obtained. The remaining 9 abnormal radiographic findings included focal lucencies or osteolysis, asymmetric spacer wear, a healing stress fracture, an inferior patellar avulsion fracture, and heterotopic ossification. No patient had symptoms attributable to these findings when the radiographs were obtained, and in no case was the management altered based on these finding. Conclusion This study suggests that the observed frequency of routine postoperative radiographs in asymptomatic patients may not be necessary in the first 2 years after primary total knee arthroplasty.

Injuries and disorders of the patellofemoral joint in the adolescent athlete can encompass a wide spectrum of symptomatology and pathology. Anterior knee pain is a common presenting symptom in sports medicine clinics, and can have numerous underlying etiologies. This activity-related pain may be the manifestation of enthesopathy, tendinopathy, fat pad impingement, or numerous other conditions, but is more commonly related to more subtle skeletal and muscular imbalances. Treatment is typically nonoperative in nature, and excellent results are reported with physical therapy. Patellofemoral instability usually has a more dramatic onset in the form of dislocation or subluxation events, commonly experienced during athletics. Concomitant injuries to the patellofemoral articular cartilage are common. Again, treatment is typically nonoperative initially, but recurrent or recalcitrant instability may necessitate reconstructive or realignment procedures. Skeletal maturity often dictates what procedures can be safely attempted.

Occult intra-articular hip pathology is commonly found in patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome, and may be a possible pain generator in patients with recalcitrant lateral hip pain. We investigated the effect of intra-articular hip injections in patients with recalcitrant lateral hip pain. Between September 2012 and May 2013, patients over the age of 18 with a history lateral hip pain who had received prior treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and peritrochanteric corticostroid injections were enrolled. Treatment consisted of an ultrasound guided intra-articular corticosteroid injection followed by a course of directed physical therapy and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Patients performed GaitRite analysis at baseline and 12 weeks following the injection. In addition, the Modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS), Hip Outcome Scores (HOS), Short Form 36 (SF-36) and a visual analogue pain score (VAS) were collected at baseline, 1, 6 and 12 weeks.A total of 16 patients were studied. Patients experienced significant improvements from their baseline mHHS at 1 and 12 weeks (P = 0.03, P = 0.04). The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was exceeded at multiple timepoints on various clinical outcome surveys. Velocity and stride length were not significantly improved at 12 weeks. Intra-articular hip injections may decrease pain and improve function in patients with recalcitrant lateral hip pain, and occult intra-articular hip pathology should be considered in the etiology of lateral hip pain. Though low enrollment numbers left this study underpowered, MCID comparisons demonstrated potential benefit from this treatment.

Study Design Systematic review. Study Rationale The purpose of this review is to further define the published literature with respect to vertebral artery (VA) anomaly and injury in patients with degenerative cervical spinal conditions. Objectives In adult patients with cervical spine or degenerative cervical spine disorders receiving cervical spine surgery, what is the incidence of VA injury, and among resulting VA injuries, which treatments result in a successful outcome and what percent are successfully repaired? Materials and Methods A systematic review of pertinent articles published up to April 2013. Studies involving traumatic onset, fracture, infection, deformity or congenital abnormality, instability, inflammatory spinal diseases, or neoplasms were excluded. Two independent reviewers assessed the level of evidence quality using the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria; disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results From a total of 72 possible citations, the following met our inclusion criteria and formed the basis for this report. Incidence of VA injuries ranged from 0.20 to 1.96%. None of the studies reported using preoperative imaging to identify anomalous or tortuous VA. Primary repair and ligation were the most effective in treating VA injuries. Conclusion The incidence of VA injuries in degenerative cervical spinal surgery might be as high as 1.96% and is likely underreported. Direct surgical repair is the most effective treatment option. The most important preventative technique for VA injuries is preoperative magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography angiographic imaging to detect VA anomalies. The overall strength of evidence for the conclusions is low.

Recurrent traumatic shoulder instability is a complex clinical entity that commonly affects young, active patients. Humeral head defects are frequently associated with this condition, but specific treatment to stabilize the shoulder is rarely needed. Management options for defects of the humeral head that do necessitate treatment carry various risks and disadvantages, including the need for bone or soft tissue healing, complications related to hardware, and loss of motion. Partial prosthetic resurfacing has been reported as a treatment option. The current study retrospectively reviewed a cohort of patients with recurrent or locked anterior and posterior instability who underwent partial prosthetic humeral head resurfacing for significant Hill-Sachs and reverse Hill-Sachs lesions. At an average of 36.4 months after the index procedure, 16 patients were contacted by mail and telephone. Of the study group, 13 patients underwent partial resurfacing for anterior instability and 3 patients underwent partial re-surfacing for posterior instability. No patient had a repeat dislocation. In addition, 77% of patients in the anterior instability cohort and all of the patients in the posterior instability cohort returned to their full preinjury activity level. For the anterior instability cohort, significant improvements from preoperatively to final follow-up occurred for mean Musculoskeletal Review of System score (4.54, P P =.002). For the combined cohort, the Penn Shoulder Score improved by 36.4 points ( P =.059). This study showed the effectiveness of partial humeral head resurfacing for preventing redislocation for patients with significant Hill-Sachs and reverse Hill-Sachs lesions. [ Orthopedics. 2017; 40(6):e996–e1003.]

The diagnosis of hip and pelvic pathology can be difficult, and a complete understanding of anatomy and pathology combined with a thorough history and physical examination is essential. Differentiation between primary hip and pelvic pathology and secondary compensatory dysfunction is crucial to designing an appropriate treatment strategy. The treating clinician should be aware of all available imaging modalities, including radiographs, MRI, and CT, which are essential to formulating an accurate diagnosis. There is a high rate of asymptomatic hip and pelvic pathology in athletic individuals. Imaging findings should be correlated with clinical symptoms and examination findings.

We report a patient with cauda equina syndrome secondary to retained Surgicel (Ethicon: Johnson & Johnson Medical, Piscataway, NJ, USA) and Gelfoam (Pfizer, New York, NY, USA). Retained hemostatic agents such as these used in spinal surgery can create space occupying lesions that lead to neurological compromise. There are few reports of neurologic symptoms caused by hemostatic devices used in surgery despite their widespread use. Our patient had routine lumbar microdiscectomy with preexisting motor deficits, and the acute postoperative course was complicated by a decline in neurologic function. The findings at the time of reoperation confirmed compression due to Gelfoam and Surgicel in the spinal canal, and subjective and objective symptoms partially improved after reoperation.

We report a unique surgical treatment for external coxa saltans refractory to previous open and endoscopic management in a patient with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. After failure of two endoscopic iliotibial band (ITB) lengthenings and one open gluteus maximus (GMax) lengthening, a novel procedure was conducted, which involved release of the GMax insertion and tenodesis of the anterior and posterior portions of the ITB to prevent pathologic translation over the trochanter.