Radiological and functional correlation following "SLIC" scapholunate-intercarpal ligamentoplasty at minimum 12 months' follow-up.

We report outcomes for scapholunate-intercarpal ligamentoplasty ("SLIC procedure"), performed in 22 patients (mean age at surgery, 39.7 years), for reducible static scapholunate (SL) instability without repairable stump. Patients were evaluated for pain and active wrist range of motion, grip strength, functional scores (QuickDASH and PRWE) and radiological appearance (SL gap, SL angle, radiolunate angle, capitolunate angle), preoperatively and at a mean 28.3 months' follow-up (range 12-65). A CT scan without injection was performed at follow-up to measure the posterior radioscaphoid angle (PRSA). The objective was to assess radiological-functional correlations after SLIC ligamentoplasty and to analyze postoperative PRSA correction. The hypothesis was that correcting the PRSA improves clinical and functional outcomes. Pain on a visual analog scale improved significantly, from 2.7 to 0.7 at rest and from 7 to 3.2 during hand use. Mean wrist flexion was 46.4° and extension 59.1°. Grip strength reached 82.8% of the contralateral value. Functional scores improved significantly. Mean SL angle decreased significantly from 81.1° to 73.5°, and static scapholunate gap from 4.7 mm to 3.6 mm. Scaphoid subluxation was fully corrected in 15 cases (68%). PRSA angle was significantly corrected, from a mean 112.7° to 104.2°. Patients in whom PRSA was corrected showed a tendency for better clinical and subjective outcomes. There was 1 case of scaphoid necrosis, 7 of recurrent static instability, including 3 early at 4 months, 3 of scaphocapitate osteoarthritis, and 5 of carpal collapse with SLAC wrist. There were no significant correlations between clinical and radiological results in the medium term after SL ligamentoplasty by the SLIC procedure. The results were quite good in the medium term and pointed to the importance of correcting rotatory subluxation of the scaphoid, revealed by the PRSA, more than correcting the scapholunate gap.

Hand injuries treated at a hand emergency center during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The recent coronavirus outbreak has tested the adaptability, cooperation and organizational capabilities of our healthcare systems. Restrictions were implemented in several countries to reduce virus transmission whilst emergency departments (ED) were overwhelmed and there was shortage of healthcare providers. Given this situation and the consequences of hand injuries, we studied the epidemiology of hand injuries in an accredited FESSH emergency center during the lockdown in France (March 17 to May 10, 2020) due to the coronavirus outbreak. During this period, 1947 patients consulted for a hand injury. We found high percentages of men (63%), open wounds (70%), domestic accidents (88%) and surgical treatment being required (76%). There was a significant decrease in admissions and consultations relative to the same period in 2019. This reference data can help healthcare systems prepare for future outbreaks and similar restrictions.

Adaptive Proximal Scaphoid Implant (APSI): 10-year outcomes in patients with SNAC wrists.

Radioscaphoid arthroplasty with the Adaptive Proximal Scaphoid Implant (APSI®) is an attractive treatment alternative in the short and medium term for patients with early scaphoid non-union advanced collapse (SNAC) wrist. The purpose of our study was to determine the long-term outcomes of this implant in SNAC wrists. All patients who received the implant from October 2002 to October 2010 were included. A clinical and radiographic study was performed. Our case series included 39 patients, of which 33 were contacted, with a mean follow-up of 10 years (5.8-13.4). Most of the patients had stage-1 SNAC wrist (95%). There were nine complications (27%), seven of which required reoperation: implant dislocation (44%) or progression of the carpal degeneration (33%). Ninety-six percent of patients contacted were satisfied or very satisfied with their surgery (although 21% needed a second surgery) with a Mayo Wrist Score of 80/100 and a Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation of 17.5/100. Wrist strength was 86% of the contralateral side. Flexion-extension range was 101° and pain assessed using a visual analog scale was at 1.2 (0-6). We report satisfactory and lasting results with the APSI®, similar to those of scaphoid excision with four-corner fusion and proximal row carpectomy. Hence, the APSI® is a reliable alternative for treating osteoarthritis in SNAC wrists.

Clinical outcomes of posterior bone block procedures for posterior shoulder instability: Multicenter retrospective study of 66 cases.

BACKGROUND: The posterior bone block procedure is a well-known treatment option for posterior shoulder instability. The goal of this retrospective multicenter study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of this procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 66 patients (55 men, 11 women) with an average age of 27.8 years who were evaluated clinically and radiologically using a standardized questionnaire after posterior bone block surgery. RESULTS: The Constant score significantly improved postoperatively (P<0.0001). The postoperative Walch-Duplay score was 81.5. The Rowe score was 86.5 points. The pain level (VAS) was significantly reduced after this procedure (P<0.0001). Eighty-five percent of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome. CONCLUSION: This multicenter study of 66 patients shows that the posterior bone block procedure is an effective technique with good subjective and objective outcomes; however, the possibility of complications cannot be ignored. CLINICAL STUDY: Level of evidence IV.

Results of the Dubert procedure for chronic painful fracture-dislocations of the fifth carpometacarpal joint. A report of 6 cases.

Carpometacarpal (CMC) fracture-dislocations of the fifth ray are common. For chronic injuries, Dubert proposed combining resection arthroplasty of the base of the fifth metacarpal (M5) with synostosis with the fourth metacarpal (M4). Our aim was to evaluate the results of this procedure. Between 1994 and 2014, 7 men and 1 woman with an average age of 36 years (range, 27 to 45) were operated on. The right hand was involved in 6 of the 8 cases. All patients had symptomatic osteoarthritis secondary to isolated articular malunion and subluxation of the 5th CMC joint. Fusion was obtained right away in all 8 cases. Six patients were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 93 months (range, 7 to 249). At the final assessment, all patients reported a significant decrease in pain. The mean pain assessed by a visual analog scale (VAS) was 0.6/10 (range, 0 to 5). Range of motion in flexion-extension of the M4-M5 block ranged from 10° to 20°. Grip strength remained reduced by 15% to 70%. All patients except one were satisfied with the outcome. The technique described by Dubert is an effective method to relieve pain. By fusing together M5 and M4, it preserves the length of the fifth ray and a certain adaptability of the palm when gripping. However, it can be used only when the CMC joint of the 4th ray is healthy. This stabilized arthroplasty is an effective and reliable technique for the treatment of symptomatic osteoarthritis secondary to CMC fracture-dislocation of M5.

Do subacromial ultrasonography findings predict efficacy of intra-bursal injection? Prospective study in 39 patients.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasonography has become an investigation of choice in the management of shoulder pain. The objective of this study was to determine whether the efficacy of subacromial-subdeltoid bursa injection correlated with the ultrasound findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively recruited patients who were seen between November 2012 and November 2013 for subacromial pain and whose rotator cuff was either intact or showed a full-thickness tear less than 1cm in length. A standardised physical examination of the shoulder was followed immediately by static and dynamic ultrasonography, intra-bursal injection of lidocaine, and a repetition of the same physical examination. Recorded ultrasonography features were the appearance of the bursa, shape of the coraco-acromial ligament, and bursal deformation induced by passage under the coraco-acromial ligament during dynamic imaging. A response to the injection was defined as greater than 75% improvements in at least three of the physical examination parameters. RESULTS: We included 39 patients with a mean age of 56.7 years. Ultrasonography showed abnormalities of the bursa in 30 patients, including 1 with an intra-bursal effusion, 10 with thickening, and 19 with both. Deformation of the bursa under the coraco-acromial ligament was noted in 26 patients. The proportions of patients with bursal effusion and with bursal thickening were similar in the 20 responders and 19 non-responders. Neither were any significant differences found for coraco-acromial ligament shape or bursal deformation under the ligament. CONCLUSIONS: No correlation was found between ultrasonography findings and the efficacy of a local anaesthetic injection into the subacromial bursa. These findings suggest that ultrasound abnormalities may constitute mere physiological changes, in keeping with earlier studies in asymptomatic individuals. Thus, subacromial impingement may be currently overdiagnosed.

Shoulder stabilization by modified Latarjet-Patte procedure: results at a minimum 10 years' follow-up, and role in the prevention of osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: In 1995, our team modified the Latarjet-Patte procedure by associating "south-north" capsule retention with reinsertion to the edge of the glenoid cavity to the coracoid bone-block. HYPOTHESIS: The present minimum 10-year follow-up study tested the hypothesis that the rate of osteoarthritis could be reduced by the strictly extra-articular position of the bone-block and stability be enhanced by the associated Bankart effect. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 1995 and December 2001, 78 shoulders were stabilized using the modified Latarjet-Patte procedure in 76 patients with a mean age at surgery of 26.7 years; 89.7% could be followed up, 82.8% of whom also had radiographic follow-up. Fifty-nine were sports players, including 25 at competition level. Stability was assessed on a questionnaire, any dislocation or subluxation being counted as recurrence. RESULTS: At a mean 13 years' follow-up (range, 10-15 years), there had been no revision surgery. Mean Duplay score was 82.6, mean Subjective Shoulder Value 91.9% and the satisfaction rate 98.5%. The recurrence rate was 1.4% and 10 patients reported residual apprehension. The osteoarthritis rate was 8.5%. Seven bone-blocks projected, but only one was associated with osteoarthritis (stage 1) (non-significant). There were 4 non-unions and 9 lyses, without instability or pain. DISCUSSION: The modified procedure provided a low rate of recurrence and an incidence of osteoarthritis (8.5%) much lower than in any other published series with a minimum 10 years' follow-up. The strictly extra-capsular situation of the bone-block appeared as an important factor in limiting long-term osteoarthritis. Capsule reinsertion also seemed to alleviate the radiologic complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, retrospective study.

The concordance of MRI and arthroscopy in traumatic meniscal lesions in children.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic meniscal lesions in children must be diagnosed quickly and efficiently as a priority in order to conserve the meniscus and safeguard the future of the knee. They are often isolated and difficult to identify clinically. In the diagnostic work up stage, an excessive resort to diagnostic arthroscopy has given way to increasing use of MRI by radiologists without pediatric specialization. The present study examined the agreement between MRI aspect and arthroscopic exploration in traumatic meniscal lesions in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine knees in children aged 9 to 16 years having undergone MRI followed by arthroscopy for knee trauma between 1995 and 2008 were included in a retrospective design. Discoid meniscus was excluded. Files were reviewed by a single clinician and MRI scans by a radiologist specialized in pediatric pathology. Cases of epiphyseal fusion were excluded. All files were analyzable. Agreement with arthroscopic findings as reference was assessed for presence, location and type of meniscal lesion. RESULTS: Overall agreement with arthroscopy was respectively 78% and 82% on first and second MRI readings: 77% and 80% for the medial, and 78% and 84% for the lateral meniscus. On the first reading, there were 13 false positives for the medial and 5 for the lateral meniscus, versus 9 and 0 respectively on second reading. Overall sensitivity was 70% on first reading and 64% on second, and overall specificity 81% and 90%, respectively. DISCUSSION: The present results, in line with the literature, may appear encouraging, but hide considerable disparity between analysis of the medial and of the lateral meniscus: MRI overestimated medial and underestimated lateral meniscus lesions. CONCLUSION: MRI serves only as a support and does not provide sure diagnosis of meniscus lesion. Interpretation should take account of the clinical examination and the pediatric orthopedic specialist's experience.