Incidence of primary anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in patients less than 50 years of age and high early revision risk.

BACKGROUND: Compared with the overall incidence of shoulder arthroplasty (SA), the relative risk and burden of revision may vary among patients specifically 40-50 years of age and less than 40 years of age. Our aim was to investigate the incidence of primary anatomic total SA and reverse SA, rate of revision within 1 year, and determine the associated economic burden in patients younger than 50 years. METHODS: A total of 509 patients less than 50 years old who underwent SA were included, using a national private insurance database. Costs were based on the grossed covered payment. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with revisions within 1 year of the index procedure. RESULTS: SA incidence in patients less than 50 years old increased from 2.21 to 2.5 per 100,000 patients from 2017 to 2018. The overall revision rate was 3.9% with a mean time to revision of 96.3 days. Diabetes was a significant risk factor for revision (P = .043). Surgeries performed in patients less than 40 years old cost more than those performed in patients aged 40-50 years for both primary ($41,943 ± $23,842 vs. $39,477 ± $20,874) and revision cases ($40,370 ± $21,385 vs. $31,669 ± $10,430). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the incidence of SA in patients less than 50 years old is higher than previously reported in the literature and most commonly reported for primary osteoarthritis. Given the high incidence of SA and subsequent high early revision rate in this subset population, our data portend a large associated socioeconomic burden. Policymakers and surgeons should use these data for implementing training programs focused on joint sparing techniques.

A Novel Tripod Percutaneous Reconstruction Technique in Periacetabular Lesions Caused by Metastatic Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic lesions in the periacetabular region can cause pain and immobility. Symptomatic patients are often treated surgically with a total hip replacement using various modified Harrington methods. These open surgical procedures confer inherent risks. Prolonged recovery and potential complications may delay adjuvant radiation and systemic therapy. METHODS: We describe a novel technique for acetabular reconstruction. Three large-bore cannulated screws are placed percutaneously under fluoroscopy in a tripod configuration to reinforce the mechanical axes of the acetabulum. Increased stability improves pain control and permits weight-bearing. RESULTS: Twenty consecutive patients with periacetabular metastases were treated using the tripod technique. Eighteen patients (90%) had Harrington class-III lesions, and 2 patients had Harrington class-II lesions. The mean surgical time was 2.3 hours. Sixteen patients (80%) were able to get out of bed on postoperative day 1. At 3 months postoperatively, there was significant improvement in pain as documented on their visual analog scale (p < 0.01) and in functionality as measured by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score (p < 0.01). The mean follow-up time was 7 months (range, 0.6 to 20 months). At the most recent follow-up, only 3 among the 16 surviving patients were using opioids chronically for pain. Total hip arthroplasty was performed in 4 patients (20%) in a staged fashion using the previously placed screws as support for a cemented cup and obviating the need for a cage device. Of the 16 patients, 15 could walk either independently (6 patients) or using an ambulatory aid (9 patients). Eight patients with the primary tripod reconstruction survived >6 months postoperatively. They were found to have either new bone formation filling the defects or healing of the pathological fractures. There has been no implant loosening or failure. CONCLUSIONS: The tripod technique is a novel application to provide safe and effective pain relief in the context of periacetabular metastatic disease. It can be easily converted to support a cemented acetabular cup for a total hip replacement should disease progression occur. This technique provides an alternative to open surgery as currently practiced in these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Joint Replacement Volume Positively Correlates With Improved Hospital Performance on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Metrics.

BACKGROUND: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is transitioning Medicare from a fee-for-service program into a value-based pay-for-performance program. In order to accomplish this goal, CMS initiated 3 programs that attempt to define quality and seek to reward high-performing hospitals and penalize poor-performing hospitals. These programs include (1) penalties for hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), (2) penalties for excess readmissions for certain conditions, and (3) performance on value-based purchasing (VBP). The objective of this study was to determine whether high-volume total joint hospitals perform better in these programs than their lower-volume counterparts. METHODS: We analyzed data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database on total New York State hospital discharges from 2013 to 2015 for total knee and total hip arthroplasty. This was compared to data from Hospital Compare on HAC's, excess readmissions, and VBP. From these databases, we identified 123 hospitals in New York, which participated in all 3 Medicare pay-for-performance programs and performed total joint replacements. RESULTS: Over the 3-year period spanning 2013-2015, hospitals in New York State performed an average of 1136.59 total joint replacement surgeries and achieved a mean readmission penalty of 0.005909. The correlation coefficient between surgery volume and combined performance score was 0.277. Of these correlations, surgery volume and VBP performance, and surgery volume and combined performance showed statistical significance (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that there is a positive association between joint replacement volumes and overall hospital quality, as well as joint replacement volumes and VBP performance, specifically. These findings are consistent with previously reported associations between patient outcomes and procedure volumes. However, a relationship between joint replacement volume and HAC scores or readmission penalties could not be demonstrated.

Tanycytes of the hypothalamic median eminence form a diet-responsive neurogenic niche.

Adult hypothalamic neurogenesis has recently been reported, but the cell of origin and the function of these newborn neurons are unknown. Using genetic fate mapping, we found that median eminence tanycytes generate newborn neurons. Blocking this neurogenesis altered the weight and metabolic activity of adult mice. These findings reveal a previously unreported neurogenic niche in the mammalian hypothalamus with important implications for metabolism.