Is the orthopedic generalist moving toward extinction?

Medical students are influenced in their career choice by many factors. By government mandate, 50% of medical students from each graduating class should select primary care as their career choice. Peers and mentors contribute additional influences. The student's personality, preference for living in a rural or urban community, and the possible educational and cultural opportunities for self and/or family in a particular community are also influential factors. The medical student choosing orthopedic surgery as a professional career faces competition; there are four applicants for each residency opening, and the number of orthopedic residents allowed for each program is being reduced. The current belief of policy-makers both outside and within orthopedics is that there are "too many specialists of all kinds." The present article examines the factors that influence the medical student's choice in career selection and shows the present trend of clinical practices.

Replacement of the lateral malleolus of the ankle joint with a reversed proximal fibular bone graft.

Infrequently, prior reports have described the use of the ipsilateral proximal fibula to replace an absent distal fibula caused by either trauma, infection, or resection for tumor. This is a 27-year follow-up of a 12-year-old patient who lost the distal 7.5 cm of her fibula secondary to trauma. The soft tissue defect was replaced early by an abdominal flap and the bone defect was eventually replaced with 7.5 cm of proximal fibula. The lateral ankle ligaments were reconstructed with the peroneus brevis, and the ankle joint has remained stable. Although traumatic arthrosis has progressed slowly, the patient at age 39 has a relatively painless, mobile ankle joint.

Severe open subtalar dislocations. Long-term results.

Fifteen adolescents and adults were assessed an average of eighteen years after a type-III open subtalar dislocation. There were ten lateral and five medial dislocations. Associated injuries included ten injuries of the tibial nerve, seven of which were complicated by causalgia; five ruptures of the posterior tibial tendon; five lacerations of the posterior tibial artery; twelve articular fractures involving the subtalar joint; three articular fractures of the talonavicular joint; three fractures of the talar dome; and three malleolar fractures. Osteonecrosis of the body of the talus was found in five of the fifteen patients. It was treated with a triple arthrodesis in all five patients, one of whom had a subsequent conversion to a pantalar arthrodesis. Subtalar arthrodesis was done, because of post-traumatic osteoarthrosis, in two other patients. On functional assessment at the long-term follow-up examination, all patients reported some pain in the ankle, nine had difficulty climbing stairs, fourteen had difficulty walking on uneven surfaces, and eleven wore modified shoes. The patients who had had a tarsal arthrodesis returned to their pre-injury occupation or to a less strenuous job. Four patients who had persistent causalgia did not return to work. We concluded that open subtalar dislocation is a distinctly severe injury and that only fair functional and poor anatomical results can be expected in most patients.

Psoriatic arthritis of the foot and ankle: analysis of joint involvement and diagnostic errors.

Forty-two patients with psoriatic arthritis arthritis who were referred to a tertiary medical center from 1983 to 1987 were reviewed. The foot and/or ankle was the most common site of joint or bone involvement, (N = 36, 86%). Twenty-six of these patients demonstrated bilateral involvement. The foot and ankle was the most common site of initial arthritis (N = 23, 55%). Errors in patient diagnosis were noted and analyzed. Eight patients with foot and ankle involvement were diagnosed and treated for either gout or compression of a digital nerve. Major causes for misdiagnosis included failure to identify psoriatic skin lesions and failure to associate foot and ankle symptoms with psoriatic arthritis.

Magnetic resonance imaging of traumatic knee articular cartilage injuries.

The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging in determining the presence of articular cartilage injuries of the knee with arthroscopy as the standard for comparison. Forty-nine articular cartilage lesions were documented in 28 knees (27 patients) by arthroscopy. There were 22 men and 5 women with an average age of 29 years. Multiplanar magnetic resonance imaging was performed with spin echo and gradient-refocused acquisition in a steady state pulse technique. All of the knees had magnetic resonance imaging done within 4 weeks prior to arthroscopy. The magnetic resonance images were interpreted before arthroscopy and interpreted again after the results of arthroscopy were known to better define the potential learning curve for evaluating chondral lesions and to identify the technical limits of the existing imaging protocol/software. For full-thickness articular cartilage lesions, the prearthroscopy sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging was 41% (12/29) and the postarthroscopy sensitivity was 83% (24/29). For partial-thickness chondral injury, the prearthroscopy sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging was 15% (3/20) and the postarthroscopy sensitivity was 55% (11/20). The presence of an intraarticular effusion assisted the detection of chondral lesions because of an "arthrogram" effect. As a noninvasive method of evaluating articular cartilage and despite experienced interpretation and the benefit of retrospective analysis, both the prearthroscopy and the postarthroscopy sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging was low using the imaging parameters described. Injury to articular cartilage is a frequent cause of knee pain and knee surgery; it is important to note at this time that magnetic resonance imaging cannot reliably exclude the presence of an articular cartilage injury.

Revision arthrodesis for tibiotalar pseudarthrosis with fibular onlay-inlay graft and internal screw fixation.

Pseudarthrosis after failed tibiotalar arthrodesis was successfully treated surgically in nine of 11 patients between 1980 and 1987. The indication for the initial attempted arthrodesis was traumatic arthrosis in seven patients, traumatic arthrosis with osteonecrosis of the talus in two patients, degenerative arthrosis in one patient with cavovarus foot (Charcot-Marie-Tooth), and myelodysplasia with progressive valgus deformity of the foot and ankle in one. The surgical technique planned for revision arthrodesis provided firm coaptation of tibia to talus with internal fixation that maintained the foot at right angles to the tibia with the forefoot in neutral position. Seven feet in 11 patients were treated using a transfibular approach that allowed excision of fibrous tissue and sclerotic bone, decortication of the media malleolus, fixation of the tibia to the talus with cancellous screws, and onlay/inlay fibular graft. Of the remaining four patients, one was treated with medial compression plate, a second was treated using an anteromedial cortical graft, a third was treated by a combination of sliding anteromedial corticocancellous graft and tibiotalar compression screw, and a fourth was treated with tibiotalar compression screw. Clinical and roentgenographic union occurred in nine of 11 patients. One patient developed a painless, fibrous union and one patient with persistent pseudarthrosis had myelodysplasia and severe valgus deformity and required amputation. Adequate exposure was possible through the transfibular approach to provide cancellous bone opposition, to excise the pseudarthrosis membrane and sclerotic bone, and to remove necrotic segments of the talus. In addition, supplemental bone graft, internal fixation, and postoperative cast immobilization were also helpful in obtaining union.

Arthrodesis of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb in children and adults. Adjunctive treatment of thumb-in-palm deformity in cerebral palsy.

A hypermobile hyperextension or hyperflexion deformity of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint associated with thumb-in-palm deformity in 90 patients affected by cerebral palsy was treated by arthrodesis with or without soft-tissue procedures. Twenty-two of these patients were adults with closed physes, and 68 were children or adolescents with open growth plates. The MCP joint fusion was usually accompanied by intrinsic muscle lengthening and/or extrinsic tendon transfer, but occasionally it was the only procedure performed to diminish the thumb-in-palm position. Even in four-year-olds, joint fusion was a predictable procedure to establish stability of that joint without disturbing longitudinal or circumferential growth. Measurable function was improved to a mild or moderate degree in 44 of the 50 children who were followed to maturity. Eighteen of the 68 children were unavailable for follow-up evaluation. Six of the 50 followed patients showed no functional improvement, although arthrodesis of the MCP joint occurred in four of the six. The other two patients were operated on when they were 12 years of age and developed a fibrous union that was painless and stable when they were adults. Even those patients who had no functional improvement did have improved appearance and easier control of the affected hand when it was manipulated by the opposite hand. The children were followed to maturity with age-matched cerebral palsy control patients. There was no significant disturbance in growth of those thumbs that had MCP joint fusion when the physes were open.

Nerve transposition for the restoration of elbow flexion following brachial plexus avulsion injuries.

Despite technical advances, the ability to restore motor function following a brachial plexus avulsion is limited. Twenty patients who suffered the loss of elbow flexion following a brachial plexus avulsion injury underwent a neurotization procedure in an attempt to restore that lost function. Of 16 patients who underwent intercostal to musculocutaneous nerve anastomosis, seven obtained good elbow flexion. Four patients who no longer had a viable biceps brachialis muscle underwent an anastomosis between transposed intercostal nerves and a free vascularized gracilis muscle grafted to the position of the biceps. Two of these patients obtained good elbow flexion. Although synkinesis between the biceps brachialis and the inspiratory muscles can be demonstrated during coughing and deep inspiration, the patients learn to flex their reinnervated biceps brachialis muscle and maintain flexion independent of respiration.

Neuralgic amyotrophy.

Neuralgic amyotrophy is an infrequent neuromuscular anomaly involving the shoulder girdle and upper extremity. Its course is highlighted by the sudden onset of severe pain followed by sensory deficits, muscle weakness, and severe atrophy. The diagnosis is based on the history and physical findings and is corroborated with electromyography. The prognosis is excellent. Treatment is supportive, using analgesics and physical therapy.