A Modified Technique of Percutaneous Fixation of Displaced Pediatric Lateral Humeral Condyle Elbow Fractures (aka the Martini Technique): A Brief Case Series.

Displaced lateral humeral condyle (LHC) fractures have routinely been treated with open reduction, which has known postoperative complications. Recent reports show that closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (CRPP) is a valid treatment. Five pediatric patients with displaced LHC fractures were included in a retrospective case series. Closed reductions (CRs) were facilitated by Kirschner wire placement into the capitellum through a toothed drill guide. The Kirschner wire and drill guide were used like a joystick to manipulate the fragment and maintain reduction for placement of additional Kirschner wires. Patient records were used to determine the number of patients diagnosed with LHC fractures between 2011 to 2022 among six pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at one institution along with the treatment and associated complications. Satisfactory reduction of displaced LHC fractures was achieved with CRPP in all patients with no complications using the "martini" modification. Of 26 LHC fractures, 16 were treated with CRPP/CRPS and 10 with open reduction and percutaneous pinning/open reduction and internal fixation, with four converted from CR to OR. Complications included one superficial infection in the CR group and four stiff elbows and one nonunion in the OR group option for LHC fractures. CRPP is an effective treatment option with a decreased risk of complications. Our modified reduction technique may help improve the success and results of closed treatment of LHC fractures.

Trends in Total Joint Arthroplasty Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Effect of Recent Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drug Utilization Guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: The 2015 change in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines narrowed indications for initiating treatment with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study sought to evaluate trends in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in patients with RA and to characterize the effect of bDMARDs on arthroplasty risk in this population after the change in ACR treatment guidelines. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted using the PearlDiver database. TJA procedures included total shoulder arthroplasty, total elbow arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, and total knee arthroplasty. The Cochran-Armitage Trend Test was used to evaluate trends in the volume of TJA procedures conducted in patients with RA between 2010 and 2019. Logistic regression was used to compare 2-year arthroplasty risk after an initial joint-specific RA International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision diagnosis for RA patients with versus without bDMARD exposure. RESULTS: A total of 2,942,360 patients with RA were identified, and 80,744 (2.74%) underwent TJA between 2010 and 2019. Rates of TJA procedures trended significantly upward over the decade (2.6% versus 5.1%, P < 0.001) with a sharp increase between 2015 and 2016 (2.1% versus 4.9%, P < 0.001). Among the 16,736 identified patients with an initial International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision joint-specific RA diagnosis, 3362 patients (20.09%) were treated with bDMARDs and 13,374 (79.91%) were not. Untreated patients exhibited significantly lower risk of any TJA (5.92% versus 7.73%; odds ratio [OR]: 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64 to 0.82), total hip arthroplasty (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.95), and total knee arthroplasty (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.75) compared with treated patients. DISCUSSION: The volume of TJA procedures conducted in patients with RA has trended markedly upward over the past decade, with a sharp increase after 2015. bDMARD treatment was associated with markedly increased risk of TJA, likely because of initiation of bDMARDs in only those patients with advanced disease per ACR guidelines.

Arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty: patients with keloids at risk.

BACKGROUND: Arthrofibrosis remains one of the leading causes for revision in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Similar in nature to arthrofibrosis, hypertrophic scars and keloid formation are a result of excessive collagen formation. There is paucity in the literature on whether there is an association between keloid formation and the development of arthrofibrosis following TKA. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to utilize a large nationwide database to identify and compare the rates of postoperative complications related to arthrofibrosis after primary TKA in patients with history of hypertrophic scar and keloid disorders versus those without. METHODS: Patient records from 2010 to the second quarter of 2016 were queried from an administrative claims database, comparing rates of arthrofibrosis, manipulation under anesthesia (MUA), lysis of adhesions (LOA), and revision TKA in patients with chart diagnosis of keloids versus those without in patients who underwent primary TKA. Data analysis was performed using R statistical software (R Project for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) utilizing multivariate logistic regression, chi square analysis, or Welch's t- test where appropriate with p values < 0.05 being considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of 545,875 primary TKAs, 11,461 (2.1%) had a keloid diagnosis at any time point in their record, while 534,414 (97.9%) had not. Patients in the keloid cohort had a significantly higher association with ankylosis within 30 days (OR, 1.7), 90 days (OR, 1.2), 6 months (OR, 1.2), and 1 year (OR, 1.3) following primary TKA. The keloid cohort also had a significantly greater risk of MUA (90-day OR, 1.1; 6-month OR, 1.1; 1-year OR, 1.2) and LOA (90-day OR, 2.2; 6-month OR, 2.0; 1-year OR, 1.9). CONCLUSION: Patients with keloids have increased odds risk of arthrofibrosis following primary TKA. These patients are subsequently at a higher odds risk of undergoing the procedures necessary to treat arthrofibrosis, such as MUA and LOA. Future studies investigating confounding factors such as race, prior surgery, range of motion, and postoperative recovery are needed to confirm the association of keloid diagnosis and arthrofibrosis following primary TKA demonstrated in this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III retrospective comparative study.