Treatment and outcome of AO/OTA type C distal radius fractures: 12 199 fractures from the Swedish Fracture Register.

The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology, treatment, and patient-reported outcome of AO/OTA type C distal radius fractures (DRF) using data from a large national fracture register. We used prospectively collected data from the Swedish Fracture Register covering all AO/OTA type C DRFs registered between April 2012 and December 2018. Data on fracture type, epidemiology, trauma-mechanism, and treatment had been recorded by the treating physician. Patients had been sent an outcome questionnaire including EQ-VAS, EQ-5D, and the SMFA at the time of injury and 12 months after. A total of 12 199 cases with AO/OTA type C fracture were identified. AO/OTA type C1 fracture was most common, with 5400 cases, followed by AO type C2 with 4304 and AO/OTA type C3 with 2495. Cast treatment and surgical treatment with volar locking plate fixation were the most common treatments. Patient-reported outcome measures worsened significantly one year after the fracture, and 56% reported moderate problems with pain and discomfort one year after the fracture. Patients treated with a volar plate reported a significantly larger deterioration in EQ-5D outcome compared to patients treated with a cast. No treatment method was found to be superior. A good outcome after a type C fracture is possible, but many patients do not recover completely. Our findings indicate a relatively better self-reported outcome for patients treated with a cast, but as treatment was not randomized the clinical relevance is unclear.

Pulp-to-palm distance after plate fixation of a distal radius fracture corresponds to functional outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Several factors can influence the outcome after a distal radius fracture (DRF). The aim of this study was to assess whether postoperative pulp-to-palm (PTP) distance correlated with functional outcomes after plate fixation of DRF. MATERIALS & METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects of plate fixation in patients with type-C fractures. Subjects (N = 135) were divided into 2 groups based on PTP distance (equal to or higher than 0 cm) at 4 weeks postoperatively. Outcome measures were collected prospectively at 3, 6 and 12 months and included Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), Quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) scores, wrist range of motion (ROM), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, and hand grip strength. RESULTS: Overall, at 3 and 6 months patients with PTP > 0 cm had significantly worse outcomes (PRWE, QuickDASH, wrist ROM) than those with PTP =0 cm. At 12 months, QuickDASH and wrist ROM were still significantly worse. In the volar-plating subgroup, patients with PTP > 0 cm had significantly worse wrist ROM and grip strength at 3 months, but no significant differences were found in subsequent follow-ups. In the combined-plating group, patients with PTP > 0 cm had significantly worse QuickDASH, wrist ROM and grip strength at 3 months. At 6 and 12 months, wrist ROM was still significantly worse. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of PTP distance appears to be useful to identify patients likely to have worse outcome after plating of a DRF. This could be a tool to improve the allocation of hand rehabilitation resources.

Distal radius fractures in the superelderly: an observational study of 8486 cases from the Swedish fracture register.

BACKGROUND: The distal radius fracture (DRF) is the most common fracture in adults. With an ageing population, the number of wrist fractures in the superelderly (≥ 80 years) is expected to rise. Optimal treatment for displaced DRFs remains controversial, especially in the superelderly group. In addition, basic knowledge of the outcome after a DRF in this heterogenic group is lacking. The aim of this study was to study injury characteristics, treatment and outcome of DRFs in superelderly patients using data from a large national register. METHODS: We used prospectively collected data from the Swedish Fracture Register. All distal radius fractures registered between April 2012 and December 2018 in patients ≥ 80 years of age were included. Data on epidemiology, fracture type, trauma mechanism and treatment are registered by the physician treating the patient. Patients are also sent a subjective outcome questionnaire including EQ-5D, EQ-VAS and Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire (SMFA-score) at the time of injury and after 12 months. The 12-month questionnaire was sent to those who had completed the questionnaire at the time of injury. A Mann-Whitney U-test was used to assess differences between treatment methods. RESULTS: Mean age for this population was 86 years (80-105 years), a majority of the patients were female (86.7%). The dominating injury mechanism was a simple fall (74.6%) in the patient's residence. The majority of fractures were AO type A (70%) followed by AO type C (20.9%) and type B (8.6%). The incidence of open fractures was significantly higher in females (2.6%) compared to males (1.5%). A majority of the fractures were treated with a cast (87.5%) with volar locking plate as the second most common treatment method (6.6%). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) EQ-5D, EQ-VAS and the Arm Hand Function Index of the SMFA-score deteriorated somewhat one year after injury compared to pre-injury. PROMs did not correlate to treatment with cast or a volar plate. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide register study provides detailed data on DRFs in the superelderly regarding epidemiology, treatment and self-reported outcome. A good self-reported outcome is possible, but many patients do not recover completely. PROMs did not correlate to type of treatment. The frequency of open fractures was significantly higher in females. The reason for this is unclear but different skin thickness in older males versus females may be one explanation.

Neurological Outcome, Mental Fatigue, and Occurrence of Aneurysms >15 Years After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term data on neurological and radiological outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) are scarce. The aim of this study was to report neurological and radiological outcome >15 years after aSAH. METHODS: Patients with aSAH who were randomly assigned to endovascular treatment (EVT) or microsurgical treatment (MST) during 1997-2001 were included. Main end points were neurological outcome assessed by modified Rankin Scale, fatigue assessed by mental fatigue scale, and radiological outcome assessed by magnetic resonance angiography. Results for mental fatigue scale were compared with a control group. RESULTS: After 15-21 years, 46 (62.2%) of the 74 survivors replied to a questionnaire. Of these patients, 18 received MST, and 28 received EVT. Modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 was found in 100% of patients in the EVT group and 88.8% of patients in the MST group. Moderate or severe mental fatigue was found in 7/28 patients (25%) in the EVT group and 7/18 patients (38.8%) in the MST group (P < 0.05), whereas moderate or severe mental fatigue was observed in 3/34 patients (8.9%) in the control group. Magnetic resonance angiography was performed in 29 patients. In the EVT group, new neck remnants were found in 2/16 patients (12.5%), and de novo aneurysm was found in 2/16 patients (12.5%). In the MST group, de novo aneurysm was found in 1/13 patients (7.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Neurological outcome at long-term follow-up after aSAH was good; however, mental fatigue was overrepresented in patients compared with healthy control subjects regardless of treatment modality. Residual or de novo aneurysm was found in 17% of patients warranting radiological long-term follow-up.

Total Wrist Arthroplasty: A 10-Year Follow-Up.

PURPOSE: To assess long-term implant survival in total wrist arthroplasty (TWA), comparing 4 different implants. METHODS: In a prospective cohort of 124 patients, 136 TWAs were evaluated 5 years and 10 years after surgery. The TWAs were implanted between 2005 and 2009. The primary outcome was implant survival. Survival analysis was performed with revision and radiographic loosening as the final end point. Revision was defined as exchange of whole or parts of the prosthesis. Implant loosening was assessed using radiographic examination at the 5-year and 10-year follow-up. Secondary outcome measures included wrist range of motion, hand grip strength, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, and patient-related outcome measures, including Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). RESULTS: Total cumulative implant survival was 92% with revision as the primary end point. When including a nonrevised radiographic loose implant as a failure, total implant survival was 75%. Radiographic loosening differed significantly between the implants with a range in frequency from 0% to 37.5%. At the 10-year follow-up, assessing the nonrevised TWAs, range of motion was preserved compared with preoperative values. Significant improvement was recorded for hand grip strength, VAS pain scores, and patient-related outcome measures at the 10-year follow-up compared with preovperative values. CONCLUSIONS: High 10-year implant survival was found when defining the primary end point as revision of any cause. When including radiographic loosening of the implant in the survival analysis, implant survival was considerably lower. However, radiographic loosening does not seem to correlate with changes in secondary outcome measures, questioning the need for revision surgery in these cases. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

Adrenal venous sampling in patients with ACTH-independent hypercortisolism.

PURPOSE: To study the usefulness of adrenal venous sampling (AVS) in distinguishing unilateral from bilateral cortisol production in patients with ACTH-independent hypercortisolism and bilateral adrenal lesions, or morphologically normal adrenal glands. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of ten consecutive patients with ACTH-independent hypercortisolism who underwent AVS at our institution between 2009 and 2017. Unilateral dominant cortisol production was defined as a side-to-side cortisol/aldosterone lateralization ratio >2. RESULTS: Four of ten patients had overt Cushing's syndrome. Of these, two had bilateral adrenal lesions on computed tomography and two had normal adrenal glands. One of the two patients with bilateral adrenal lesions had, based on the AVS, a unilateral dominant cortisol production. Following unilateral adrenalectomy the patient developed adrenal insufficiency. The other three patients were considered to have bilateral cortisol production and underwent bilateral adrenalectomy. Six patients had a mild autonomous cortisol secretion and bilateral adrenal lesions. Based on AVS, one patient was considered to have unilateral dominant cortisol production, underwent unilateral adrenalectomy and developed transient adrenal insufficiency postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: AVS may contribute to appropriate treatment in patients with ACTH-independent hypercortisolism and bilateral adrenal lesions. In our series, AVS was helpful in the decision-making of two out of ten patients, avoiding chronic treatment with steroidogenesis inhibitors, or inappropriate bilateral adrenalectomy.

Adrenal venous sampling: the learning curve of a single interventionalist with 282 consecutive procedures.

PURPOSE: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common cause of secondary hypertension. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is the gold standard for assessing laterality of PA, which is of paramount importance to decide adequate treatment. AVS is a technically complicated procedure with success rates ranging between 30% and 96%. The aim of this study was to investigate the success rate of AVS over time, performed by a single interventionalist. METHODS: This was a retrospective study based on consecutive AVS procedures performed by a single operator between September 2005 and June 2016. Data on serum concentrations of aldosterone and cortisol from right and left adrenal vein, inferior vena cava, and peripheral vein were collected and selectivity index (SI) calculated. Successful AVS was defined as SI > 5. RESULTS: In total, 282 AVS procedures were performed on 269 patients, 168 men (62%) and 101 women (38%), with a mean age of 55±11 years (range, 26-78 years). Out of 282 AVS procedures, 259 were successful, giving an overall success rate of 92%. The most common reason for failure was inability to localize the right adrenal vein (n=16; 76%). The success rates were 63%, 82%, and 94% during the first, second, and third years, respectively. During the last 8 years the success rate was 95%, and on average 27 procedures were performed annually. CONCLUSION: Satisfactory AVS success rate was achieved after approximately 36 procedures and satisfactory success rate was maintained by performing approximately 27 procedures annually. AVS should be limited to few operators that perform sufficiently large number of procedures to achieve, and maintain, satisfactory AVS success rate.