Arthroscopic and Radiographic Features Distinguish Femoral Head Deformity from Idiopathic Cam, Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis, and Recurrent Cam After Slipped Epiphysis.

Introduction: Hip impingement from slipped epiphysis and idiopathic cam is well known but not fully differentiated. Idiopathic cam can be a result of an undiagnosed slip. The mechanism of remodeling of slipped epiphysis deformity has also been controversial. The causes of recurrent femoral head deformity and new impingement beyond progression of the slip have not been studied. Materials and Methods: A consecutive series of hips treated by arthroscopic femoral neck osteoplasty for impingement from slipped epiphysis were compared with a series of hips treated for idiopathic cam impingement. Demographics and clinical, radiographic, and arthroscopic features were retrospectively retrieved. The same parameters were studied in another consecutive series of hips treated for slipped epiphysis and developed recurrent pain from impingement. The deformity was analyzed to understand the causes of recurrence in these hips. The medial most point where the femoral head sphericity ended was called the Alpha point and the tissue covering the bone at the Alpha point was identified. Results: Children with idiopathic cam were older, had less pain and limp, and less clinical deformity compared to those with slipped epiphysis. The damage pattern was chondrolabral separation and acetabular cartilage debonding from the subchondral bone by an articular cartilage covered bump in idiopathic cam impingement, while it was labral crushing and labral and cartilage abrasion by metaphyseal bone in slip impingement. Recurrent cam deformities after initial slips were from epiphyseal extension similar to the idiopathic cam deformity in 7 out of 9 hips. Discussion: Slipped epiphysis and idiopathic cam seem to be distinct entities at the time of presentation. They were different in all findings except for having pain with flexion and internal rotation in both groups. Remodeling of slip deformity seems to occur by wear of the metaphyseal prominence on the acetabulum. Recurrence or worsening of cam deformity in slips occurred by growth of the epiphysis on to the neck anteriorly which can appear as a decrease in the posterior slip. The relationship of the Alpha point to the physeal scar and the tissue covering the femoral head at the Alpha point help differentiate between epiphyseal and metaphyseal cam deformities. Level of Evidence: Level 3 retrospective comparative study.

Causes of late-presenting developmental dislocation of the hip beyond 12 months of age: A pilot study.

Background & objectives: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), when detected early, can usually be managed effectively by simple methods. A delayed diagnosis often makes it a complex condition to treat. Late presentation of DDH is fairly common in developing countries, and there is scarcity of literature regarding the epidemiology and reason for late presentation. Through this study, we attempted to identify the reasons for late presentation of DDH in children more than 12 months of age. Methods: Fifty four children with typical DDH and frank dislocation of hip in whom treatment was delayed for 12 months or more were included. Parents were interviewed with a pre-structured questionnaire and data were collected for analysis with Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS version 26. Results: Diagnostic delay was the most common reason for late presentation and was observed in 52 children (96.2%). The mean age at diagnosis was 24.7 months. The mean age at treatment was 37.3 months with a mean delay of 12.5 months from diagnosis and 22.1 months from initial suspicion. Physician-related factors contributed 55.3 per cent, while family and social issues accounted for 44.7 per cent of overall reasons for diagnostic and treatment delays. Interpretation & conclusions: Late presentation of DDH in walking age is common. Physician- and family-related factors accounted for most of these cases. Failure or inadequate hip screening at birth by the attending physician is a common reason for late diagnosis. The family members were unaware about the disorder and developed suspicion once child started walking with an abnormal gait.

Role of percutaneous transpedicular biopsy in diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis and its correlation with the clinico-radiological features.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) has long been an important cause of destructive lesions of spine in India. However the scenario is fast changing with atypical presentations and increasing reports of non-tubercular conditions. This poses a great diagnostic dilemma. AIM: The present study is aimed at evaluating the diagnostic efficacy of percutaneous transpedicular needle biopsy and the correlation of the histology with clinico-radiological features. METHODS: Forty-one patients diagnosed of TB spine by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were revaluated of their clinical presentations, radiological and MRI features and underwent transpedicular needle biopsy under fluoroscopic guidance. Quality of the sample and radiological/MRI features between the tubercular and non-tubercular lesions were studied. RESULTS: A good sample obtained in 92.7% patients. Of these 28 patients had TB, 3 non-specific inflammatory lesion and 7 with other non-tubercular conditions (3 pyogenic, 3 metastasis, 1 multiple myeloma). Statistically there is no significant difference among the TB and non-TB groups in terms of vertebral involvement and MRI features. However risk of presentation with cord compression, cord changes and neurodeficit are higher with TB spine. CONCLUSION: It is very difficult to differentiate between tubercular and non-tubercular pathology of spine on the basis of most of the clinical and MRI features. It is more difficult in early cases without any neurodeficit. Thus histopathological confirmation is must for further management and percutaneous needle biopsy is the best option considering the simplicity and minimally invasive nature of the procedure.

Significance of Vertebral Endplate Failure in Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: Endplate lesions though have been implicated in the genesis of lumbar disc herniation (LDH), very little is known regarding their clinical course. Thus, the present study is aimed to investigate the incidence and types of endplate failure (EPF) in LDH and its correlation with the clinical symptoms and prognosis. METHODS: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of 66 patients with isolated single level LDH were studied. Three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient (3D FSPGR) MRI and computed tomography scans were used to identify the bony and cartilaginous EPF. Twenty-five patients were operated on and 41 patients were treated conservatively. Changes in the pain score, function and neurology were noted at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 weeks. RESULTS: Endplate lesions were observed in 64 patients (96.9%), including bony endplate failure (bony failure) in 47 patients (71.2%) and isolated cartilaginous endplate lesions in 17 patients (25.7%). Bony failure group had similar pain and functional scores but more severe neurological deficit at the initial evaluation. Clinical parameters improved in all groups, but the recovery was lesser in conservatively treated bony failure patients. CONCLUSION: Endplate lesions are commonly associated with symptomatic LDH. Presence of bony failure can increase neurological deficit and reduce the chance of recovery with conservative management. The 3D FSPGR sequence of MRI can be successfully used for detection of the endplate lesions in the herniated disc.

Normal radiographic parameters in paediatric pelvic radiographs from a Chinese population.

Paediatric pelvic and hip radiographs are a common investigation used when assessing a child for suspected developmental dysplasia of the hip. This report describes an attempt to establish normal values of medial joint space, acetabular index and centre edge angle according to specific age groups and sex in a Chinese population. Patients who had undergone a pelvic radiograph as part of their assessment, but were subsequently found to have normal hips were recruited retrospectively. These patients were grouped according to sex and age; medial joint space, acetabular index and centre edge angle were measured in all radiographs. A mean±SD was calculated for each group, and then each age group was tested for statistical significance between the male and the female groups. A total of, 98 patients were recruited, who underwent 188 pelvic radiographs, resulting in images of 376 'normal' hips. The results for medial joint space, acetabular index and centre edge angle for each age and sex group are described. Only the acetabular index requires different reference ranges for male and female patients because of consistent statistical significance between the two groups. It was found that medial joint space remained fairly constant throughout the age groups, whereas the acetabular index decreased and the centre edge angle increased slightly. The reference ranges for the parameters described here are quite different from those established previously in a population of Northern-European descent, which could be because of a variety of reasons including genetics, body habitus and measurement technique. We believe that it would be prudent to implement these different ranges when assessing patients of Chinese heritage to optimize care of patients who may suffer as a consequence of not receiving treatment for missed hip dysplasia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Study Level III - Study of nonconsecutive patients (without consistently applying the reference 'gold' standard).

Tension band plating in growth modulation : A review of current evidences.

Tension band plating (TBF) has been pitted as the best method for correcting the angular deformities and limb length discrepancies (LLD) in growing children. In this review we examined the superiority of the tension band plating over other methods of growth modulation, in terms of safety and efficacy. As per the current literature, in angular deformities TBP has similar correction rates with lesser complications. However in LLD the results are less promising.

Patellar ligament rupture during total knee arthroplasty in an ochronotic patient.

Ochronotic arthropathy mainly involves the spine and large joints. Along with blackening of the joint, degeneration rapidly progresses mostly in the knee, resulting in symptoms by the 4th or 5th decade. As the role of medical treatment and joint conservation surgeries are limited in the early stages, joint replacement is the only effective option in one third of patients. We present a case of the unique complication of patellar ligament rupture during total knee replacement (TKR) of an ochronotic joint. A 51-year-old male presented with bilateral severe tricompartmental osteoarthritis with varus deformities and restriction of motion. Bilateral TKR was performed. At the 28-month follow-up, the patient was walking pain free with acceptable position of implants in radiographs. To our knowledge this is the first report of rupture of the patellar ligament during TKR of an ochronotic joint. We propose appropriate preoperative preparation and greater care in the handling of the tendon during TKR of an ochronotic joint in order to avoid complication.

Pediatric cervical disc calcification simulating tubercular spondylitis - A case report.

Calcification of intervertebral disc in children is rare. It mostly affect lower cervical region and present with acute neck pain, torticolis, restriction of range of motion. Neurological deficit or dyspahagia are rare features. The presence of fever, leukocytosis and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, gives impression of tuberculosis or other infections. This differentiation is important as the management of pediatric disc calcification is mostly conservative and prognosis is good.

Posterior-only approach surgery for fixation and decompression of thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis: a retrospective study.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective case study series. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results of posterior decompression and transpedicular screw fixation in 18 cases of thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis with neurological deficit. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal tuberculosis has been managed with various modalities of treatment ranging from only antitubercular drugs to radical procedures such as anterior or combined approach surgeries. However, although the former method of treatment sometimes is met with unacceptable kyphosis, the later is considered to be too drastic. In the present study, authors have shown the results of posterior decompression and pedicle screw fixation in selected cases of Pott paraplegia. METHODS: The cases (12 males and 6 females) were operated with a posterior decompression and transpedicular screw fixation in a single stage along with antitubercular drug treatment. All of these patients had varying degrees of neurological deficit (4 with Frankel grade A, 8 Frankel B, 4 Frankel C, and 2 Frankel D) and single level involvement with <50% vertebral body destruction and mild kyphosis of 8-27 degrees. Short-segment pedicle screw fixation, posterior decompression, and correction of kyphosis were performed in single stage. RESULTS: Kyphosis improved from preoperative value of 17.7±5.8 degrees to 9.4±4.6 degrees postoperatively. At a follow-up period of 24-46 months, final kyphosis correction was maintained at 11.6±5.4 degrees. Bony fusion was achieved in 55.5% cases. Neurological recovery occurred in 17 patients (94.4%). All patients became pain free, with final visual analogue score 0-2. CONCLUSIONS: The procedure in safe and has satisfactory results in early active cases of Pott paraplegia with less destruction of vertebral bodies.

Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction - A novel technique.

Patellofemoral instability is initially treated conservatively and surgical treatment is reserved for resistant cases. Reconstruction of medial patellofemoral ligament has gained popularity these days as it attempts at restoring soft tissue anatomy and biomechanics of medial patellar restraint back to normal. Here we describe our novel transverse patella single tunnel and femoral interference screw technique to reconstruct the medial patellofemoral ligament using free autologous gracilis and semitendinosus grafts.