Risk of Anticoagulation in Gluteal Compartment Syndrome After Surgical Intervention.

Gluteal compartment syndrome (GCS) is a rare form of acute compartment syndrome. There are some causes, such as prolonged periods of immobilization and traumatic or iatrogenic events. We report two cases of gluteal compartment syndrome after orthopedic surgical intervention for fracture stabilization. The patients were both hypocoagulated due to the presence of two mechanical heart valves. Despite early treatment, both patients remained with neurological deficits. Orthopedic and trauma surgeons must be aware of the possibility of gluteal compartment syndrome in perioperative patients. Recognizing and managing risk factors such as hypocoagulation is crucial for its prevention.

Pathogenesis and contemporary diagnoses for lateral hip pain: a scoping review.

PURPOSE: Recent advances in diagnostic imaging techniques and soft tissue endoscopy now allow for precise diagnosis and management of extra-articular hip pathology. The aim of this scoping review is to present an evidence-based update of the relevant literature focussing only on the pathoanatomy, clinical assessment and the diagnosis of pathology in the peritrochanteric space. METHODS: A literature search was performed on PubMed to include articles which reported on the anatomy and diagnosis of greater trochanteric pain syndrome, trochanteric bursitis, gluteus medius tears and external snapping hip syndrome. RESULTS: A total of 542 studies were identified, of which 49 articles were included for full text analysis for the scoping review. Peritrochanteric space pathology can be broadly classified into (1) greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), (2) abductor tears and (3) external snapping hip syndrome. Anatomically, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and tensor fascia lata work in conjunction to abduct and internally rotate the hip. The anterolateral part of the gluteus medius tendon is more prone to tears due to a thin tendinous portion. Increased acetabular anteversion has also been shown to be associated with gluteal and trochanteric bursitis. In terms of clinical examination, tests which were found to be most useful for assisting in the diagnoses of lateral hip pain were the single-leg stance, resisted external derotation of the hip, hip lag sign and the Trendelenburg's test. Dynamic ultrasound along with guided injections and MRI scan do assist in differentiating the pathology and confirming the diagnosis in patients presenting with lateral hip pain. Finally, the assessment of baseline psychological impairment is essential in this group of patients to ensure outcomes are optimised. CONCLUSION: Lateral hip pain used to be a poorly defined entity, but advances in imaging and interest in sports medicine have led to a better understanding of the pathology, presentation and management of this cohort of patients. A thorough appreciation of the anatomy of the abductor musculature, specific clinical signs and imaging findings will lead to an appropriate diagnosis being made and management plan instituted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

The cement-in-cement technique is a reliable option in hip arthroplasty revision surgery: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The cement-in-cement technique for revision hip arthroplasty has many potential advantages and has recently gained widespread interest but still lacks evidence to support it. Our aim was to examine the surgical and patient-reported outcomes after cement-in-cement revision hip arthroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched up to February 2019 for original studies reporting the outcomes of revision hip arthroplasty surgeries using the cement-in-cement technique. The methodological quality was assessed using the methodological index for non-randomized studies scale. RESULTS: Sixteen non-comparative studies met the eligibility criteria, comprising 1899 hips in 1856 patients (72.2 mean age, 37% male), with a mean follow-up of 7.2 years. Most studies reported only primary revisions and focused on the stem component. Intraoperative complications such as femoral or acetabular fractures (5.3%) were low and easily manageable with no relevant sequelae, as were dislocation rates (2.8% of uncomplicated events and 1.6% of cases requiring re-revision). Failure (considered if there was aseptic loosening of the cement-in-cement revised component, 2%), re-revision (9.3%), implant survival and late complication rates were favourable. Functional patient-reported outcomes showed an overall improvement above the minimal clinically important difference at final follow-up. CONCLUSION: The cement-in-cement technique is a viable option for hip arthroplasty revision surgery with low intraoperative and late complication rates, dislocations and immediate post-operative morbidity, resulting in good functional patient-reported outcomes and favourable medium-term implant survival.

Painful Nonunion after Missed Juvenile Tillaux Fracture in an Athlete - Case Report and Description of a New Fixation Technique.

INTRODUCTION: The Tillaux fracture is a rare subtype of tibial physeal fracture that usually occurs in adolescents. There are only a few case series or reports published in the literature and, to our knowledge, this is the first time, a painful nonunion is reported after this type of fracture. CASE REPORT: A 13-year-old athlete presented to our orthopedic department because of persistent pain after an acute ankle injury 2months before. She was diagnosed with a Tillaux fracture that eventually progressed to nonunion after conservative treatment. Surgery was performed to treat the nonunion, and the fracture fragment was fixed using a soft suture anchor. CONCLUSION: The Tillaux fracture pattern requires a high level of clinical suspicion and careful evaluation since it can be misdiagnosed as a simple ankle sprain in adolescents and progress to persistent ankle pain without appropriate treatment.Our surgical technique of suture anchor fixation avoids the risk of fragmentation of the fracture fragment and was able to provide an excellent clinical result.

Modified Elmslie-Trillat Procedure for Distal Realignment of Patella Tendon.

Patellofemoral dysfunction, due to either a patellofemoral malalignment or patellar instability, is a complex and debilitating condition that significantly decreases the knee function. Conservative management may yield significant clinical outcomes; however, when morphologic anomalies are identified, the surgical approach should be employed. Hence, several surgical procedures have been described in the scientific literature aiming the correction of underlying extensor mechanism malalignments. Still, the rate of complications is higher than desirable. The described technique is based on the principles of transferring the tibial tubercle medially as described in the Elmslie-Trillat technique. However, a curvilinear horizontal cut is made prior to the vertical cut, which raises a thick osseous fragment and allows the formation of a gutter when the osseous fragment is moved medially. Whereas the horizontal gutter provides stability to the bone fragment, the thicker dimension of the osseous fragment and retention of the distal attachment significantly enhances the osteotomy union. Hence, adequate pain relief and stability with very low postoperative morbidity could be achieved. The purpose of this surgical note is to describe a modification to the Elmslie-Trillat technique to treat patellofemoral dysfunctions, achieving a higher osseous stability and decreased postoperative morbidity.

Augmentation of Patellar Tendon Repair With Autologous Semitendinosus Graft-Porto Technique.

Patellar tendon ruptures can lead to significant functional deficiency of the extensor mechanism of the knee. These injuries, because of their inherent nature and associated complications, may require a complex treatment and remains a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. Current surgical techniques present significant complications, including patellar fracture, damage to patellar articular cartilage, and abnormal patella height. This note describes a surgical technique to provide an additional reinforcement to the patellar tendon repair with a semitendinous autograft, without the necessity to perform any transosseous tunnels at the patella bone. First, the patellar tendon is repaired with an end-to-end technique and the semitendinous tendon is harvested. A transosseous tunnel at the tibial tubercle is drilled and 2 rents are made, both medial and lateral to the retinaculum at the level of the intermedial segment of the patella close to the patellar margin. The graft is passed through the tunnel and rents in a U-shaped form. The graft is sutured along the length of the patellar tendon on both margins in tension at 30° of knee flexion. Fluoroscopy imaging is performed to assess the patella height. This technique provides a significant augmentation of patellar tendon, avoiding the potential patella bone tunnel complications.

Surgical Adjustment of the Guide Pin to Perform a Correct Tibial Tunnel in Anatomical Anterior Cruciate Ligament Single-Bundle Reconstruction.

Anatomical positioning of the graft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is important to restore normal knee kinematics and prevent early joint degeneration. Inadequate position of a first attempt to place the guide pin within the center of the tibial footprint may occur. Therefore, its adjustment is important to achieve the anatomical positioning of the graft within the tibial footprint. When the guide pin exits eccentrically in an inadequate position, it is possible to correct it to the center of the footprint. A small tunnel with a 4.5-mm reamer is made and the guide pin is shifted to the center of the footprint. The center of the tunnel can be corrected until 50% and in all direction in relation to the initial drilled tunnel, without additional associated morbidity. Once the correct position of the center is achieved, the guide pin is fixed in the femoral notch roof to guarantee the accurate correction of the axis, without toggling of the guide pin inside the tunnel and metal dusting. The final tunnel is then drilled with the same size of the graft. With this technique it is possible to adjust an eccentrically misplaced guide pin to the center of the footprint without additional morbidity.