Defining the fit and ideal entry site of the fibula rod system--a computed tomography based study in elderly patients with lower limb infections, vascular diseases or tumors.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the configuration of the distal fibula anatomy and the fitness of the Fibula Rod System (Acumed®, Hillsboro, Oregon) in a series of fibula models and to determine the optimal entry site of the rod. METHODS: Consecutive series of computed tomography (CT) of tibias and fibulae with no fracture or deformity were converted to stereo-lithograph format, and imported into Meshmixer software (Autodesk, San Rafael, California). A 3.6 × 180 mm fibula rod model was virtually inserted to best fit the intramedullary canal of the fibula model and to a depth of 0 mm proud at the distal fibula. The location of the entry point in relationship to the fibular tip, and the distance between the rod and the lateral fibula cortex were measured. RESULTS: CT of 41 fibulae (23 male and 18 female patients) contributed to the three-dimensional fibula modeling. The entry point was 3.5 mm (SD 2.0) medial to (in mortise view) and 1.0 mm (SD 2.1) anterior to (in lateral view) the fibular tip. The fibula rod was inserted to a depth of 6.2 mm (SD 2.1) proximal to the fibula tip. The mean shortest distance of the rod to the outer cortex was 1.88 mm (SD 0.87). There was a breach of the posterolateral cortex in one patient. CONCLUSION: The guide pin entry site of fibula rod should be medial and anterior offset with reference to the fibula tip, in contrary to the distal tip as recommended in the manual. There is a chance of breaching the posterolateral cortex with rod entry.

Differences in soft tissue damage using a percutaneous versus open approach for antegrade straight humeral nailing: a quantitative and qualitative anatomical study.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous insertion of third-generation straight humeral nails is a recent alternative to the conventional open method. Rather than splitting, retracting and subsequently repairing the supraspinatus fibers to visualize the humeral head entry site, the percutaneous approach utilizes a cannulated awl to enter the intramedullary canal through the supraspinatus fibers without visualizing internal shoulder structures. Despite recent evidence demonstrating satisfactory outcomes in the percutaneous method, the potential for iatrogenic injury to the rotator cuff and other shoulder structures is not fully understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed an anatomical study of 46 shoulders in 23 cadavers to compare damage caused to internal shoulder structures between the open and percutaneous techniques. Dimensions and morphologies of supraspinatus and humeral head perforations were recorded. RESULTS: The percutaneous technique produced greater latitudinal tearing (p = 0.002) and less longitudinal tearing (p < 0.001) of muscle fibers, however there was no difference in supraspinatus hole area (p = 0.748). The long head biceps tendon was within 3 mm of the bone entry hole in 13 (28%) shoulders, with one shoulder in the open group exhibiting full tendon transection. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous insertion of intramedullary nails using a cannulated awl appears to produce similar soft tissue and bone entry site morphology as compared to the conventional open technique. The percutaneous method was associated with slightly greater latitudinal tearing, however the effects of this remain to be clarified through clinical studies. External rotation should be avoided during instrumentation to reduce the risk of biceps tendon transection.

A comparison of six outcome measures across the recovery period after distal radius fixation-Which to use and when?

PURPOSE: Many standardized outcome measures exist to measure recovery after surgical fixation of distal radius fractures, however, choosing the optimal instrument is difficult. We evaluated responsiveness, ceiling/floor effects, and criterion validity over multiple time intervals across a 2-year follow-up period for six commonly used instruments. METHODS: A total of 259 patients who received open reduction and internal fixation for distal radius fractures between 2012 and 2015 were recruited. Patients were administered the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), Shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH), Green and O'Brien score (Cooney modification) (CGNO), Gartland and Werley score (Sarmiento modification) (SGNW), flexion-extension arc (FEArc), and grip fraction test (GripFrac) at 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Responsiveness was evaluated by calculating standardized response means (SRM) and Cohen's d effect sizes (ES), and by correlating each instrument's change scores against those of QuickDASH and PRWE, which were also used as external comparators to assess criterion validity. Ceiling/floor effects were calculated for all measures at each time point. RESULTS: SRM (1.5-24 months) were 1.81, 1.77, 1.43, 1.16, 2.23, 2.45 and ES (1.5-24 months) were 1.81, 1.82, 1.95, 1.31, 1.99 and 2.90 for QuickDASH, PRWE, CGNO, SGNW, FEArc, and GripFrac respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients against QuickDASH at 24 months were: 0.809, 0.248, 0.563, 0.285, and 0.318 for PRWE, CGNO, SGNW, FEArc, and GripFrac respectively. Significant (>15% of patients reaching maximum score) ceiling effects were observed before 6 months for PRWE and SGNW. CONCLUSIONS: Our evidence supports the use of QuickDASH, PRWE, FEArc and GripFrac up to 6 months postsurgery, and QuickDASH and PRWE after 6 months. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

Patient expectations predict outcomes following distal radius fracture: a prospective cohort study using the TEFTOM questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between patient expectations and clinical outcomes has recently been of increasing interest in the field of orthopaedics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between (1) patient pre-treatment expectations and post-treatment clinical outcomes, and (2) fulfillment of expectations and patient satisfaction, following distal radius fracture. METHODS: This was a prospective multicenter cohort study conducted across three hospitals. A total of 133 patients admitted to hospital between 2016 and 2018 with a distal radius fracture were recruited. Patients were administered the Trauma Expectation Factor (TEF) at baseline to measure expectations of pain and functioning at one-year post-injury. Patients were followed up at 6 and 12 months post-injury and outcomes were measured using the Trauma Outcome Measure (TOM), Shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire, and Short-Form 12-item (SF-12) health survey. Fulfillment of expectations was measured as TEF score minus TOM score at each time point. Patient satisfaction was also measured using the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18). Multivariate regression models were created to evaluate the effect of expectations on outcomes. RESULTS: Patient expectations correlated moderately with outcomes at 6 and 12 months post-injury. In the multivariate analysis, patient expectations were predictive of better outcomes at 6 and 12 months. Injury severity, age, mechanism of injury, and whether the injury occurred on duty also contributed significantly to one or more regression models. Patient satisfaction correlated weakly with fulfillment of expectations at 6 months, but moderately with all outcome scores. At 12 months, satisfaction did not correlate significantly with expectations fulfillment but correlated moderately to highly with all outcome scores. CONCLUSION: Patient expectations independently predicted outcomes at 6 and 12 months post-injury. Standardized assessment and management of patient expectations may be relevant to future clinical practice and research to best quantify and optimize patient outcomes.