A Rare Case of Cervical Charcot After Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report.

CASE: We present a rare case of cervical Charcot disease that was diagnosed in a paraplegic patient by loss of function caudal to the original level of spinal cord injury. Clinical imaging, diagnosis, differentials, and operative management are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Charcot disease of the cervical spine is rare and very difficult to diagnose in the paraplegic patient population. High clinical suspicion should be maintained in these patients who demonstrate any form of neurologic deterioration, mechanical instability, or change in spinal alignment. It is often necessary to rule out infection. Spinal decompression and surgical stabilization is the treatment of choice.

Postoperative stroke after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in patients with carotid artery stenosis: a statewide database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Carotid artery injury and stroke secondary to prolonged retraction remains an extremely rare complication in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). However, multiple studies have demonstrated that carotid artery retraction during the surgical approach may alter the normal blood flow, leading to a significant reduction in the cross-sectional area of the vessel. Others have suggested that dislodgment of atherosclerotic plaques following manipulation of the carotid artery can be a potential risk for intracranial embolus and stroke. PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate: (1) the incidence of postoperative stroke following ACDF and (2) incidence of other postoperative complications in a cohort of patients who had a diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) versus those who did not. PATIENT SAMPLE: This study utilized the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2013. All patients who underwent (ACDF) and had a preoperative diagnosis of CAS were identified using the International Classification of Disease, ninth revision codes. Those who had a previous history of stroke were excluded. Patients who had CAS were propensity score matched to patients without history of CAS for demographics and Charlson/Deyo comorbidity scores. OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of postoperative stroke and other complications were compared between the cohorts. The threshold for statistical significance was set at a p<.05. This study received no funding. The authors report no conflict of interests relevant to this study. RESULTS: There were 34,975 patients who underwent an ACDF in the study time period. After excluding those under the age of 18 and with history of previous stroke, there were 61 patients who had CAS that were compared with a propensity-matched cohort. The CAS cohort had a significantly higher incidence of postoperative stroke during their hospitalization (6.6% vs 0%, p<.042). The CAS cohort also had higher rates of acute renal failure (27.9% vs 4.9%, p = .01) and sepsis (18% vs 4.9%, p = .023). There were no stroke related deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CAS who underwent ACDF had a statistically significant greater incidence of developing a postoperative stroke. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has evaluated the development of postoperative stroke in patients with CAS undergoing ACDF. Larger, multicenter studies are needed to estimate the true incidence of stroke in this specific patient population. However, our results may illustrate the importance of preoperative optimization, approach-selection, and postoperative stroke surveillance in patients with a history of CAS who undergoes ACDF.

Thoracic Epidural Abscesses: A Systematic Review.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVES: Past research has demonstrated increased speed and severity of progression for spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) of the thoracic level, specifically, when compared with SEAs of other spinal cord levels. Untreated, this infection can result in permanent neurological sequelae with eventual progression to death if inadequately managed. Despite the seriousness of this disease, no articles have focused on the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of SEAs of the thoracic level. For this reason, specific focus on SEAs of the thoracic level occurred when researchers designed and implemented the following systematic review. METHODS: A query of Ovid-Medline and EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and additional review sources was conducted. Search criteria focused on articles specific to thoracic epidural abscesses. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported symptoms present on admission included back pain, paraparesis/paraplegia, fever, and loss of bowel/bladder control. Significant risk factors included diabetes, intravenous drug use, and advanced age (P = .001). Patients were most often treated surgically with either laminectomy, hemilaminectomy, or radical decompression with debridement. Patients who presented with neurological deficits and had delayed surgical intervention following a failed antibiotic course tended to do worse compared with their immediate surgical management counterparts (P < .005). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time researchers have focused specifically on SEAs of the thoracic level, as opposed to previously published general analysis of SEAs as a whole. Based on the results, investigators recommend early magnetic resonance imaging of the spine, laboratory workup (sedimentation rate/C-reactive protein, complete blood count), abscess culture followed by empiric antibiotics, and immediate surgical decompression when neurological deficits are present.

Same-Day Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty Candidacy Criteria Decrease Length of Stay and Facility Discharge.

Simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SBTKA) may present a higher risk for postoperative complications than unilateral surgery. The authors retrospectively identified 561 patients who underwent SBTKA between 2013 and 2015. The cohort was stratified according to the following appropriateness of care criteria (AOCC): (1) age younger than 70 years; (2) absence of cardiac disease; (3) controlled diabetes; and (4) body mass index less than 30 kg/m2. The authors created an AOCC score, with 0 representing the most ideal candidates and 4 representing the least ideal candidates. The cohort included 140 (25%) ideal candidates with a score of 0; the cohort also included 299 (53%) non-ideal candidates with a score of 1, 105 (19%) with a score of 2, 14 (2%) with a score of 3, and 3 (1%) with a score of 4. Ideal candidates had the shortest mean length of stay at 3.6±1.2 days. Length of stay was longer for patients with an AOCC score of greater than 2 compared with those with an AOCC score of 2 or less (5.2±4.3 vs 3.8±1.6 days, P<.001). Ideal candidates were discharged to home more often than other patients (26% vs 13%, P<.001). Although there was no difference in 90-day all-cause complications between ideal and non-ideal candidates (13% vs 16%, P=.400), medical complications trended strongly (6% vs 11%, P=.086). Appropriateness of care criteria for SBTKA patients were associated with shorter length of stay, higher rates of home discharge, and a trend toward lower complication rates. Simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty can offer better outcomes in a subgroup of patients appropriately selected for surgery. Physicians can use these results to counsel their patients about risks and benefits of undergoing SBTKA. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(5):293-298.].

Scapular Notching After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: Prediction Using Patient-Specific Osseous Anatomy, Implant Location, and Shoulder Motion.

BACKGROUND: Scapular notching is frequently observed following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA), although the etiology is not well understood. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans who underwent rTSA with a Grammont design were evaluated after a minimum of 2 years of follow-up with video motion analysis (VMA), postoperative three-dimensional (3D) CT, and standard radiographs. The glenohumeral range of motion demonstrated by the VMA and the postoperative implant location on the CT were used in custom simulation software to determine areas of osseous impingement between the humeral implant and the scapula and their relationship to scapular notching on postoperative CT. Patients with and without notching were compared with one another by univariable and multivariable analyses to determine factors associated with notching. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (59%) had scapular notching, which was along the posteroinferior aspect of the scapular neck in all of them and along the anteroinferior aspect of the neck in 3 of them. Osseous impingement occurred in external rotation with the arm at the side in 16 of the 17 patients, in internal rotation with the arm at the side in 3, and in adduction in 12. The remaining 12 patients did not have notching or osseous impingement. Placing the glenosphere in a position that was more inferior (by a mean of 3.4 ± 2.3 mm) or lateral (by a mean of 6.2 ± 1.4 mm) would have avoided most impingement in the patients' given range of motion. Notching was associated with glenosphere placement that was insufficiently inferior (mean inferior translation, -0.3 ± 3.4 mm in the notching group versus 3.0 ± 2.9 mm in the no-notching group; p = 0.01) or posterior (mean, -0.3 ± 3.5 mm versus 4.2 ± 2.2 mm; p < 0.001). Two-variable models showed inferior and posterior (area under the curve [AUC], 0.887; p < 0.001), inferior and lateral (AUC, 0.892; p < 0.001), and posterior and lateral (AUC, 0.892; p < 0.001) glenosphere positions to be significant predictors of the ability to avoid scapular notching. CONCLUSIONS: Osseous impingement identified using patients' actual postoperative range of motion and implant position matched the location of scapular notching seen radiographically. Inferior, lateral, and posterior glenosphere positions are all important factors in the ability to avoid notching. Only small changes in implant position were needed to avoid impingement, suggesting that preoperative determination of the ideal implant position may be a helpful surgical planning tool to avoid notching when using this implant design. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

A Case for the Brace: A Critical, Comprehensive, and Up-To-Date Review of Static Progressive Stretch, Dynamic, and Turnbuckle Braces for the Management of Elbow, Knee, and Shoulder Pathology.

BACKGROUND: Non-operative management of the elbow, shoulder, and knee typically includes braces, such as the: static progressive stretch (SPS), turnbuckle, and dynamic. However, a paucity of literature exists comparing these three bracing modalities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current literature on the various bracing modalities for physicians and patients managing elbow, shoulder, or knee joint complications. Specifically, we compared the use of 1) static progressive stretch, 2) dynamic, and 3) turnbuckle braces for the a) elbow, b) knee, and c) shoulder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PubMed search on dynamic, SPS, and turnbuckle bracing for the elbow, knee, and shoulder joints was performed. Studies that addressed clinical outcomes and relied primarily on the brace for improvement of patient outcomes and not on surgery were included. Because individually-fabricated braces are extremely costly, require great fabrication skill, and are unique to the patient they were specifically designed for, their results are not generalizable to the greater patient population and were, therefore, not included in this analysis. A total of 14 elbow, 24 knee, and 4 shoulder studies met criteria. RESULTS: Elbow-Patients wore the SPS brace for 90 minutes, compared to 8 hours for the turnbuckle and 20 hours for the dynamic brace. The SPS and turnbuckle brace had similar increases in range of motion (ROM) of 37°. The SPS brace was found to provide patients with the greatest reduction in flexion contracture, 26°. There are similar increases in flexion ROM between the SPS and dynamic elbow bracing modalities. Shoulder- The mean duration of use for an SPS was only six weeks compared to the two months required for the dynamic shoulder brace. The dynamic shoulder brace protocol involved upwards of 24 hours per day or night as patients were instructed to wear the brace at all times. Patients treated with both the SPS and dynamic braces had excellent pain outcomes. Knee-The most commonly followed SPS knee brace protocol was one to three sessions per day which lasted from seven to nine weeks, while for the dynamic brace the time period ranged from six to eight weeks. The SPS brace reported a mean increase in ROM of 31°. There was a lack of evidence for the dynamic and turnbuckle knee braces for their accurate assessment. The SPS studies reported the greatest response to flexion improvement with a mean increase of flexion by 22°. Meanwhile, the reported mean flexion increase with a dynamic knee brace was only 7°. CONCLUSION: Based on the most current literature available, the authors highly recommend the use of SPS for the elbow, shoulder, and knee. Static progressive stretch bracing has an easy patient protocol, a short duration of use, and excellent outcomes. Additionally, the lack of evidence for turnbuckle and dynamic braces is concerning. Overall, the static progressive stretch brace has shown excellent results in the outcomes assessed in this review and should be a first recommendation for patients suffering from elbow, knee, and/or shoulder pathology.

Mechanical Prophylaxis after Lower Extremity Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Review.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication that can occur after total hip and knee arthroplasty, and can potentially lead to significant morbidity and even mortality. While various modalities have been used to prevent VTE development, the medications can be associated with a number of adverse events. Therefore, mechanical prophylaxis with pumps and compressive devices has been used more frequently alone, or in combination, with medications. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review the current literature on mechanical prophylaxis for VTEs after lower extremity total joint arthroplasty. Specifically, we reviewed mechanical prophylaxis after: 1) total hip arthroplasty and 2) total knee arthroplasty.

Accuracy and reliability of postoperative radiographic measurements of glenoid anatomy and relationships in patients with total shoulder arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Radiographic imaging is the follow-up imaging modality most widely used for patients who have undergone total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). However, its accuracy of measurement of component position has not been validated against a gold standard in a clinical series. METHODS: Thirty-two x-ray images and computed tomography scans were taken within 1 month of each other in patients who had undergone TSA with an all-polyethylene glenoid component. The humeral glenoid alignment in the coronal superior-inferior (SI) plane (HGA-SI), humeral glenoid alignment in the axial anterior-posterior (AP) plane (HGA-AP), and humeral scapular alignment in the axial plane (HSA-AP) were measured with 21 pairs of images, and glenoid component retroversion was measured with all 32 pairs. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for HGA-SI, HGA-AP, HSA-AP, and version, and accuracy analysis criteria of the radiographs were assessed using predetermined criterion. RESULTS: We found fair-moderate agreement between x-ray images and CT scans for HGA-SI (ICC = 0.42) and version (ICC = 0.69), but poor agreement for HGA-AP (ICC = 0.04) and HSA-AP (ICC = 0.38). An average difference of overestimating HGA-SI by 0.06% ± 7.7%, with a precision 95% confidence interval of 7.6%, and overestimating version by -4.2° ± 5.1°, with a precision 95% confidence interval of 9.9°, was found. CONCLUSION: This validation study has defined the ability and limitation for these measurements using high-quality axillary and AP radiographs.