Lemonade from Lemons-Using COVID Downtime to Teach Essential Telemedicine Skills.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine has rapidly accelerated. Our orthopaedic department created a telemedicine educational program for residents using standardized patient scenarios. Training residents to use telemedicine will help them navigate through unforeseen issues that otherwise may have never been a consideration. This is not only useful for today's climate but also potentially for the duration of their careers.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Peritalar Injuries in the Acute Trauma Setting: A Review of the Literature.

The bony and ligamentous structure of the foot is a complex kinematic interaction, designed to transmit force and motion in an energy-efficient and stable manner. Visible deformity of the foot or atypical patterns of swelling should raise significant concern for foot trauma. In some instances, disruption of either bony structure or supporting ligaments is identified years after injury due to chronic pain in the hindfoot or midfoot. This article will focus on injuries relating to the peritalar complex, the bony articulation between the tibia, talus, calcaneus, and navicular bones, supplemented with multiple ligamentous structures. Attention will be given to the five most common peritalar injuries to illustrate the nature of each and briefly describe methods for achieving the correct diagnosis in the context of acute trauma. This includes subtalar dislocations, chopart joint injuries, talar fractures, navicular fractures, and occult calcaneal fractures.

Acute Superficial Peroneal Nerve Entrapment Mimicking Compartment Syndrome: A Case Report.

CASE: A 48-year-old man presented with foot drop and peroneal nerve paresthesia after a suspected ankle sprain. The patient was taken to the operating room for nerve exploration and anterior and lateral compartment releases. Diagnosis of superficial peroneal nerve (SPN) entrapment was made intraoperatively. CONCLUSION: Motor deficits in the setting of SPN entrapment may indicate overlapping compartment syndrome or pseudoparalysis from pain inhibition and not neural compression. This adds an increased level of complexity to an already challenging diagnosis to make. Accurate diagnosis and immediate surgical interventionwith proper surgical exposure were all critical for the recovery of this patient.

Mycobacteriumabscessus-associated vertebral osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent patient: a rare case report and literature review.

Introduction: Vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) is an uncommon infection with Staphylococcus aureus as the most commonly implicated organism. VO caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) such as Mycobacteriumabscessus (M. abscesscus) is exceedingly rare with only eight cases reported in literature. Case presentation: We report a rare case of an 82-year-old male with a remote history of trauma who was diagnosed with NTM vertebral osteomyelitis. The patient initially underwent a vertebroplasty of T12 and kyphoplasty of L1 for pathologic compression fractures. Subsequent cultures revealed M. abscessus. The patient further underwent an anterior T12-L2 corpectomy and debridement with instrumented fusion, as well as a posterior T9-L4 instrumentation and fusion. He received multi-agent antibiotic therapy; however, was ultimately unable to tolerate the aggressive treatment regimen and his prolonged postoperative course. Discussion: Nontuberculous mycobacteria vertebral osteomyelitis is exceedingly rare. NTM vertebral osteomyelitis is challenging to treat. Surgical management plays a limited role in early VO, but is the mainstay treatment in chronic VO. Early recognition of the condition and shared patient management with multidisciplinary teams is key to successfully treating cases of NTM VO.

Exploring the Incidence, Implications, and Relevance of Metal Allergy to Orthopaedic Surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: Allergic reactions to metal implants are increasingly recognized, but its relevance to the orthopaedic surgeon remains unclear. We evaluate the prevalence of metal allergies in a subset of the population and review the significance through a survey of the current literature. METHODS: Preoperative and postoperative patients referred for metal allergy testing were divided into two groups; those with a history of dermatitis and those without. Patients with a history of dermatitis were offered skin patch testing that included the North American Contact Dermatitis core allergen panels in addition to our metal screening series. Patients without dermatitis were tested to the more limited patch testing metal screening series. Some patients with dermatitis opted for the more limited screening, whereas some patients without dermatitis underwent more extensive testing at their request or at the request of the referring clinician. Patch tests were evaluated at 2 and 4 days after placement. RESULTS: Hundred patients were referred for metal allergy testing, 46 of whom were for reasons related to planned orthopaedic surgery. Of those tested, 60 patients had a history of dermatitis and 40 did not. Some patients were nonreactive to all tested allergens, whereas others demonstrated one or more positive skin patch test reactions. The number of positive reactions to each metal in patients with a history of dermatitis was the following: nickel 19, amalgam 10, palladium 10, copper 8, cobalt 5, mercury 5, tin 2, gold 1, titanium 1, and vanadium 1. The number of positive reactions to metals in patients without a history of dermatitis was the following: nickel 4, amalgam 5, palladium 4, mercury 4, cobalt 4, tin 2, copper 2, gold 1, vanadium 1, and molybdenum 1. DISCUSSION: Metal allergy was common in the individuals referred for testing, with reactions to nickel and amalgam being the most commonly encountered. Some individuals experience more notable allergic reactions to implanted devices than others. Localized and generalized skin reactions have been reported, along with implant failure and loosening. Surgeons should be aware of the incidence of metal allergies and the potential consequences.

Tibial tubercle osteotomy: A biomechanical comparison of two techniques.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a modified step-cut tibial tubercle osteotomy (Maquet-Fulkerson hybrid) might produce comparable or better results than a standard oblique anteromedialization tibial tubercle osteotomy (Fulkerson type) and thus warrant the surgical need for additional cuts. METHODS: Six pairs of cadaveric knees were evaluated prior to and after tibial tubercle osteotomies. Simulation was done via a shallow knee bend simulator through 20 to 70° of knee flexion for the intact specimens and following the surgical procedures. The variables tested were trochlear contact forces and pressures and patellar motion. RESULTS: Testing showed a decreased force (P=0.027), peak contact pressure (P=0.01) and contact area (P=0.034) on the lateral trochlea of the femur for both types of osteotomies. There was no significant difference in the lateral femoral peak pressure or in the medial femoral peak pressure between the oblique cut and the step-cut. Also, there was no difference in patellar motion after either procedure. CONCLUSION: We conclude that both osteotomies decrease lateral patellofemoral trochlear pressure. The oblique osteotomy may decrease lateral pressure to a greater extent. Regarding biomechanical testing, there was no demonstrable advantage to performing a step-cut osteotomy.

Biomechanical Evaluation of Scaphoid and Lunate Kinematics Following Selective Sectioning of Portions of the Scapholunate Interosseous Ligament.

PURPOSE: To determine the relative roles of the dorsal and volar portions of the scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) in the stability of the scaphoid and lunate. METHODS: Sixteen fresh cadaver wrists were moved through physiological motions using a wrist joint simulator. Electromagnetic sensors measured the motion of the scaphoid and lunate. Data were collected with the wrist intact, after randomly sectioning the dorsal SLIL first (8 wrists) or the volar SLIL first (8 wrists), and after full ligamentous sectioning. Differences in the percent increase in scaphoid flexion or lunate extension were compared using a t test with significance set at P < .05. RESULTS: Sectioning the dorsal SLIL accounted for 37%, 72%, and 68% of the increase in scaphoid flexion in wrist flexion-extension, radioulnar deviation, and dart throw motion as compared with complete SLIL sectioning. Sectioning the volar SLIL accounted for only 7%, 6%, and 14%, respectively. In the same 3 motions, sectioning the dorsal SLIL accounted for 55%, 57%, and 58% of the increase in lunate extension, whereas volar SLIL sectioning accounted for 27%, 28%, and 22%. CONCLUSIONS: The dorsal SLIL provides more stability to the scaphoid and lunate in biomechanical testing. The volar SLIL does provide some, although less, stability. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although this study supports the critical importance of dorsal SLIL repairs or reconstructions, it also shows that there may be some value in implementing a volar SLIL repair or reconstruction.