Surgical Management of Bilateral Triceps Muscle Rupture: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Introduction: Triceps tendon avulsion is a rare tendinous injury that can be easily overlooked. If left untreated, such injuries can lead to a weakening of a patient's elbow extension and thereby cause significant disability; therefore, early identification and appropriate surgical intervention are important. Case Report: We report bilateral triceps tendon avulsion injuries in a 49-year-old, right-hand dominant airline pilot. The patient fell while running and injured both his elbows. X-rays of both elbows showed displaced olecranon avulsion fractures, confirming triceps tendon injuries. Bone tendons were repaired with the suture anchor technique, and a solid repair was achieved. 3 months post-surgery, the post-operative progress of the patient was satisfied with full function, a range of motion of 5-150° on the left arm, and 0-150° on the right arm and ability to return to work with no restrictions. Conclusion: Triceps tendon avulsion is a rare injury with few reported cases. Literature suggests that the successful outcome of the patient depends on early identification and timely intervention, such as surgical repair through a trans-osseous suture technique. Our report adds to the knowledge base available in the existing medical literature for future reference by healthcare professionals.

Acrometastasis of the Lower Limb Carries a Poorer Prognosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Bony metastasis distal to the knee is rare and often reported alongside metastasis distal to the elbow. We sought to provide empirical evidence of the epidemiology, presentation, and prognosis of lower limb acrometastasis, alongside investigation of the distribution of metastases present while lower limb acrometastases form. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study identified 44 radiologically confirmed cases of lower limb acrometastasis from a single region. Case note review facilitated the extraction of data relating to the stated aims. Patients were grouped by extent of metastasis at primary diagnosis. Mann-Whitney U test compared metastatic burden, and Kaplan-Meier analysis compared survival. RESULTS: Prostate and breast carcinoma were the most commonly diagnosed primary tumors. Sixty-eight acrometastatic lesions were identified, of which 70% presented asymptomatically. Lower limb acrometastasis was associated with metastatic disease at a significantly greater number of sites than those presenting with metastasis proximal to the knee only (P = .007) and conveyed a significantly worse survival than metastasis proximal to the knee or nil metastasis (P < .001). Median survival from diagnosis of lower limb acrometastasis was 1.0 year. CONCLUSION: Lower limb acrometastasis is associated with a large metastatic burden and occurs in the terminal year of disease. Radiological identification of cases reveals a distinct cohort of acrometastatic lesions, more likely to present asymptomatically, and arises from alternate primary carcinomas than those in previous literature. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level IV: Case series.

Mirels' score for upper limb metastatic lesions: do we need a different cutoff for recommending prophylactic fixation?

Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility, reliability, and accuracy of Mirels' score in upper limb bony metastatic disease and validate its use in predicting pathologic fractures. Methods: Forty-five patients with upper limb bony metastases met the inclusion criteria (62% male 28/45). The mean age was 69 years (SD 9.5), and the most common primaries were lung (29%, 13/45), followed by prostate and hematological (each 20%, 9/45). The most commonly affected bone was the humerus (76%, 35/45), followed by the ulna (6.5%, 3/45). Mirels' score was calculated in 32 patients; with plain radiographs at index presentation scored using Mirels' system by 6 raters. The radiological aspects (lesion size and appearance) were scored twice by each rater (2 weeks apart). Intraobserver and interobserver reliability were calculated using Fleiss' kappa test. Bland-Altman plots compared the variances of both individual components and the total Mirels' score. Results: The overall fracture rate of upper limb metastatic lesions was 76% (35/46) with a mean follow-up of 3.6 years (range 11 months-6.8 years). Where time from diagnosis to fracture was known (n = 20), fractures occurred at a median 19 days (interquartile range 60-10), and 80% (16/20) occurred within 3 months of diagnosis.Mirels' score of ≥9 did not accurately predict lesions that fractured (fracture rate 11%, 5/46, for Mirels' ≥ 9 vs. 65%, 30/46, for Mirels' ≤ 8, P < .001). Sensitivity was 14%, and specificity was 73%. When Mirels' cutoff was lowered to ≥7, patients were more likely to fracture than not (48%, 22/46, vs. 28%, 13/46, P = .045); sensitivity rose to 63%, but specificity fell to 55%.Kappa values for interobserver variability were κ = 0.358 (fair, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.288-0.429) for lesion size, κ = 0.107 (poor, 95% CI 0.02-0.193) for radiological appearance, and κ = 0.274 (fair, 95% CI 0.229-0.318) for total Mirels' score. Values for intraobserver variability were κ = 0.716 (good, 95% CI 0.432-0.999) for lesion size, κ = 0.427 (moderate, 95% CI 0.195-0.768) for radiological appearance, and κ = 0.580 (moderate, 95% CI 0.395-0.765) for total Mirels' score. Conclusions: This study demonstrates moderate to substantial agreement between and within raters using Mirels' score on upper limb radiographs. However, Mirels' score had a poor sensitivity and specificity in predicting upper extremity fractures. Until a more valid scoring system has been developed, based on our study, we recommend a Mirels' threshold of ≥7/12 for considering prophylactic fixation of impending upper limb pathologic fractures. This contrasts with the current ≥9/12 cutoff, which is recommended for lower limb pathologic fractures.

Cycling injuries requiring orthopaedic intervention during the first COVID-19 lockdown period: A multi-centre SCottish Orthopaedic Research collaborativE (SCORE) study.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in decreased vehicle use and an increased uptake in cycling. This study investigated the trends in cycling-related injuries requiring orthopaedic intervention during the COVID-19 lockdown period compared with similar time periods in 2018 and 2019. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively for patients in 2020 and collected retrospectively for 2019 and 2018, from hospitals within four NHS Scotland Health Boards encompassing three major trauma centres. All patients who sustained an injury as a result of cycling requiring orthopaedic intervention were included. Patient age, sex, mechanism of injury, diagnosis and treatment outcome from electronic patient records. RESULTS: Number of injuries requiring surgery 2020: 77 (mean age/years - 42.7); 2019: 47 (mean age/years - 42.7); 2018: 32 (mean age/years - 31.3). Overall incidence of cycling injuries 2020: 6.7%; 2019: 3.0%; 2018: 2.1%. Commonest mechanism of injury: fall from bike 2020 n = 54 (70.1%); 2019 n = 41 (65.1%); 2018 n = 25 (67.6%). Commonest injury type: fracture 2020 n = 68 (79.1%); 2019 n = 33 (70.2%); 2018 n = 20 (62.5%). Commonest areas affected: Upper extremity: 2020 n = 45 (58.5%); 2019 n = 25 (53.2%); 2018 n = 25 (78.1%). Lower extremity: 2020 n = 23 (29.9%); 2019 n = 14 (29.7%); 2018 n = 7 (21.8%). CONCLUSION: A significant increase in the number of cycling related injuries requiring orthopaedic intervention, a greater proportion of female cyclists and an older mean age of patients affected was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown period compared with previous years. The most common types of injury were fractures followed by lacerations and fracture-dislocations. The upper extremity was the commonest area affected.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) in male and female orthopaedic trauma patients: a multicentre, cross-sectional prevalence study.

OBJECTIVES: Identify the proportion of patients attending fracture clinics who had suffered intimate partner violence (IPV) within the past year. DESIGN: Powered cross-sectional study using validated participant self-reported questionnaires. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Adult trauma patients (no gender/age exclusions) attending one of three Scottish adult fracture clinics over 16-month period (from October 2016 to January 2018). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Number of participants answering 'yes' to the Woman Abuse Screening Tool question: 'In your current relationship over the past twelve months, has your partner ever abused you physically/emotionally/sexually?' RESULTS: Of 336 respondents, 46% (156/336 known) were women with 65% aged over 40 (212/328 known). The overall prevalence of IPV within the preceding 12 months was 12% 39/336) for both male and female patients. The lifetime prevalence of IPV among respondents was 20% (68/336). 38% of patients who had experienced IPV within the past 12 months had been physically abused (11/29). None of the patients were being seen for an injury caused by abuse. Two-thirds of respondents thought that staff should ask routinely about IPV (55%, 217/336), but only 5% had previously been asked about abuse (18/336). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study worldwide investigating the prevalence of IPV in fracture clinics for both male and female patients. 12-month prevalence of IPV in fracture clinic patients is significant and not affected by gender in this study. Patients appear willing to disclose abuse within this setting and are supportive of staff asking about abuse. This presents an opportunity to identify those at risk within this vulnerable population.

Kinematic 3-D motion analysis of shoulder resurfacing hemiarthroplasty - An objective assessment method.

Shoulder replacement is indicated in the treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis. Few studies have objectively assessed range of motion (RoM) gains at different post-operative time points. This is a prospective 3D motion analysis study to objectively quantify RoM changes at multiple time points following shoulder resurfacing arthroplasty (SRA) for primary gleno-humeral osteoarthritis, comparing it with clinically measured RoM. Clinical assessment, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score, Constant-Morley (CS) and Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) were recorded. Motion analysis was performed for RoM and three activities of daily living tasks (ADL), pre-operatively and post-operatively at 4 and 12 months. Nineteen shoulders in fifteen patients were included. The mean age was 72 years (range 52-84). There were significant improvements in external and internal rotation, ability to place the hand behind the head and reach the fifth lumbar vertebra, at 4 months on clinical examination and kinematic analysis with no further improvements at 12 months. There was significant improvement in abduction at 4 months with further improvement at 12 months, which was significantly more than noted on clinical assessment. In contrast, kinematic analysis showed a reduction in flexion between 4 and 12 months, while clinically there appeared to be an improvement between these time periods. This is the first study to prospectively utilise objective kinematic 3-D motion analysis in addition to clinical measurements and outcome scores, to investigate the outcome of resurfacing arthroplasty at multiple time points after surgery, providing an understanding into the trends of change in these parameters.

Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on orthopaedic trauma: a multicentre study across Scotland.

AIMS: The UK government declared a national lockdown on 23 March 2020 to reduce transmission of COVID-19. This study aims to identify the effect of lockdown on the rates, types, mechanisms, and mortality of musculoskeletal trauma across Scotland. METHODS: Data for all musculoskeletal trauma requiring operative treatment were collected prospectively from five key orthopaedic units across Scotland during lockdown (23 March 2020 to 28 May 2020). This was compared with data for the same timeframe in 2019 and 2018. Data collected included all cases requiring surgery, injury type, mechanism of injury, and inpatient mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,315 patients received operative treatment from 23 March 2020 to 28 May 2020 compared with 1,791 in 2019 and 1,719 in 2018. The numbers of all injury types decreased, but the relative frequency of hip fractures increased (36.3% in 2020 vs 30.2% in 2019, p < 0.0001 and 30.7% in 2018, p < 0.0001). Significant increases were seen in the proportion of DIY-related injuries (3.1% in 2020 vs 1.7% in 2019, p = 0.012 and 1.6% in 2018, p < 0.005) and injuries caused by falls (65.6% in 2020 vs 62.6% in 2019, p = 0.082 and 61.9% in 2018, p = 0.047). Significant decreases were seen in the proportion of road traffic collisions (2.6% in 2020 vs 5.4% in 2019, p < 0.0001 and 4.2% in 2018, p = 0.016), occupational injuries (1.8% in 2020 vs 3.0% in 2019, p = 0.025 and 2.3% in 2018, p = 0.012) and infections (6.8% in 2020 vs 7.8% in 2019, p = 0.268 and 10.3% in 2018, p < 0.012). Cycling injuries increased (78 in 2020 vs 64 in 2019 vs 42 in 2018). A significant increase in the proportion of self-harm injuries was seen (1.7% in 2020 vs 1.1% in 2019, p = 0.185 and 0.5% in 2018, p < 0.0001). Mortality of trauma patients was significantly higher in 2020 (5.0%) than in 2019 (2.8%, p = 0.002) and 2018 (1.8%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The UK COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in a marked reduction in musculoskeletal trauma patients undergoing surgery in Scotland. There have been significant changes in types and mechanisms of injury and, concerningly, mortality of trauma patients has risen significantly.Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-9:541-548.

The Metastatic Early Prognostic (MEP) score.

AIMS: The early mortality in patients with hip fractures from bony metastases is unknown. The objectives of this study were to quantify 30- and 90-day mortality in patients with proximal femoral metastases, and to create a mortality prediction tool based on biomarkers associated with early death. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients referred to the orthopaedic department at a UK trauma centre with a proximal femoral metastasis (PFM) over a seven-year period (2010 to 2016). The study group were compared to a matched control group of non-metastatic hip fractures. Minimum follow-up was one year. RESULTS: There was a 90-day mortality of 46% in patients with metastatic hip fractures versus 12% in controls (89/195 and 24/192, respectively; p < 0.001). Mean time to surgery was longer in symptomatic metastases versus complete fractures (9.5 days (SD 19.8) and 3.4 days (SD 11.4), respectively; p < 0.05). Albumin, urea, and corrected calcium were all independent predictors of early mortality and were used to generate a simple tool for predicting 90-day mortality, titled the Metastatic Early Prognostic (MEP) score. An MEP score of 0 was associated with the lowest risk of death at 30 days (14%, 3/21), 90 days (19%, 4/21), and one year (62%, 13/21). MEP scores of 3/4 were associated with the highest risk of death at 30 days (56%, 5/9), 90 days (100%, 9/9), and one year (100%, 9/9). Neither age nor primary cancer diagnosis was an independent predictor of mortality at 30 and 90 days. CONCLUSION: This score could be used to predict early mortality and guide perioperative counselling. The delay to surgery identifies a potential window to intervene and correct these abnormalities with the aim of improving survival. Cite this article: Bone Joint J. 2020;102-B(1):72-81.

Can we accurately predict nerve conduction study outcome using a carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire?

NCS are often routinely performed for CTS despite recommendations from the BOA, BSSH and NICE that they are associated with increased costs and prolonged waiting times. This prospective study aimed to assess if the Kamath and Stothard clinical questionnaire could accurately predict nerve conduction study (NCS) results when diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Eighty-eight patients referred with signs and symptoms of CTS from September 2016 to February 2017 were included. All patients were assessed by specialist hand therapists using the Kamath and Stothard carpal tunnel questionnaire (CTQ) and all patients independently underwent NCS by neurophysiologists. We compared results of CTQ score versus NCS findings. Results showed that a CTQ score of less than 3 correlated 100% to negative NCS. When the CTQ score was more than or equal to 5, 90% of patients had a positive NCS result. For patients with a CTQ score of 3 or 4, the NCS could not be reliably predicted. These findings suggest that the Kamath and Stothard CTQ is a useful tool in determining which patients may require NCS. We suggest that only patients with a CTQ score of 3 or 4 and with equivocal signs and symptoms should undergo NCS. The questionnaire has the potential to be used as a primary tool for diagnosing CTS, with significant cost savings and reduction in waiting times for NCS.

Cemented total hip replacement in patients under 55 years.

Background and purpose - About 86,000 total hip replacements (THR) have been registered in patients under 55 years in the National Joint Registry of England and Wales (NJR). The use of uncemented implants has increased, despite their outcomes not having been proven to be significantly better than cemented implants in this registry. We determined the implant survivorship and functional outcomes of cemented THR in patients under 55 years at a minimum follow-up of 22 years. Patients and methods - 104 hips in 100 patients were included in this prospective study. Functional outcome was assessed using the Harris Hip Score and radiographs were assessed for implant failure and "at risk" of failure. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed. Results - 89% of hips showed good to excellent results at final follow-up with a mean Harris Hip Score of 88 at a mean follow-up of 25 years. Revision was performed in 3/104 hips. 14 acetabular components and 4 femoral components were "at risk" of failure. The survivorship at minimum 22 years with revision for any reason as the end-point was 97% (95% CI 95-98). Interpretation - Cemented hip replacements perform well in young patients with good long-term functional and radiographic outcomes.

Numbness Around the Total Knee Arthroplasty Surgical Scar: Prevalence and Effect on Functional Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Numbness around the surgical scar can be a source of discomfort or dissatisfaction in a proportion of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Literature reports wide variation in its prevalence and the consequence of numbness on the outcome of TKA is not clear. We investigated the prevalence of numbness, along with contributing factors, and assessed its effect on the functional outcome of TKA. METHODS: In total, 258 knees were included in this prospective patient-reported outcome measure case-control study. Demographic details, type and length of incision, pre-operative and 1-year post-operative Knee Society Scores were recorded and compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of numbness at 1 year was 53%, with a female preponderance. Patients older than 70 years were less affected. Discomfort due to numbness was recorded in 8.7% of the patients, 75% of which were female. The length of the incision correlated positively with the presence of numbness. The Knee Society Scores did not correlate with the presence or area of numbness. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of numbness after TKA. Nevertheless, numbness does not affect the functional outcome.

How well do contoured superior midshaft clavicle plates fit the clavicle? A cadaveric study.

BACKGROUND: Given the degree of variation in clavicular morphology, 4 clavicle plating systems were examined for their congruity as superior, midshaft, anatomic clavicle (SMAC) plates in a cadaveric study. METHODS: SMAC plates from 4 manufacturers were applied to 79 dry right human clavicles. Two systems offered multiple (4) variations of plates (MP), 1 offered two variations (TP), and 1 had a single plate (SP). Two examiners applied and clamped the best-fitting plate from each system onto each of the 79 clavicles and then graded them: 1, poor fit; 2, good fit; and 3, anatomic fit. Each examiner repeated the process to assess intraobserver and interobserver reliability. The scores were averaged to produce a final score for each system for each clavicle. RESULTS: The MP systems scored the highest (32%-37% anatomic, 54%-63% good, 5%-8% poor), followed by the TP system (30% anatomic, 53% good, 17% poor), and finally the SP system (9% anatomic, 59% good, 32% poor). Of note, clavicular length significantly correlated with a higher degree of conformity in all plating systems (Spearman rank correlation P < .05 for each system). In clavicles longer than 150 mm, the MP and TP systems performed identically, with the SP system close behind. Contouring of the plate is needed in 73% of cases overall. CONCLUSION: Plating systems with multiple plate shape variations are more advantageous when dealing with smaller-sized clavicles, typically in females. However, when dealing with larger clavicles, there was no real difference.