A Missed Pediatric Achilles Tendon Rupture with a Large Gap Managed with Surgical Reconstruction with Allograft: A Case Report.

CASE: A 15-year-old adolescent girl presented with a complete Achilles tendon rupture from playing netball, which was diagnosed 6 weeks later. Unfortunately, there was a significant deficit of 92 mm, and an allograft reconstruction was required to bridge the gap. CONCLUSION: Achilles tendon ruptures are rare in children and adolescents without a penetrating injury, but the diagnosis must not be missed. Achilles tendon ruptures should be considered in children with acute-onset ankle pain during running, jumping, or sudden dorsiflexion of the ankle. Tendon transfers and allograft may be required after rupture and retraction has occurred in subacute or chronic injuries.

Patient-reported outcomes in young adults with osteonecrosis secondary to developmental dysplasia of the hip - a longitudinal and cross-sectional evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a common complication in the treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). While functional outcomes of affected patients are good in childhood, it is not clear how they change during the transition to young adulthood. This study determined the relationship between osteonecrosis and hip function, physical function and health status in adolescents and young adults. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 169 patients with a mean age of 19.7 ± 3.8 years with and without osteonecrosis following an open or closed reduction (1995-2005). We also performed a separate longitudinal evaluation of an historical cohort of 54 patients with osteonecrosis, embedded in this sample. All completed patient-reported outcome measures in 2015/2016 to quantify hip function (maximum score 100); physical function (maximum score 100); and general health status (maximum score 1). We graded all radiographs for subtype of osteonecrosis (Bucholz-Ogden); acetabular dysplasia (centre-edge angle); subluxation (Shenton's line); and osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence). Analyses were adjusted for the number of previous surgical procedures on the hip and for the severity of residual hip dysplasia. RESULTS: In 149 patients (186 hips) with and without osteonecrosis, the mean differences (95% confidence interval) in hip function, physical function and quality of life were - 4.7 (- 10.26, 0.81), - 1.03 (- 9.29, 7.23) and 0.10 (- 1.15, 1.18), respectively. Adjusted analyses stratified across types of osteonecrosis showed that only patients with Bucholz-Odgen grade III had reduced hip function (p < 0.01) and physical function (p < 0.05) but no difference in health-related quality of life when compared to no osteonecrosis. CONCLUSION: Osteonecrosis secondary to DDH is a relatively benign disorder in adolescents and young adulthood. Affected patients demonstrated minimal physical disability, a normal quality of life but reduced hip function.

Deep Peroneal Nerve Injury Following Hardware Removal for Lisfranc Joint Injury.

BACKGROUND: Surgical exposure of the Lisfranc joint complex is within close proximity to the deep peroneal nerve, which can be injured in this approach. Common clinical practice is to remove Lisfranc hardware at 3 to 4 months postoperatively. However, it is unknown if this provides a clinical benefit or risks injury to the deep peroneal nerve. The rate of nerve injury is currently unknown from the published literature. This study clarifies rates of neurological injury to the deep peroneal nerve during primary surgery and hardware removal. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed on all patients of a single surgeon from 2012 to 2018. Fixation was performed with locking plates or screws depending on the injury pattern. All patients who required open reduction and internal fixation routinely underwent hardware removal during this time. Neurological injury was assessed in a binary fashion (normal or abnormal) at 2, 6, and 12 weeks after the primary surgery and 2 and 12 weeks after hardware removal. McNemar's test was performed to compare the rates of injury. Patients were contacted at a minimum follow-up of 15 months (range, 15-87 months) to assess persistent nerve injury and satisfaction. Fifty-seven patients with an average age of 29.8 years were included in the final analysis; all had documentation at 3 months postsurgery. RESULTS: All patients had normal neurology before surgery. The rate of nerve injury for the primary surgery (11%) was significantly lower than the rate for patients with nerve injury following hardware removal (23%). However, the rate of spontaneous neurological recovery was low, with symptoms persisting in 5 of 6 patients between the primary operation and subsequent hardware removal. When these patients were excluded from the analysis, the rate of new nerve injury following hardware removal (15%) was not significantly different from the primary surgery rate. Seventy-one percent of nerve injuries persisted at the minimum 15-month final follow-up, with all patients with nerve injury being very or partially satisfied. CONCLUSION: The rate of deep peroneal nerve injury from primary Lisfranc fixation was 11%, and when routine hardware removal was planned the overall rate of nerve injury rose to 23%. This may be useful information during the patient consent process. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, case series.

A combined endoscopic and open surgical approach for chronic retracted proximal hamstring avulsion.

Proximal hamstring avulsion is an uncommon injury which usually requires surgical intervention. When possible, primary surgical fixation is recommended. In chronic hamstring avulsion with significant retraction of the tendon, hamstring reconstructions using an autograft or allograft are required in order to bridge the gap. This is mainly performed using an open surgical technique. We describe a combined endoscopic and open surgical approach to hamstring reconstruction surgery.

Piriformis-Sparing Minimally Invasive Versus the Standard Posterior Approach for Total Hip Arthroplasty: A 10-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Control Trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite the popularity of minimally invasive approaches in total hip arthroplasty, studies regarding their impact on soft tissues and long-term benefits are lacking. This study aims to compare the 10-year functional outcome of the piriformis-sparing minimally invasive approach to the standard posterior approach for total hip arthroplasty surgery. METHODS: Hundred patients were randomized, 48 patients to the piriformis-sparing approach and 52 to the standard approach. Primary outcomes were hip function and piriformis muscle volume and grade on magnetic resonance imaging. Secondary outcomes were pain, satisfaction score, and complications. Evaluators were blinded to allocation. Participants were followed up to 10 years. RESULTS: Ten years following surgery, both groups reported excellent pain relief, improved hip function, and high satisfaction. The significant differences were improvement in piriformis muscle volume (P = .001) and muscle grade (P = .007) in the piriformis-sparing group compared to the standard group. There were no significant differences in all other outcomes. CONCLUSION: Aside from being less injurious to the piriformis muscle, the piriformis-sparing approach offered the same long-term functional benefits as the standard posterior approach at 10 years.