Establishing surgical indications for hamstring lengthening and femoral derotational osteotomy in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.

PURPOSE: Surgical procedures, such as medial hamstring lengthening (MHL) and femoral derotational osteotomy (FDO), can improve the gait of children with cerebral palsy (CP); however, substantial variation exists in the factors that influence the decision to perform surgery. The purpose of this study was to use expert surgeon opinion through a Delphi technique to establish consensus for indications in ambulatory children with CP. METHODS: A 15-member panel, all established experts with at least nine years' experience in the surgical management of children with CP, was created (mean of 20.81 years' experience). All panel members also had expertise of the use of movement analysis for the assessment of gait disorders in children with CP. The group initially focused on two of the most commonly performed procedures, MHL and FDO, in an attempt to gain consensus (> 80%). This was obtained through a standardized, iterative Delphi process. RESULTS: For MHL, a total of 59 questions were surveyed: 41 indication questions and 18 outcome questions, for which there was consensus on ten indication questions and seven outcomes. For FDO, a total of 55 questions were surveyed: 43 indication questions and 12 outcome questions, for which there was consensus on 29 indication questions and eight outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to use an expert panel to identify best-practice indications for common surgical procedures of children with CP. The results from this study will allow for more informed evaluation of practice and form the basis for future improvement efforts to standardize surgical recommendations internationally. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Success Rates for Reduction of Pediatric Distal Radius and Ulna Fractures by Emergency Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Emergency physicians are trained in urgent fracture reduction. Many hospitals lack readily available in-house orthopedic coverage. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine success rates for reduction of pediatric distal radius or ulna fractures by emergency department (ED) physicians. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of children younger than 18 years presenting to a large, urban, freestanding children's hospital from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010, with forearm fracture. Exclusions included open fracture, those requiring immediate surgical intervention, or additional fractures. The primary end point was the proportion of successful closed forearm fracture reductions in the ED, as defined by orthopedic follow-up. RESULTS: All reductions were performed by a board-certified/eligible pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physician or PEM fellow. Two hundred ninety-five fractures were reduced in the ED during the study period. Mean age was 8.27 years (median, 8 years; range, 1-16 years), and males comprised 69.2% (n = 204). A total of 222 fractures (76%) were of the distal forearm, and 70 involved the midshaft (24%). Orthopedic follow-up was completed in 77.3%. A total of 33 patients (11%) required remanipulation; 24 in the distal forearm fracture group (22 closed reductions, 2 open reductions with internal fixation) versus 9 in the midshaft group (7 closed reductions, 2 open reductions with internal fixation) (P = 0.948). CONCLUSIONS: The literature reveals 7% to 39% of children with fracture reductions performed in the ED by orthopedic surgeons/residents require remanipulation. Our rate of 11% is consistent within that range. With training, PEM physicians have similar success rates as orthopedists in forearm fracture reductions.

Adjunctive Pain Control Methods Lower Narcotic Use and Pain Scores for Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Undergoing Posterior Spinal Fusion.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective review of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF). OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the use of adjunctive pain medications (bupivacaine pump, dexmedetomidine, and ketorolac) will reduce the need for opioids, reduce postoperative pain, and shorten length of hospital stay in patients with AIS undergoing PSF. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for AIS can cause significant postoperative pain. Adjunctive pain control modalities, including the use of ketorolac, dexmedetomidine, and subcutaneous bupivacaine pumps, all can lessen the effects of postoperative pain. METHODS: Retrospective review of adolescents aged 10-18 years with AIS receiving PSF surgery over the past 10 years at a tertiary care children's hospital. All patients with AIS undergoing PSF were included in the study. Patients older than 18 or younger than 10 years and those undergoing PSF for other diagnoses, including neuromuscular scoliosis, congenital scoliosis, and kyphosis, were excluded from the study. Patients' pain was managed postoperatively with adjunctive medications in addition to intravenous and oral opioids. Variables of interest were local anesthetic bupivacaine delivered through a subcutaneous pump, sedative/analgesic dexmedetomidine, and ketorolac. Primary outcomes analyzed were normalized opioid requirement after surgery, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, and length of stay in the hospital. RESULTS: A total of 196 children were analyzed with no significant differences in demographics. Univariate analysis showed that all 3 adjunct medications improved outcomes. A multivariate regression model of the outcomes with respect to the 3 medication variables of interest was built, showing that the bupivacaine pump significantly reduced normalized opioid requirement by 0.98 mg/kg (p = .001) and reduced VAS pain scores by 0.67 points (p = .004). Dexmedetomidine significantly reduced the average VAS pain scores in the first 24 hours by 0.62 points (p = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Use of the bupivacaine pump provided improved analgesia with lower pain scores, lower opioid requirements, and a lower length of stay.

Independent analysis of a clinical predictive algorithm to identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis in children.

BACKGROUND: The number of serious, life-threatening musculoskeletal infections in children due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is increasing. The early identification of the bacteria causing osteomyelitis is critical to determine the appropriate antibiotic treatment. A recent study proposed a clinical algorithm to predict which infections were caused by MRSA by stratifying basic clinical values at the time of admission for children with osteomyelitis. The purpose of this study is to apply that predictive algorithm on an independent patient population to determine its wider applicability. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review at a tertiary care children's hospital. All children who were treated for a culture-positive osteomyelitis were identified over a 3-year period. The previously reported predictors, determined by multivariate regression analysis, of MRSA infection (temperature >38°C, hematocrit <34%, white blood cell count >12,000/µL, and C-reactive protein >13 mg/L) were determined for each patient. The number of positive predictors was then correlated with the percentage of cases that were MRSA positive. RESULTS: A total of 58 patients with culture-positive osteomyelitis were identified from 2008 to 2010. Sixteen of the infections were caused by MRSA (overall 26%). The percentage of patients with MRSA osteomyelitis according to the number of risk factors were as follows: all 4 risk factors, 50% (1 out of 2 patients); 3 risk factors, 42% (5 out of 12 patients); 2 risk factors, 21% (4 out of 19 patients); 1 risk factor, 50% (6 out of 12 patients); and 0 risk factor, 0% (0 out of 13 patients). CONCLUSIONS: The previously reported clinical predictive algorithm had a relatively poor diagnostic performance in this independent patient population. Specifically, the percentages of MRSA were the same for 1 risk factor compared with 4 (50%). Differences in bacteria strain, host responses, and a variety of other confounding variables could be responsible for these differences. Specific genetic markers may be the best early test to identify MRSA infections in the future. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-case-control series.

The spectrum of musculoskeletal problems in lipomyelomeningocele.

PURPOSE: Patients with lipomyelomeningocele (LMMC) represent a unique population within the spectrum of spinal dysraphism. The natural history of LMMC remains poorly defined. The description and prevalence of the presenting orthopaedic clinical signs and symptoms for LMMC have been infrequent and often documented only in general terms. The goal of this study is to define the patterns and prevalence of presenting clinical musculoskeletal signs and symptoms in LMMC patients. METHODS: This study was a retrospective review of charts of all patients identified as having LMMC in our spina bifida clinic. Patient charts with incomplete data or diagnoses other than LMMC were excluded from the analysis. Data collected included age at initial tethered cord release (TCR); repeat TCR; limb length discrepancy; foot deformities; asymmetry of motor and sensory deficits; presence of scoliosis; orthotic needs; assistive devices; functional status. RESULTS: We identified 32 patients with LMMC (21 female and 11 male patients). The majority of patients had their primary TCR by ≤1 year of age (59 %), with 22 and 19 % having primary TCR at ages 1-15 and >15 years, respectively. Fifteen patients had at least one repeat TCR, with ten of these having more than one repeat TCR. A significant relationship was noted between low back/radicular pain and repeat TCR (p < 0.001). Ten patients (31%) had a limb length discrepancy of >2.5 cm, and 53 % of patients had asymmetric involvement. Nine patients (28 %) had scoliosis of whom only one required operative treatment. Fifteen patients had foot deformities. Thirteen patients (41 %) had two or more orthopaedic procedures in addition to other neurologic or urologic procedures. CONCLUSION: The presenting musculoskeletal clinical signs and symptoms in patients with LMMC are uniquely different in terms of both pattern and frequency compared to myelomeningocele and other forms of spinal dysraphism. We noted a high prevalence of asymmetrical involvement, a high operative burden, and a high rate of repeat symptomatic tethered cord syndrome requiring TCR. As previously noted by others, TCR in LMMC does not prevent long-term functional deterioration. These findings may be important to our colleagues providing counsel to their patients with LMMC and to their families.

Case report: Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the lumbar spine in a child.

BACKGROUND: Chondrosarcomas of the spine constitute 4% to 10% of all primary spinal bone tumors and approximately 70% of the cases occur during the second or third decade of life. Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a rare aggressive variant of chondrosarcoma. The prognosis of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is usually poor with a tendency for late local recurrence and metastasis. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a case of primary mesenchymal chondrosarcoma affecting the L5 vertebra of a 9-year-old girl. The patient underwent a staged circumferential resection of the tumor after three rounds of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The patient had additional chemotherapy and radiation therapy as an intralesional margin was achieved during the procedure. At 9 years followup, the patient was asymptomatic, neurologically intact, and remained in remission. LITERATURE REVIEW: We identified only four previously published cases of spinal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in childhood, two of which had relatively early recurrence and poor survival, and two survived but with only short followup. PURPOSES AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: As the clinical and radiographic findings of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma are nonspecific, the diagnosis of this rare tumor requires careful histopathologic review of the specimens. We suggest the differential diagnosis of every primary intraspinal tumor include tumors of mesenchymal origin. The prognosis is apparently not uniformly poor.