[Touched by an angel]. / Een jongen met afwijkende pinken.

The case of a 4-year-old boy with a symmetrical deformity of the 5th fingers is presented. Radiographs showed dysplastic development of the middle phalanx resembling the shape of ''Christmas tree angels''. A finding typical for Angel-shaped phalango-epiphyseal dysplasia (ASPED). Differential diagnosis, associated conditions and treatment are discussed.

ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon autograft and accelerated brace-free rehabilitation: a systematic review of clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical outcomes after hamstring tendon autograft ACL reconstruction (ACLR) with accelerated, brace-free rehabilitation. DESIGN: Systematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. DATA SOURCES: Embase, MEDLINE Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL and Google scholar from 1 January 1974 to 31 January 2017. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Study designs reporting outcomes in adults after arthroscopic, primary ACLR with hamstring autograft and accelerated, brace-free rehabilitation. RESULTS: Twenty-four studies were included in the review. The clinical outcomes after hamstring tendon autograft ACLR with accelerated brace-free rehabilitation were the following: (1) early start of open kinetic exercises at 4 weeks in a limited range of motion (ROM, 90°-45°) and progressive concentric and eccentric exercises from 12 weeks did not alter outcomes, (2) gender and age did not influence clinical outcomes, (3) anatomical reconstructions showed better results than non-anatomical reconstructions, (4) there was no difference between single-bundle and double-bundle reconstructions, (5) femoral and tibial tunnel widening occurred, (6) hamstring tendons regenerated after harvest and (7) biological knowledge did not support return to sports at 4-6 months. CONCLUSIONS: After hamstring tendon autograft ACLR with accelerated brace-free rehabilitation, clinical outcome is similar after single-bundle and double-bundle ACLR. Early start of open kinetic exercises at 4 weeks in a limited ROM (90°-45°) and progressive concentric and eccentric exercises from 12 weeks postsurgery do not alter clinical outcome. Further research should focus on achievement of best balance between graft loading and graft healing in the various rehabilitation phases after ACLR as well as on validated, criterion-based assessments for safe return to sports. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2b; therapeutic outcome studies.

Spontaneous scapular spine fracture related to rotator cuff pathology: a report of two cases.

Spontaneous fractures of the scapula are rare, especially those involving the scapular spine. There are only a few case reports addressing this topic. Two cases are presented of spontaneous scapular spine fractures in patients with cuff-tear arthropathy. Treatment was conservative, resulting in a stiff shoulder in both patients. The combination of oral steroids and cuff-tear arthropathy seems to have caused a spontaneous scapular spine fracture in these patients. Considering the risk of operative intervention in the elderly patient conservative treatment seems a reasonable alternative.

A new digital preoperative planning method for total hip arthroplasties.

Preoperative templating is an important part of a THA. The ability to accurately determine magnification of the hip on the radiograph and apply identical magnification to the radiograph and template will improve accuracy of preoperative templating of THA. We designed a templating method using a new way of determining the hip magnification with a linear relationship between magnification of the hip and the reference object on top of the pubis symphysis; the relationship was determined on 50 radiographs. We then compared our method with two other templating methods: an analog method assuming an average hip magnification of 15% and a digital method determining the hip magnification with a one-to-one relationship between the reference object and the hip. All methods were reproducible. Uniform undersizing occurred when templating with the digital method based on the one-to-one relationship; the analog method best predicted the implanted prosthesis size, closely followed by our new digital templating method; the new method will be particularly applicable for preoperative THA when analog methods are replaced by digital methods.