Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery
Volume:10 Issue: 9, Sep 2022

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a serious adverse event. Culturing of samples of periprosthetic tissue is the standard technique utilized for the microbiological diagnosis of PJI. However, this technique is neither sensitive nor specific since in PJI the microorganisms are usually in a biofilm on the surface of the prosthesis. The objective of this paper is to know the role of sonication in the diagnosis of PJI after TKA. Sonication consists in taking samples of bacteria from biofilms adhered to the prosthetic surface. The reported sensitivity for the diagnosis of PJI of the periprosthetic tissue cultures and sonicate fluid cultures is 54% and 75%, apiece. The specificity is 98% and 87%, respectively. In conclusion, the sonication technique is a dependable test for the diagnosis of PJI after TKA with a greater sensitivity and specificity than the conventional periprosthetic tissue cultures. Sonication of polyethylene liners, rather than the whole prosthesis, has been reported to be sufficient for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection.Level of evidence: III

The appearance of bone metastases (BM) in individuals with advanced solid cancers (breast, prostate, lung) often worsens their quality of life and prognosis. Although none have been fully effective, several strategies have been used to combat BM. Hence, the need for new data that could be useful for treating bone metastasis. To this end, we reviewed the recent literature on the subject. About patients with prostate cancer, treatments with PIP5K1α inhibitors have been found to inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis, and G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member A (GPRC5A) could be a future therapeutic target. Regarding patients with breast cancer, we found the following: Asperolide A could be another curative drug; targeting transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathways, along with osteoclast activity, could be a favorable therapeutic approach in the preclusion of osteolytic bone destruction; TRAF6 inhibitors such as 6877002 appear promising; aiming the BMP4-SMAD7 signaling axis is an innovative therapeutic approach; there is favorable proof for the plausible therapeutic utilization of bone aiming immunostimulatory MOF (BT-isMOF) nanoparticles, and inhibition of IL4R and macrophages could have therapeutic benefits. For lung cancer, the function of LIGHT in osteolytic osseous illness instigated by metastatic non-small cell lung cancer should be highlighted. Level of evidence: III

The median artery is an embryonic structure that typically regresses during gestation. Occasionally, the artery remains and is then termed a persistent median artery (PMA). A PMA can be associated with other anatomic anomalies, and has been known to contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Recent literature has observed an increase in PMA prevalence, speculated to indicate microevolutionary change. We performed a prospective observational study to investigate the current prevalence rate of PMA in patients undergoing carpal tunnel release (CTR).  Institutional review board approval was obtained. From October 2020 to January 2021, patients ≥18 years old undergoing open CTR by 9 orthopaedic hand surgeons were included in analysis. Patients undergoing endoscopic CTR were excluded. Intraoperatively, the carpal tunnel was evaluated for the presence of a PMA, median nerve anomalies, or any other anatomic anomalies. If a patient underwent bilateral CTR during the study, only one side was included in analysis as determined randomly.  Three hundred and sixty open CTRs in 327 patients were performed during the study. Twenty-seven PMAs were identified, for an overall prevalence rate of 8.3%. The average age of patients with a PMA was 63.6 years (SD 13.3 years), consisting of 15 men and 12 women. There were no statistical differences in age, gender, or laterality between patients that did and did not have a PMA. Thirty-three patients underwent bilateral CTR during the study, with 3 being found to have a PMA unilaterally, and zero having a PMA bilaterally. Two bifid median nerves (0.6%) were also identified. This study represents the highest prevalence rate of PMA directly observed in CTR patients reported to date (8.3%). A PMA is not a rare finding, and it should be recognized and protected during CTR. Occasionally, a PMA can be the cause of an acute presentation of CTS. Level of evidence: IV

We hypothesized that there is no difference in the perceived pain and disability when the tennis elbow symptoms recur after a CSI. Consequently, we secondarily aimed to assess the approximate time from CSI until symptom recurrence. Moreover, we aimed to evaluate factors associated with the time to recurrence.

This cross-sectional study was performed during 2018-2019. We enrolled 50 consecutive patients who presented with the recurrence of tennis elbow symptoms and had a history of a single CSI for this condition. We asked the patients to rate the perceived pain and disability by filling the QuickDASH twice, including one by recalling pain and function before the CSI and one for the recent recurrent symptoms to assess the patient’s perceived pain and disability at the two-time points. 

There was a significant difference in perceived pain VAS and disability QuickDASH between pre-injection and recurrence, showing that the patient’s perceived pain and disability were greater when recurred (P<0.001). The mean time between CSI and recurrence of symptoms was 6 (4-7) months, which is shorter than the expected spontaneous resolution of tennis elbow (> 1 year) to offer other invasive treatments. Time to recurrence had no significant association with sex, age, side, education, occupation, pre-injection VAS score, pre-injection QuickDASH, or symptom duration using a linear regression model.

Although CSI seems to relieve or mask the pain in the short term, there is a considerable chance of recurrence, and patients may perceive more significant pain and disability that may lead to subsequent injection or precocious surgery. Time is an effective treatment for this illness. Shared decision-making is paramount, and patients have to be counseled regarding the natural history and expected prognosis of different treatments. Level of evidence: IV

Recurrent low back pain (RLBP) affects different structures in the lumbar spine. Exercise therapy is highlyrecommended as one of the first-line treatments. One crucial variable introduced to enhance RLBP is the externalfocus. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of external focus training on pain, the thickness of transverseabdominis (TrA), internal oblique (IO), external oblique (EO), and lumbar multifidus (LM) muscles, kinesiophobia, fearavoidancebeliefs, and disability of people with RLBP. This randomized-controlled trial consisted of 38 RLBP patients. Patients were randomly divided into two groupsthe treatment group (n=19) that received external focus training in addition to motor control training and the control group(n=19) that received motor control training alone. The primary outcome was pain intensity, and secondary outcomes werethe thickness of TrA, IO, EO, LM muscles, kinesiophobia, fear-avoidance beliefs, and disability that were measured at thebaseline and after 16 sessions of interventions. The interventions were performed three sessions weekly. Reduction in pain intensity was more significant in the intervention group than in the control group (P<0.001, Cohen’sd=-1.47). The thickness of TrA muscle in the contraction condition of the intervention group was significantly more on the leftside (P<0.001, Cohen’s d=1.05) than on the right side (P=0.03, Cohen’s d=0.44). Other outcomes showed no significantdifferences. However, the Cohen’s d effect size for the left IO (Cohen’s d=0.57) and TKS (Cohen’s d=-0.53) were moderate. In RLBP patients, external focus and motor control training could effectively reduce the pain. Althoughthis intervention could increase the thickness of the TrA muscle of RLBP, it has no significant effect on the thicknessof IO, EO, and LM muscles. In addition, the obtained results indicated that this intervention has no significant effect onkinesiophobia, fear-avoidance beliefs, and disability..Level of evidence: I

The purpsose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical outcomes of patients who underwent ACL reconstruction either with the DB or SB technique. We hypothesized that the DB technique would provide better rotation control of the knee following ACL reconstruction.  The study included seventy-five participants (26 DB, 22 SB, and 27 healthy volunteers). Only cases with at least one year of postoperative follow-up were included. The participants performed three different demand tasks: walk task, walk and change direction, and stair descent and change direction, which was tracked using a three-dimensional 4-camera optoelectronic system. The following kinematic data were analyzed: tibial rotation amplitude and maximal internal and external rotation. Knees with ACL reconstruction were compared to contralateral knees with intact ACL and healthy knees. Clinical outcomes were determined using the subjective and objective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire and a manual arthrometer (KT 1000).  Both surgical groups exhibited similar clinical outcomes (mean subjective IKDC 91 SB vs. 90 DB, P=0.815; KT 1000 difference: 2mm in both groups, P=0.772). The vertical component of the ground force reaction revealed no differences between the surgical and control groups (P>0.05). Tibial rotation amplitude and maximal internal and external rotation were similar between the control, SB, and DB groups in all three different demand tasks (P>0.05). ACL reconstruction using either the SB or DB technique can restore rotational control to the level of a healthy knee. No clinical or functional differences were found between the SB and DB surgical options.Level of evidence: II

Total hip arthroplasty (THA)after previous hip surgery increases the procedure complexity and complication rate. We investigated the complication rates following conversion to total hip arthroplasty from three hip surgeries, namely plate fixation of the intertrochanteric fracture, nailing of the trochanteric fracture, and hemiarthroplasty of the hip. This retrospective study was conducted using the PearlDiver database (www.pearldiverinc.com, ColoradoSprings) and identified all patients undergoing THA between 2010 and 2019. Among this group, we included all patients who had received one of the three procedures , hip hemiarthroplasty (CPT 27125), fixation of the intertrochanteric fracture with plates and screws (CPT 27444), or fixation of hip fracture with nail (CPT 27445) within two years of THA. We analyzed complications in these patients and compared it to the complication rate in primary THA patients. The complications analyzed were 30-day transfusion risk, 90-day surgical site infection (SSI) risk, 90-day periprosthetic fracture risk, 1-year dislocation risk, and 2-, 5-, and 10-year revision risk.  A total of 118,209 patients underwent THA between 2010 and 2019. A total of 9,173, 48,326, and 31,632 patients underwent fixation with plates and screws , nailing and hemiarthroplasty respectively. We identified 71, 42, and 160 patients with hemiarthroplasty, plates & screws, and nailing, respectively, within two years of THA. 117,936 primary THA patients were used as a comparison group. The nailing group had the highest rate of transfusion risk (OR=2.34, 95% CI=1.32, 4.13, P<0.05).Furthermore, the hemiarthroplasty group had highest rate of SSI risk (OR=9.25, 95% CI=4.86, 17.63, P<0.05) and highest revision risk at 2 years (OR=10.532, 95% CI= 6.09, 18.19, P<0.05). Conversion of hemiarthroplasty to THA was associated with a higher risk of infection and revision. Hence, surgeons considering primary hip hemiarthroplasty for severely comminuted intertrochanteric fracture should exercise caution, especially for active elderly patients.Level of evidence: III

Some have suggested the use of generic surgical implants to curb rising costs of orthopaedic care. However, there is evidence that patients are reluctant to use generic pharmaceuticals as compared to their brand name equivalents for fear of inferior quality. Public perception of the use of generic implants remains unknown.  We conducted a cross-sectional survey using Amazon MTurk to identify factors associated with a consumer preference for generic orthopaedic screws and total hip.  While much of the public (52%) sees the value of generic implants, fewer (26%) would prefer them in their own care. Most respondents (75%) trust their surgeon’s choice, yet the vast majority (83%) want to be informed about the cost of their implant, even if it makes no difference in what they pay. The agreement that older implants are safer than newer implants (OR 1.9 for screws; 2.5 for hip arthroplasty), and that generics are a better value than brand name implants (OR 3.0 for screws; 4.3 for hip arthroplasty) were independently associated with a preference for generics. The observation that many people view generic implants as being a good value, yet fewer would prefer to use them in their own care indicates that concerns over quality may initially limit utilization of generic implants. More evidence is needed to reassure most consumers of the safety and effectiveness of generic implants. Additionally, our findings demonstrate a desire for more implant price transparency when undergoing orthopaedic surgery.Level of evidence: II

Osteoporosis is a silent and asymptomatic disease that leads to thoracic hyperkyphosis, which can interfere with the normal function of the paraspinal musculature and balance control. There is no evidence regarding the effect of the anatomical posture control (APC) orthosis in older people with osteoporotic thoracic hyperkyphosis. This study aimed to examine the effects of this novel orthosis on the electromyography (EMG) of the erector spinae (ES) and balance control in this group of patients. In total, 22 elderly osteoporotic subjects with thoracic hyperkyphosis were enrolled in this study. The participants used the orthosis for 4 weeks. The clinical balance assessment scales assessing fall risk and surface EMG (sEMG) signals were recorded from the erector spinae muscles bilaterally before and after the use of orthosis. The marginal model was used with the generalized estimating equation analysis for investigating the effect of this orthosis on the sEMG of the paraspinal muscles and the balance control in this longitudinal study.  The normalized root mean square of sEMG of the lumbar and thoracic ES muscles reduced significantly (P<0.05), and significant improvement was observed (P<0.05) in the balance control test when the participants used this new-designed orthosis (P<0.05). APC orthosis can decrease the activity of ES muscles during static standing and improve the static and dynamic balance in the hyperkyphotic osteoporotic subjects.Level of evidence: II

The treatment of culture-negative periprosthetic joint infections (CN PJI) of the hip represents complex entities. We, as a result of this, report on 12 cases. Irrigation and debridement (I&D) with implant retention were performed in acute cases and two-stage revisions in chronic infections. Combined antibiotic therapy was administered in all cases for 12 weeks. Infection control was achieved in all patients with an infection-free rate of 100% at 7.5 years of average follow-up.Level of evidence: IV

Intra-articular fractures of the proximal phalanx head, especially with the condylar defect, are relatively rare but challenging for surgical treatment. Although several surgical procedures are available to reconstruct articular cartilage defects, the optimal method is unclear. This study reports a successful osteochondral reconstruction of proximal phalanx condylar defect in an athlete using the articular portion of the fifth metacarpal base.Level of evidence: V

Total shoulder arthroplasty surgeries have continued to increase in popularity with a concomitant expansion of the indications for these procedures. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the global perioperative treatment of these patients, from preoperative optimization and patient selection through postoperative therapy regimens. We electronically sent a survey to the members of the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow surgeons that queried surgeons on several important elements in the global care of shoulder arthroplasty patients. Questions were designed to evaluate common preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative treatment decisions. Only 3 out of 24 questions (12.5%) reached the 75% large majority mark, with five questions (20.8%) failing to reach a majority response. An additional 3 questions failed to show any significant answer distribution. This variability among shoulder practices likely represents a fairly surgeon-specific treatment algorithm currently. This may correspond to a lack of robust, evidence-based guidelines. Level of evidence: Level IVKeywords: Total shoulder arthroplasty; preoperative optimization; postoperative rehabilitation