Editorial Commentary: Long-Term Outcomes of Autologous Osteochondral Transfer of the Knee Are Successful and Predicated Upon Appropriate Patient Selection.

Cartilage restoration techniques continue to grow in complexity, expanding from traditional marrow stimulation or isolated chondroplasty of chondral lesions to various grafting procedures. Microfracture can induce a less favorable biologic response that includes formation of type I fibrocartilage and development of subchondral cystic changes or sclerosis. Thus, chondral graft options that restore native type II hyaline cartilage are favored. Autologous osteochondral transfer is a favorable graft option because it provides native type II hyaline cartilage on an autologous subchondral scaffold that most closely emulates the native chondral environment, and clinical studies demonstrate better functional outcomes and return to sport compared with other cartilage grafting and bone marrow stimulation procedures. Patient factors, including sex, age, lesion location, lesion size, etiology, and preinjury function must be considered on a case-by-case basis before determining the best procedure for a given patient. In athletes, long-term functional outcomes, return to sport, and avoidance of arthroplasty are favorable in appropriately selected individuals. Patient selection is paramount.

Bringing Physical Exam Skills Back from the Dead.

Physical examination education begins early for medical learners. A hindrance to physical exam competency is lack of exposure to pathology in standardized patient settings. This research focuses on improving medical education through the utilization of cadavers that have undergone a soft-embalming technique: the Thiel method. Three scenarios were created in four Thiel cadavers: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear, and sham incision. Students were asked to diagnose ACL tears using the Lachman exam. A total of 54 learners participated in the study. Post-surveys indicated most learners: (1) prefer to use standardized patients (SPs) and soft-embalmed cadavers in their physical examination courses, (2) increased their confidence in performing the Lachman exam on real patients, and (3) enhanced their Lachman technique. SPs ultimately cannot volitionally reproduce the physical exam findings of ACL deficiency. Consequently, learners cannot accurately identify positive versus negative examination findings. Thiel-embalmed cadavers are a valuable resource for physical examination education. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 30(2):112-115, 2021).

Novel Cemented Technique for Trochanteric Fixation and Reconstruction of the Abductor Mechanism in Proximal and Total Femoral Arthroplasty: An Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Little evidence exists regarding the clinical outcomes of cemented trochanteric fixation for abductor mechanism reconstruction in proximal or total femoral replacements. Clinical outcomes were assessed for a novel cemented technique for trochanteric fixation in femoral megaprostheses. METHODS: A descriptive series of 13 patients who underwent proximal or total femoral arthroplasty from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed. Radiographic trochanteric displacement >1 cm defined construct failure. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to determine survival rates for these cemented constructs. Demographic information was obtained to better characterize the patient population in whom this technique was used. RESULTS: Eleven patients were included (age = 63.6 years; 45.4% females; body mass index = 31.7). Mean time to final radiographic follow-up was 73.8 weeks. Three of 11 (27.2%) patients had construct failure. Overall, survival at 1 year was 81.8%. At 2 years, survival of cemented constructs was 65.5%. More construct failures occurred in patients who sustained a postoperative dislocation than in those who did not (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: This novel cemented trochanteric fixation technique for reconstruction of the abductor mechanism in femoral megaprostheses had 81.8% survival at 1 year postoperatively. While longitudinal comparative studies with larger samples are needed, the cemented technique may provide a viable alternative to traditional cementless methods of trochanteric fixation. Increased construct failure rates after postoperative dislocation highlight the importance of robust abductor reconstruction in these implants.