Controlled repositioning and primary osteoplasty as a treatment option for the management of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

The ideal management of an unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is still controversial. The currently available options are in-situ screw fixation with delayed corrective osteotomy, closed reduction and screw fixation and anatomic reduction by modified Dunn's procedure (MDP). We present the results of our technique of controlled re-positioning (CRP) with primary osteoplasty in which the epiphysis is repositioned to the preacute slip stage and a mini-open osteoplasty is done in the same sitting to avoid later femoro-acetabular impingement. We had 27 unstable slips which presented to our institution between 2015 and 2019, of which nine were treated with the above technique, and the rest 18 were treated with MDP. All of them were followed up for a minimum of 1 year. The mean intraoperative flexion-internal rotation before osteoplasty was -21.1° (-5° to -40°), which improved to +22.8° (+15° to +30°). Pre- and post-operative mean head-neck angles were 46.5° and 18.3°, respectively, with a decrease of 28.2°. At the final follow-up, the mean alpha angle was 45.1° and the mean head-neck offset ratio was 0.26. None of the patients had avascular necrosis or chondrolysis. The technique of CRP, screw fixation and primary osteoplasty is a viable treatment option for a subset of patients with unstable SCFEs. But, the decision is made intraoperatively and the parents need to be counselled about the need for an alternative procedure if repositioning is unsuccessful. Level of evidence: level IV - case series.

Short-term outcomes of treatment in children presenting with DDH in walking age - An analysis of 84 hips.

BACKGROUND: Developmental Dysplasia of Hip (DDH) presenting at walking age is not uncommon, particularly in developing countries. The available treatment modalities in this age group are closed reduction (CR), open reduction (OR), OR with additional femoral and/or pelvic osteotomy. This study was done in patients who presented between 12 and 36 months of age to assess the following: 1) Percentage of hips amenable for successful CR, 2) failure rate after CR and OR in walking age DDH and 3) the need for secondary procedures to address subluxation and residual dysplasia within first 2 years. METHOD: ology: After IRB approval, the institutional database was searched for patients admitted with a diagnosis of DDH from January 2009 to January 2019. We identified 142 patients, of which 65 patients with 84 hips formed the study cohort after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographic details, details of the interventions, brace wear, revision procedures and radiological data were collected from Hospital Information System. We divided the patients in three groups: Group I - CR, Group II -OR, and Group III - OR with an additional bony procedure in the form of femoral and/or pelvic osteotomy. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 20.1 months. We had 10 (11.9%) hips in group I, 39 (46.4%) hips in group II and 35 (41.6%) hips in group III. The mean follow-up was 44.8 months (24-132 months). In Group I, 5 (50%) had re-dislocation and 2 (20%) needed revision intervention for residual dysplasia. In Group II, 4 (10%) had re-dislocation and 4 (10%) needed revision intervention. In Group III, 5 (14.2%) hips needed revision intervention for residual dysplasia. The mean final AI was 24.6°in Group I, 28.2° in Group II and 26.3°in Group III. There was no significant difference in the final AI between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: An attempted closed reduction has a 50% failure rate, and we recommend a low threshold for open reduction. There is a 10% rate of re-dislocation following open reduction with or without additional bony procedure. About 50% of the dysplastic hips treated without pelvic osteotomy at the time of index procedure fail to remodel and have residual acetabular dysplasia.

A Simple Modified Technique for In-Situ Screw Fixation in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

BACKGROUND: In-situ pinning has a definite role in the management of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). We describe a modified technique for in-situ screw fixation on a regular radiolucent operating table which avoids certain complications innate with the existing techniques. MATERIALS: Sixty consecutive hips which underwent either in-situ fixation for SCFE (28 hips) or prophylactic fixation of the contralateral hip (32 hips) by the modified technique were analysed. The femoral head was divided into three zones (A-central, B-middle, C-peripheral) of equal circles. The zone of the screw was noted in both AP and lateral views. The angle between the physeal line and the screw in AP(SAP) and lateral (Slat) view, and the distance from screw tip to articular surface in both views were measured. RESULTS: In AP view, 55/60 (91.6%) screws were in zone-A, and five were in zone-B. In the lateral view, 56/60 (93.3%) screws were in zone-A, and four were in zone-B. There was no screw placed in zone-C in either of the views. The average deviation was < 15° in AP view and < 7° in lateral view from the ideal placement. The mean distance from the screw tip to the articular margin in AP was 5.15 mm and that in lateral was 6.15 mm. The interobserver agreement rate was found to be 0.8. No patient had intraoperative breakage of a drill bit or joint penetration, avascular necrosis, chondrolysis or screw-related complications at a minimum follow-up of one year. CONCLUSION: In-situ pinning on the radiolucent table is safe and has distinct advantages. The modified technique of in-situ screw fixation adds to the safety and accuracy of the procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Paediatric Ankle Fractures: Guidelines to Management.

INTRODUCTION: Paediatric ankle fractures represents about 5% of all paediatric fractures. It is the most common physis to be injured in the lower limb accounting to approximately 15-20% of all physeal injuries. This article reviews the literature on this common injury which still has many controversial areas and gives guidelines to management based on the existing evidence along with clinical experience gained from a Level I trauma center. CLASSIFICATION: The original Salter-Harris Classification with the additional types is a good system to guide on the management. The transitional fractures form a separate group with technically two broad types-biplane and triplane injuries. Though there are many sub-types in this group with some popular eponymous fractures, the treatment principles remain the same. MANAGEMENT: A very low threshold for CT scan is recommended when there is a clinical suspicion of fracture with a negative radiograph or an intra-articular fracture in the radiograph especially in the adolescent age group. CT scan helps in accurate quantification of the intra-articular displacement and also helps to comprehend the fracture geometry better. All the intra-articular fractures with displacement > 2 mm need perfect anatomical reduction and stabilization. Assisted closed reduction and percutaneous fixation along with arthrogram to confirm articular congruity is acceptable as long as the reduction is perfect. Irrespective of the method of treatment, in children with more than 2 years of growth remaining it is important to counsel regarding the high incidence of pre-mature physeal closure and the need for regular follow-up.

Correlation of radiological parameters to functional outcome in complex proximal humerus fracture fixation: A study of 127 cases.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the radiological and functional outcome of complex proximal humerus fractures treated by open reduction and plate fixation, and how radiological parameters correlate with functional outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Level-1 trauma center. PATIENTS/METHODS: One hundred twenty-seven patients were analyzed, with a mean follow-up of 5 (3-7) years. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Radiological parameters studied were neck-shaft angle (NSA), greater tuberosity (GT) to articular surface (AS) distance, medial hinge reduction, and presence (or absence) of calcar screw. Functional outcome evaluated by DASH and Constant-Murley (C-M) score. RESULTS: The mean age is 53.8 years. All patients had a union in 14 (12-18) weeks. The mean NSA is 135° (112-155°). One hundred and thirteen patients with an NSA of >120° had a good functional outcome. Fourteen patients with NSA ≤120° had shoulder abduction <90°. The mean GT to AS distance is 7.2 mm (-2 to 16). The superior displacement of GT above AS is associated with abduction of <90° (16 patients). The mean medial gap is 3 mm (0-17). In 14 patients with a medial gap of >4 mm and without calcar screw, varus collapse is observed. All patients had a good outcome on DASH score and 122 patients had good to excellent outcome on C-M score. Five patients with poor outcome on C-M score had NSA <120° and displacement of GT above AS. CONCLUSION: Radiographic indicators for poor outcome are varus angulation with NSA <120°, superior displacement of GT above AS, the presence of medial gap >4 mm, and absence of calcar specific screw. This "terrible triad" of proximal humerus fracture should be avoided during operative fixation.