Characterization of Major Complications of Bridge Plating of Distal Radius Fractures at a Level I Trauma Center.

BACKGROUND: Comminuted, markedly displaced distal radius fractures can cause instability requiring advanced stabilization with dorsal bridge plating. However, published complication rates of bridge plating widely vary. We hypothesize that complications of bridge plating of distal radius fractures are more prevalent than published rates. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on all patients at an academic level I trauma center treated with a bridge plate for a distal radius fracture from 2014 to 2022. RESULTS: Sixty-five wrists were included in the final analysis: average age 53 years, male 51%, average plate retention 4 months, and average follow-up 6 months. Carpal tunnel release (CTR) was performed at time of primary procedure in 7 (10%) cases. Radial height, radial inclination, dorsal tilt, and ulnar variance were all significantly improved (P < .001). Grip strength, flexion, extension, and supination were significantly limited (P < .03). Twenty-one patients (32%) developed 35 major complications requiring unplanned reoperation, including mechanical hardware-related complication (15%), deep infection (11%), nonunion/delayed union (9%), adhesions (6%), median neuropathy (6%), symptomatic arthritis (5%), and tendon rupture (2%). Plate breakage occurred in 3 patients (5%) and was always localized over the central drill holes of the bridge plate. CONCLUSIONS: Major complications for bridge plating of distal radius fractures were higher at our institution than previously published. Plate breakage should prompt reconsideration of plate design to avoid drill holes over the wrist joint. Signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome should be carefully assessed at initial presentation, and consideration for concomitant CTR should be strongly considered.

Short-Term Patient Outcomes after Placement of an Internal Joint Stabilizer for Terrible Triad Injuries: A Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the functional and patient-reported outcomes after the use of the internal joint stabilizer (IJS) for unstable terrible triad injuries. Specifically, we sought to determine our complication rate and the impact of complications on patient outcomes. METHODS: We identified all patients who had an IJS placed as a supplemental fixation for a terrible triad injury at two urban, level 1 academic medical centers. We reviewed these patients' charts for demographic information, complication profiles, postoperative range of motion (ROM), and pain-level data. We also collected the QuickDASH and Patient-Rated Elbow Evaluation (PREE) scores. Descriptive statistics were reported. Final visit data were compared between patients who returned to the OR for a complication and those who did not. RESULTS: From 2018 to 2020, 29 patients had an IJS placed for a terrible triad injury. The median final follow-up was 6.3 months after surgery (IQR: 6.2 months). There were 38 complications in 19 patients (65.5%) that required 12 patients to return to the OR (41.3%) for procedures beyond simple IJS removal. There were no significant differences in the ROM between patients who returned to the OR for a complication and those who did not. QuickDASH and PREE scores were greater (indicating more disability) in patients who had a complication that required a secondary surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who receive an IJS incur a high rate of complications. When patients sustain complications that require secondary surgeries, their ultimate functional outcome scores worsen. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

Indications for Ligament Reconstruction and Suspensionplasty in Carpometacarpal Arthroplasty.

The trapeziometacarpal joint is the site that most commonly develops arthritis in the hand. Although optimal treatment requires careful consideration of history, physical examination, radiographs, and functional goals, many patients ultimately undergo surgical intervention. Several described techniques and approaches are highlighted in this article, especially pertaining to carpometacarpal arthroplasty with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition. The rationale, benefit, and evidence for each approach are discussed and the author's preferred technique is described.

Management of the Metacarpophalangeal and Scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal Joints in Patients with Thumb Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis.

Basilar thumb osteoarthritis at the trapeziometacarpal joint is the second most common location of osteoarthritis in the hand. Arthritis and instability of the thumb MCP joint can be quite debilitating, given the crucial role the joint plays in thumb dexterity. Advanced basilar thumb osteoarthritis often leads to collapse of the first ray with compensatory hyperextension of the thumb metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint and is accompanied by arthritis in the scaphotrapezialtrapezoid joint. Here the authors discuss the management of MCP hyperextension and scaphotrapezoidal osteoarthritis in the setting of basilar thumb osteoarthritis.

Outcomes after Bone-Ligament-Bone Intercarpal Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Numerous surgical reconstructive techniques have been described for chronic scapholunate and lunotriquetral interosseous ligament instability. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed 16 consecutive patients who underwent bone-ligament-bone reconstruction for scapholunate or lunotriquetral intraosseous ligament predynamic and dynamic instability at a single tertiary care institution from 2013 to 2019. Clinical and radiographic outcomes, and complications, were recorded. RESULTS: Eleven patients had bone-ligament-bone reconstruction for scapholunate ligament injuries and five for lunotriquetral instability. Fourteen patients (87.5 percent) underwent diagnostic arthroscopy before bone-ligament-bone reconstruction, with nine of 14 having grade 3 and four of 14 having grade 4 injury. Capitohamate bone-ligament-bone grafts were used in nine patients (56 percent) and the graft was taken from Lister tubercle in seven (44 percent). The average age at surgery was 37 years. The average follow-up was 60.6 weeks. There were no significant differences between preoperative and postoperative radiographic parameters. Median postoperative wrist flexion was 45 degrees, and mean postoperative wrist extension was 53 degrees, which were significantly less than contralateral flexion (85 degrees; p < 0.0001) and extension (78 degrees; p < 0.0001). Thirty-eight percent of patients complained of persistent pain at final follow-up, and two patients (13 percent) underwent salvage procedures, both at approximately 6.5 months after the index reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Short-term outcomes of bone-ligament-bone reconstruction for early-stage scapholunate and lunotriquetral ligament injuries reveal many patients with residual postoperative wrist pain and disability, and almost uniform limitations in flexion-extension motion. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

Instability in the Setting of Distal Radius Fractures: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment.

Distal radius fractures with severe displacement or concomitant triangular fibrocartilage complex tears may be accompanied by distal radioulnar joint instability. Clinicians should examine the distal radioulnar joint closely when managing wrist fractures and treat coexisting instability appropriately. Chronic instability from distal radius malunion may require osteotomy or radioulnar ligament reconstruction. With proper management, most patients recover forearm stability and rotational motion after distal radius fracture.

Industry Funding and Self-Declared Conflict of Interest in Hand Surgery Publications.

PURPOSE: Accurate financial disclosure is essential to prevent bias in scientific reporting. We aimed (1) to document the extent of industry financial payments to hand surgery literature authors and (2) to uncover discrepancies in author self-declared conflict of interest (COI). METHODS: We screened all scientific and review articles published in 2017 from the American editions of 4 peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Hand Surgery [JHS], Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery [JBJS], Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery [PRS], and Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons [JAAOS]) to identify authors of hand, wrist, elbow, and peripheral nerve topics. We compared self-reported disclosures with industry-reported payments on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Open Payments Database (OPD) for 3 years prior to publication or per journal policy. We individually examined each for relevance of the corporate payer to the article's subject matter. RESULTS: We found 630 eligible authors from 395 articles. The total amount of industry-reported payments over 3 years prior to publication was $24,396,607.80. The median total payments per author per year was $118.40, with interquartile range from $0 to $1,364; 68% of authors received some industry payment; the most common being food and beverage (66% of authors). Senior authors received significantly more industry payments (median, $2,985.67/y) than first and middle authors ($70.27 and $113.17, respectively). Of all authors examined, 58% had undisclosed payments, but only 14% were relevant to the article subject matter. Authors in JAAOS & JBJS, senior authors, and those receiving more than $500,000 from industry were less likely to accurately report all payments. CONCLUSIONS: Industry payments to hand surgery authors were lower than those reported to other orthopedic specialties and tended to be concentrated in a few authors receiving large amounts. Relevant COI disclosure inaccuracies are infrequent within hand surgery literature. Uniform policies of complete disclosure across journals may remove author judgment regarding payment relevance to published material and help eliminate remaining COI errors. Authors may reference the OPD prior to submitting disclosures to prevent potential discrepancies and identify errors within the database. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Relationships with industry offer opportunities for innovation, education, and research, but overlooking COI self-reporting may erode confidence in the academic integrity of the hand surgery literature.

Revision surgery after vascularized or non-vascularized scaphoid nonunion repair: A national population study.

HYPOTHESIS: We aimed (1) to discover the prevalence of vascularized bone grafting in the treatment of scaphoid nonunion and (2) to compare healing using vascularized bone grafting versus standard non-vascularized techniques. Secondarily, we sought to compare resource utilization between procedures and identify factors that may be associated with nonunion repair failure. We hypothesized that, despite being less common, vascularized bone grafts have greater success than non-vascularized bone grafting surgeries. METHODS: We performed a large population analysis using the Truven MarketScan databases to identify patients from 2009 to 2017 with a diagnosis of a scaphoid nonunion undergoing repair surgery with and without the insertion of a pedicled or free vascularized bone graft. We defined any subsequent scaphoid or wrist surgery within 12 months after surgery as surgery failure. We compared success rates and post-operative resource utilization using Chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Of 4177 eligible patients, 358 underwent nonunion repair with vascularized bone graft and 3819 patients received non-vascularized bone grafting. The failure rate requiring revision surgery was 5.0% in vascularized repair, versus 6.1% for non-vascularized surgery. Age and comorbidities did not affect bone graft type. Areas with higher median household incomes had more vascularized repairs. Vascularized bone graft patients received significantly more therapy and imaging after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Most scaphoid nonunion repairs are performed without vascularize bone grafting. Typical nonunions may not justify the increased time and technical demands of vascularized bone grafting, and traditional repair should remain first line treatment for scaphoid nonunions without additional risk factors. Further studies to elucidate which fractures benefit most from vascularized grafting are needed.

Harrington rod revision after failed total hip arthroplasty due to missed acetabular metastasis.

We report the case of a 61-year-old woman who was referred to our service after she received a total hip implant at another institution and was found to have a large acetabular defect from pulmonary metastasis. The patient elected to undergo palliative surgical curettage and fixation. We describe a technique to create a cement construct reinforced with Steinmann pins that reduces pain and offers improved mobility.