Differentiation in Posterior Tibial Slope by Sex, Age, and Race: A Cadaveric Study Utilizing 3-Dimensional Computerized Tomography.

BACKGROUND: Posterior tibial slope (PTS) has recently gained increased attention for its possible role in anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament injury. The possible differences among age, sex, and ethnicity in PTS have not yet been reported. PURPOSE: To describe demographic variances of proximal tibial anatomy and to detect differences in regard to ethnicity, sex, and age. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: In total, 250 cadaveric specimens with full-body computerized tomography scans from the New Mexico Descendant Imaging Database were randomly selected (inclusion/exclusion criteria: older than 18 years, complete imaging of the knee without previous surgery or arthroplasty) and reviewed by 3 independent observers measuring medial posterior tibial slope (MPTS), lateral posterior tibial slope (LPTS), and global posterior tibial slope (PTS), which was calculated as the mean of the MPTS and LPTS. Individuals were evenly divided among male and female and ethnicities/races: African American/Black, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American, and White. Intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated for interobserver reliability and analysis of variance statistical testing to determine statistical significance between groups. Fisher exact test was also used to understand PTS differences among ethnicities when looking at clinically significant values for potential ligamentous injury. RESULTS: Measurements were obtained from 250 specimens with a mean age of 49.4 years (range, 19 to 103 years). The mean PTS was 8.92° (range, -9.4° to 14.95°). Asian Americans had a 1.7° greater mean MPTS than Whites (P = .016), and African Americans/Blacks had a 1.6° greater mean PTS than Whites (P = .022). No difference in mean PTS was seen between age and sex. When looking at clinically significant PTS, 61 (24.4%) individuals had tibial slopes <6° or >12°, 32 (12.8%) and 29 (11.6%), respectively. Statistically significant differences were seen among ethnicities with PTS <6° (P = .017) but not with PTS >12° (P = .106). No sex-based differences were seen in the percentage of specimens with a PTS of >12° or <6°. CONCLUSION: Among ethnicities, African Americans/Blacks and Asian Americans have increased PTS in comparison with Whites. Nearly 25% of individuals have clinically significant slopes of <6° or >12°, with no difference in tibial slope among sex or age groups.

Rotating Hinge Distal Femur Replacement: A Turn for the Worse.

Preoperatively periprosthetic joint infection with a postoperative complication of 180° rotation of the press-fit femoral component is a rare event, and knowledge of this possible complication is important for arthroplasty surgeons.

Assessment of synovial fluid and serum cytokine levels in children with septic arthritis.

Acute septic arthritis (ASA) is a common orthopedic infection of children which may produce devastating sequelae and chronic morbidity. Improved understanding of the intra-articular inflammatory response in ASA may identify cytokine targets with diagnostic or therapeutic potential, though no detailed investigations to this end have been performed. Given this, we used a multiplex cytokine assay for assessment of levels of 40 different cytokines in the synovial fluid and blood of children with ASA. Twelve children (8 controls undergoing orthopedic surgery for non-infectious conditions and 4 with ASA) were prospectively enrolled. Blood and synovial fluid were collected intraoperatively from each subject, and the levels of 40 cytokines were determined using a multiplex assay. Cytokines were organized by function and structure into 12 groups for analysis. The Benjamini-Hochberg method was used to control for type 1 errors, with an a priori false discovery rate of 10%. Subjects with ASA were younger than controls (mean age 8.0 vs 13.1 years, p=0.0400). Significant elevations were seen in interleukins (IL) with chemokine properties, IL-6 and those in the common-γ chain group in the blood and synovial fluid of children with ASA compared with controls, while significant elevations in 5 additional cytokine groups were seen in synovial fluid from children with ASA compared with controls, most notably IL-6 (median 8294.3 vs 10.7 pg/mL, p=0.0066). Our pilot study is the first to describe in detail the cytokine response in children with ASA, and highlights the need for additional study.

Anaphylactic Reaction to Tranexamic Acid During Posterior Spinal Fusion: A Case Report.

CASE: We present a 20-year-old man who suffered anaphylactic shock during posterior spinal fusion for neuromuscular scoliosis with the offending agent later identified via intradermal testing to be tranexamic acid (TXA). CONCLUSION: TXA, although an increasingly common drug, can be the cause of sudden anaphylactic shock intraoperatively. This now represents the fifth reported case in the literature of patients ranging from 15 years to 80 years old with no previous exposure to the drug.

Prophylactic Fixation and Arthroscopic Bone Grafting of Large Femoral Neck Cyst During Hip Labral Repair and Femoral Osteochondroplasty: A Case Report.

CASE: We describe a case of hip impingement in an 18-year-old woman in association with a large cyst at the femoral neck equal to a resection level of approximately 40%. There was great concern of femoral neck fracture. At the time of hip arthroscopy, this was prophylactically treated with cannulated screws in the femoral head and neck, and the cyst was arthroscopically bone grafted using a novel technique with instruments included in standard the arthroscopy trays. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic femoral neck fixation with arthroscopic bone grafting of large bone cysts is a viable treatment option with minimal added morbidity.