Are Constant Pain, Night Pain, or Abnormal Neurological Examination Adequate Predictors of the Presence of a Significant Pathology Associated With Pediatric Back Pain?

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have suggested that most cases of pediatric back pain do not have an identifiable cause. No reliable sign or indication differentiates between a benign or serious cause of the symptom. Constant pain, night pain, and abnormal neurological examination have been suggested as adequate predictors of an identifiable cause, when plain radiographs could not explain the symptoms. The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios of constant pain, night pain, and abnormal neurological examination to predict the presence of an underlying positive finding as a cause of back pain. METHOD: From 2010 to 2016, all patients who presented with a chief complaint of back pain were included in the study. Magnetic Resonance Image was performed to all patients presenting with back pain without identifiable cause lasting >4 weeks. Patients who presented with spondylolysis were treated accordingly base on radiographic findings and were excluded as study protocol. RESULTS: A total of 388 patients were evaluated during the study period. The mean age of the subjects was 14.5 years; 69.7% being female. An underlying pathologic condition was identified in 56 of 132 (42%) of patients with constant pain, 61 of 162 (38%) with night pain, and 8 of 9 (89%) with abnormal neurological examination. Probability to have an underlying pathology correlated directly with the amount of clinical markers. DISCUSSION: An abnormal neurological examination was found as a strong predictor for an underlying pathologic condition. Further imaging of a pediatric patient with back pain without clear explanation for their symptoms on plain radiographs should not be limited to constant pain, or night pain because clinicians could be missing important diagnosis. Therefore, the clinician cannot be assured by absence of these clinical markers, that there is no underlying spinal pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Vitamin D levels and fracture risk among Hispanic children.

PURPOSE: There is a lack of knowledge about whether low vitamin D levels increase the risk of pediatric low-energy fractures among Hispanic population. The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a direct relationship between low vitamin D levels and the incidence of low-energy fractures in Hispanic children. METHOD: Cases included all consecutive patients evaluated with low-energy fractures in the pediatric orthopedic clinic. The control group consisted of all pediatric patients evaluated, without fractures, who had bone and joint pain complaints in the general pediatric clinic. The main focus was to compare cases and controls in relation to their vitamin D levels. Cases and controls were compared using t tests for means of quantitative variables and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: A total of 201 subjects, distributed as cases (n = 107) and controls (n = 94), were included in this study. One hundred twelve (55.7%) of the total study population were males. The mean age for the study population was 8.6 years old ranging from 1 year to 18 years, and standard deviation = 4.0 years. The median age for the study population was 9 years. The mean vitamin D level for the cases was 32.6 ng/dl (SD = 10.9); the mean vitamin D level for controls was 32.3 ng/dl (SD = 13.4). This difference was not statistically significant (t = 0.18, 95% CI - 3.2 to 3.9; p = 0.854). CONCLUSION: A direct relationship between low vitamin D levels and fracture risk in a Hispanic pediatric population was not established. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: III.

The Spinal Structure and Lung Function Relationship in an Untreated Nonambulatory Myelomeningocele Group of Patients.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between spinal structure and respiratory function has been coined as thoracic insufficiency syndrome and is defined as the inability of the thorax to support normal respiratory function or lung growth. Little is known about what supports this relationship in untreated nonambulatory myelomeningocele patients. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study of nonambulatory myelodysplasia patients was performed. Anatomic, radiographic, and functional parameters were evaluated to validate the respiratory-spinal structure relationship. Thirty-one patients diagnosed with nonambulatory myelomeningocele fulfilled the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The imaging study confirmed the spinal deformity. Lung functions measured in this patient population describe reduced lung volumes by CT lung volume reconstruction, reduced vital capacity by spirometry, and reduced total lung capacity by the nitrogen washout method. Together, these findings suggest moderate restrictive respiratory disease. The blood count study did not show evidence of anemia or other blood disturbances. Echocardiogram analysis did not show pulmonary hypertension in any patient. CONCLUSION: The data validate the relationship between spinal structure and lung function. However, there is no simple structural feature that could help to diagnose thoracic insufficiency syndrome. Thus, the diagnosis continues to be based on a combination of clinical findings and radiological and respiratory function evaluations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

One-step (standard) versus two-step surgical approach in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis posterior spinal fusion: Which is better?

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study with IRB approval. INTRODUCTION: Significant blood loss remains an important concern in terms of the performance of the posterior spinal fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Several strategies have been reported to minimize blood loss during surgery. In order to address the need to minimize blood loss without sacrificing the quality of the fusion, in our hospital, we adopted a two-step surgical approach. This surgical approach consist of the exposure and instrumentation of the lumbar region prior to and followed by an extension of the surgical incision to the thoracic region for its subsequent instrumentation. The main purpose of this study was to compare a two-step surgical approach with the one-step (standard) approach. METHODS: This study was a review of all the data on consecutive posterior spinal fusion surgeries performed by a specific two-surgeon team during 2004-2013. Demographics, surgical variables, radiographic findings, and outcomes regarding blood loss, morbidity, and the duration of the procedure were evaluated. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients underwent the standard surgical exposure, and 41 patients underwent the two-step surgical technique. With the exception of BMI, neither group showed any statistically preoperative variable significant differences. None of the postoperative outcome variables were statistically significant between both surgical approaches. CONCLUSIONS: No differences were detected in terms of using a two-step surgical approach versus the one-step standard surgical approach regarding perioperative blood loss, surgical time, or complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level of evidence III.

Epidemiology of pediatric bone fractures across age groups: Analysis of a pediatric population at an outpatient clinic in the Southwest region of Puerto Rico.

BACKGROUND: Background: Gender disparities in pediatric fracture events has been well-documented however, less is known about racial disparities. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of pediatric bone fractures in a Hispanic population. METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patient's records from a Pediatric Orthopeadic outpatient clinic in the Southwest region of Puerto Rico during a 1-year span (August 2014 ­ August 2015). Differences in sex, BMI, health insurance coverage, parental educational level and employment status, mechanism of fracture, fracture site, and seasonality were investigated among three age classes (pre-school children, school children and adolescents). RESULTS: The sample consited of 243 subjects (0-21 y/o) sustaining a fracture of any extremity within the study period. Boys were at a higher risk of having a fracture event and as age increased, the male/female ratio also increased. The mean BMI was 18.0 kg/m2, with the highest in the school children age group (20.3 kg/m2). Slighlty more than half of the subjects (55.7%) benefitted from public health insurance coverage. The typical father was a laborer with a high school diploma, while the mother had a high school diploma but was unemployed There was a tendency for the children to suffer a bone fracture while at school (49.4%), followed by fractures at home (34.6%). In both the pre-school and school children groups, the upper extremity was more frequently involved (66.7% and 63.9%, respectively) in fracture events. Finally, there was very little variation in the seasonality of fracture events. CONCLUSION: This study provided valuable epidemiological information about pediatric bone fractures within a Hispanic population. It may contribute to the development and implementation of educational and preventive strategies appropriate to age and sex-differences.