Significant Increase in Early Reoperation After Latarjet-Bristow Procedure Versus Arthroscopic Bankart Repair for Anterior Shoulder Instability: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the 30-day outcomes, including length of stay, short-term complications, hospital readmission, all-cause reoperation, and death after arthroscopic Bankart (AB) and Latarjet. METHODS: Patients in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who had undergone either AB or Latarjet-Bristow (LB) procedures for anterior shoulder instability from 2012 to 2018 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Nearest neighbor propensity score matching was used to address any potential demographic differences. The 30-day incidence of postoperative complications were compared, and univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify risk factors associated with the incidence of post-operative complications. RESULTS: A total of 7,519 patients were identified, with 6,990 (93.0%) undergoing AB and 529 (7.0%) LB. After propensity score matching, the baseline demographics were not significantly different (P > .05). There was no significant difference in rate of total adverse events between the AB and LB cohorts (P = .06). There was a significant difference in the rate of return to the operating room between LB (1.9%) when compared to AB (0%) (P < .001). Of reoperations, 40% were due to need for revision stabilization (0.8% of all LB cases) and 40% were for irrigation and debridement. There was also a significant difference in operative time (AB = 87 minutes, LB = 131 minutes; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall 30-day complication rates were low for both groups, with similar rates among AB and LB patients. However, there was a statistically significant increased rate of short-term reoperation or revision stabilization in the LB cohort. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative prognostic trial.

[Evidence-based interventions to treat chronic low back pain: treatment selection for a personalized medicine approach : German version]. / Evidenzbasierte Interventionen zur Behandlung von chronischem Schmerz im unteren Rücken ­ Therapieauswahl für einen personalisierten Behandlungsansatz : Deutsche Fassung.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is highly prevalent in the United States and globally, resulting in functional impairment and lowered quality of life. While many treatments are available for cLBP, clinicians have little information about which specific treatment(s) will work best for individual patients or subgroups of patients. The Back Pain Research Consortium, part of the National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM (HEAL) Initiative, will conduct a collaborative clinical trial, which seeks to develop a personalized medicine algorithm to optimize patient and provider treatment selection for patients with cLBP. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this article is to provide an update on evidence-based cLBP interventions and describe the process of reviewing and selecting interventions for inclusion in the clinical trial. METHODS: A working group of cLBP experts reviewed and selected interventions for inclusion in the clinical trial. The primary evaluation measures were strength of evidence and magnitude of treatment effect. When available in the literature, duration of effect, onset time, carryover effect, multimodal efficacy, responder subgroups, and evidence for the mechanism of treatment effect or biomarkers were considered. CONCLUSION: The working group selected 4 leading, evidence-based treatments for cLBP to be tested in the clinical trial and for use in routine clinical treatment. These treatments include (1) duloxetine, (2) acceptance and commitment therapy, (3) a classification-based exercise and manual therapy intervention, and (4) a self-management approach. These interventions each had a moderate to high level of evidence to support a therapeutic effect and were from different therapeutic classes.

Short-term complication rates of open reduction and plate fixation and intramedullary nailing in the treatment of humeral shaft fractures: a propensity score matched analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This is a retrospective cohort study designed to compare short-term postoperative complication rates between closed humeral shaft fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) versus intramedullary nailing (IMN), as well as secondary independent risk factors for adverse outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried using CPT codes to identify patients that underwent an open reduction and plate fixation or intramedullary nailing procedure for a closed humeral shaft fracture from 2010 to 2021. Cohorts were matched using propensity scores to account for demographic differences and rates of complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: From the database, a total of 4,222 patients were identified who met inclusion criteria, with 3,326 and 896 undergoing ORIF and IMN respectively. After propensity score matching, 866 of the nearest-neighbor matches were included in each cohort for a total of 1,732 patients in the final analysis. The rate of any adverse event (AAE) was significantly higher in the ORIF cohort (16.3%) than the IMN cohort (12.1%, p = 0.01). The ORIF group had higher rates of postoperative transfusion (p = 0.002), return to OR (p = 0.005), and surgical site infection (SSI, p = 0.03). After multivariate analysis, ASA class 4, increasing age, increasing operative time, and history of bleeding disorder were found to increase the risk of AAE in both ORIF and IMN patients. CONCLUSIONS: While prior studies have claimed higher complication rates in IMN patients, this study found a significantly higher short-term risk of AAE in ORIF patients when compared in matched cohorts. However, individual 30-day complication rates do not differ significantly between procedures, and both have been shown to be safe and effective tools in the management of humeral shaft fractures.

Younger age correlates with increased gutter impingement rates after total ankle arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: While total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) has evolved over the years with improved designs and enhanced bony fixation methods, it remains a technically demanding procedure with a risk of early postoperative complications. One of the most common complications associated with TAA is medial and lateral gutter ankle impingement, which can lead to issues such as increased pain and decreased range of motion (ROM). However, there is a paucity of information in the literature discussing the impact of certain risk factors on gutter impingement complications. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of patients who underwent a TAA at a single institution from 2003 to 2019 with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. Patient were identified as having gutter impingement based on diagnostic imaging and/or clinical examination. Data collection included demographics, implant type, follow-up time, and co-morbidities. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) of experiencing gutter impingement were calculated for perioperative variables. RESULTS: The study included a total of 908 patients who underwent TAA with a minimum of 2 year follow up and 121 patients (13.3 %) who subsequently experienced gutter impingement. The average follow-up time was 5.84 + /- 3.07 years. There were 178 patients under 55 years old, 495 patients aged 55 to 70, and 235 patients over 70 years old. A higher rate of gutter impingement was observed in patients under 55 years of age compared to those aged 55 to 70 and over 70 (20.8 % vs. 13.5 % vs. 7.2 %; p < 0.01). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that patient age was significantly correlated with gutter impingement following TAA, with an OR of 0.94 (CI: 0.91-0.98; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated increased incidence of gutter impingement in younger patients who underwent TAA. Propensity for scar tissue formation may be higher in this population. Scar tissue deposition following TAA can cause narrowing of the medial and lateral clear spaces, potentially leading to gutter impingement. Additionally, younger patients may have increased activity demands, which subsequently may cause higher rates of symptomatic impingement. As increased impingement after TAA may require the need for additional debridement surgeries, it is important to understand the intricate relationship between age and gutter impingement for managing patient expectations following TAA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Diabetic management and infection risk in total ankle arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: As total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) increases in popularity nationwide for the management of end-stage arthritis, it is essential to understand ways to mitigate the risk of infection. Diabetes increases the risk of infection due to compromised immunity and impaired wound-healing mechanisms. However, there is limited research on how diabetic management, inclusive of medications and glucose control, may impact infection risks post-TAA. This study aims to demonstrate the impact of diabetic management on the occurrence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following TAA. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent a TAA at a single academic institution from March 2002 to May 2022. Patients with diabetes who developed an intraarticular infection following TAA were propensity score matched (1:3) to diabetic patients who did not. Data collection included demographics, implant types, diabetic medications, and preoperative hemoglobin A1c. PJI was diagnosed based on Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria. Statistical analyses assessed differences in medication use, glucose control, and infection rates between groups. RESULTS: Of the 1863 patients who underwent TAA, 177 patients had a diagnosis of diabetes. The infection rate in patients with diabetes (2.8%) was higher than the total cohort rate (0.8%). Five patients with diabetes developed a PJI at an average of 2.2 months postoperatively. This cohort (n = 5) was compared to propensity score-matched controls (n = 15). There was no significant difference in diabetic medication use. Patients who developed PJI had higher rates of uncontrolled diabetes (60.0% vs. 6.7%) and average A1c levels (7.02% vs. 6.29%) compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the elevated risk of PJI observed in individuals with diabetes subsequent to TAA may be attributed not solely to the presence of diabetes, but to inadequate glycemic control. Effectively managing blood glucose levels is imperative for achieving favorable outcomes following TAA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

NSQIP data collection up to 30 postoperative days is sufficient to capture some complications in orthopedic surgeries.

PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study is to determine if the 30-day follow-up period used by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSIQP) is an appropriate timeframe to capture complications after orthopedic surgeries. METHODS: The 2019 NSQIP data were used. The independent variables were complication type. The dependent variable was days to complication. A Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine if the data were normally distributed. RESULTS: 271,397 orthopedic cases were included. Myocardial infarction, pneumonia, ventilator over 48 h, progressive renal insufficiency, acute renal failure, stroke, and cardiac arrest had positive skewness and positive kurtosis. Deep incisional surgical site infection (SSI), organ/space SSI, wound disruption, unplanned reoperation one, unplanned reoperation two, readmission two, and readmission three had negative kurtosis and negative skewness. Complications with positive kurtosis and positive skewness are more likely to be confined to the 30-day postoperative period, whereas complications with negative skewness and negative kurtosis may be underreported within the 30-day follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are useful in their ability to inform future orthopedic research using NSQIP which continues to generate new data for surgeons to consider for their postoperative care and complication management.

Risk factors and incidence of short-term complications following open reduction and internal fixation of scapula fractures.

PURPOSE: To determine the short-term complication rates following open reduction and internal fixation of scapula fractures, factors affecting the development of adverse events, and complication rates based on the anatomic location of the fracture. METHODS: Thirty-day complication rates for patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation of the scapula were compared between glenoid, body, coracoid, and acromion fracture locations, as identified by International Classification of Disease codes. Possible adverse events included postoperative surgical site infection, renal insufficiency, intubation, pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, urinary tract infection, wound dehiscence, stroke, and blood transfusion. RESULTS: A total of 251 scapula fractures were identified, with 161 having known fracture locations: 105 glenoid, 20 body, 9 coracoid, and 27 acromial fractures. The rate of any adverse event for all scapular fractures was 2.0%, with no significant difference between anatomic locations (p = 0.79). The overall rates of transfusion, surgical site infection, and return to OR were 0.4%, 0.8%, and 3.98%. Steroid use associated with a significantly increased risk of any adverse event (OR: 55.57, p = 0.038) and outpatient status demonstrated a protective effect on reoperation (OR: 0.11, p = 0.014). There were no significant differences in the rates between groups [transfusion (p = 0.91); surgical site infection (p = 0.17); reoperation (p = 0.85)]. CONCLUSION: Complication rates within thirty days of ORIF for scapula fracture were low. Reoperation was the most common complication, followed by surgical site infection, wound dehiscence, stroke, transfusion, and pneumonia. Steroid use was a risk factor for developing any adverse event, and outpatient status was protective against reoperation. The 30-day complication profile of glenoid, body, coracoid, and acromial fractures was not significantly different. The low complication rates support the relative short-term safety of operative intervention with internal fixation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lumbar Spine: Recommendations for Acquisition and Image Evaluation from the BACPAC Spine Imaging Working Group.

Management of patients suffering from low back pain (LBP) is challenging and requires development of diagnostic techniques to identify specific patient subgroups and phenotypes in order to customize treatment and predict clinical outcome. The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Spine Imaging Working Group has developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for spinal imaging protocols to be used in all BACPAC studies. These SOPs include procedures to conduct spinal imaging assessments with guidelines for standardizing the collection, reading/grading (using structured reporting with semi-quantitative evaluation using ordinal rating scales), and storage of images. This article presents the approach to image acquisition and evaluation recommended by the BACPAC Spine Imaging Working Group. While the approach is specific to BACPAC studies, it is general enough to be applied at other centers performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisitions in patients with LBP. The herein presented SOPs are meant to improve understanding of pain mechanisms and facilitate patient phenotyping by codifying MRI-based methods that provide standardized, non-invasive assessments of spinal pathologies. Finally, these recommended procedures may facilitate the integration of better harmonized MRI data of the lumbar spine across studies and sites within and outside of BACPAC studies.

Theoretical Schemas to Guide Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Chronic Low Back Pain Clinical Research.

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a complex with a heterogenous clinical presentation. A better understanding of the factors that contribute to cLBP is needed for accurate diagnosis, optimal treatment, and identification of mechanistic targets for new therapies. The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program provides a unique opportunity in this regard, as it will generate large clinical datasets, including a diverse set of harmonized measurements. The Theoretical Model Working Group was established to guide BACPAC research and to organize new knowledge within a mechanistic framework. This article summarizes the initial work of the Theoretical Model Working Group. It includes a three-stage integration of expert opinion and an umbrella literature review of factors that affect cLBP severity and chronicity. METHODS: During Stage 1, experts from across BACPAC established a taxonomy for risk and prognostic factors (RPFs) and preliminary graphical depictions. During Stage 2, a separate team conducted a literature review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to establish working definitions, associated data elements, and overall strength of evidence for identified RPFs. These were subsequently integrated with expert opinion during Stage 3. RESULTS: The majority (∼80%) of RPFs had little strength-of-evidence confidence, whereas seven factors had substantial confidence for either a positive association with cLBP (pain-related anxiety, serum C-reactive protein, diabetes, and anticipatory/compensatory postural adjustments) or no association with cLBP (serum interleukin 1-beta / interleukin 6, transversus muscle morphology/activity, and quantitative sensory testing). CONCLUSION: This theoretical perspective will evolve over time as BACPAC investigators link empirical results to theory, challenge current ideas of the biopsychosocial model, and use a systems approach to develop tools and algorithms that disentangle the dynamic interactions among cLBP factors.

CAPER: patient preferences to inform nonsurgical treatment of chronic low back pain: a discrete-choice experiment.

OBJECTIVE: We developed and used a discrete-choice measure to study patient preferences with regard to the risks and benefits of nonsurgical treatments when they are making treatment selections for chronic low back pain. METHODS: "CAPER TREATMENT" (Leslie Wilson) was developed with standard choice-based conjoint procedures (discrete-choice methodology that mimics an individual's decision-making process). After expert input and pilot testing, our final measure had 7 attributes (chance of pain relief, duration of relief, physical activity changes, treatment method, treatment type, treatment time burden, and risks of treatment) with 3-4 levels each. Using Sawtooth software (Sawtooth Software, Inc., Provo, UT, USA), we created a random, full-profile, balanced-overlap experimental design. Respondents (n = 211) were recruited via an emailed online link and completed 14 choice-based conjoint choice pairs; 2 fixed questions; and demographic, clinical, and quality-of-life questions. Analysis was performed with random-parameters multinomial logit with 1000 Halton draws. RESULTS: Patients cared most about the chance of pain relief, followed closely by improving physical activity, even more than duration of pain relief. There was comparatively less concern about time commitment and risks. Gender and socioeconomic status influenced preferences, especially with relation to strength of expectations for outcomes. Patients experiencing a low level of pain (Pain, Enjoyment, and General Activity Scale [PEG], question 1, numeric rating scale score<4) had a stronger desire for maximally improved physical activity, whereas those in a high level of pain (PEG, question 1, numeric rating scale score>6) preferred both maximum and more limited activity. Highly disabled patients (Oswestry Disability Index score>40) demonstrated distinctly different preferences, placing more weight on achieving pain control and less on improving physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with chronic low back pain were willing to trade risks and inconveniences for better pain control and physical activity. Additionally, different preference phenotypes exist, which suggests a need for clinicians to target treatments to particular patients.

The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Data Harmonization: Rationale for Data Elements and Standards.

OBJECTIVE: One aim of the Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program is to develop an integrated model of chronic low back pain that is informed by combined data from translational research and clinical trials. We describe efforts to maximize data harmonization and accessibility to facilitate Consortium-wide analyses. METHODS: Consortium-wide working groups established harmonized data elements to be collected in all studies and developed standards for tabular and nontabular data (eg, imaging and omics). The BACPAC Data Portal was developed to facilitate research collaboration across the Consortium. RESULTS: Clinical experts developed the BACPAC Minimum Dataset with required domains and outcome measures to be collected by use of questionnaires across projects. Other nonrequired domain-specific measures are collected by multiple studies. To optimize cross-study analyses, a modified data standard was developed on the basis of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium Study Data Tabulation Model to harmonize data structures and facilitate integration of baseline characteristics, participant-reported outcomes, chronic low back pain treatments, clinical exam, functional performance, psychosocial characteristics, quantitative sensory testing, imaging, and biomechanical data. Standards to accommodate the unique features of chronic low back pain data were adopted. Research units submit standardized study data to the BACPAC Data Portal, developed as a secure cloud-based central data repository and computing infrastructure for researchers to access and conduct analyses on data collected by or acquired for BACPAC. CONCLUSIONS: BACPAC harmonization efforts and data standards serve as an innovative model for data integration that could be used as a framework for other consortia with multiple, decentralized research programs.

The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program: Structure, Research Priorities, and Methods.

In 2019, the National Health Interview survey found that nearly 59% of adults reported pain some, most, or every day in the past 3 months, with 39% reporting back pain, making back pain the most prevalent source of pain, and a significant issue among adults. Often, identifying a direct, treatable cause for back pain is challenging, especially as it is often attributed to complex, multifaceted issues involving biological, psychological, and social components. Due to the difficulty in treating the true cause of chronic low back pain (cLBP), an over-reliance on opioid pain medications among cLBP patients has developed, which is associated with increased prevalence of opioid use disorder and increased risk of death. To combat the rise of opioid-related deaths, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiated the Helping to End Addiction Long-TermSM (HEAL) initiative, whose goal is to address the causes and treatment of opioid use disorder while also seeking to better understand, diagnose, and treat chronic pain. The NIH Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program, a network of 14 funded entities, was launched as a part of the HEAL initiative to help address limitations surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of cLBP. This paper provides an overview of the BACPAC research program's goals and overall structure, and describes the harmonization efforts across the consortium, define its research agenda, and develop a collaborative project which utilizes the strengths of the network. The purpose of this paper is to serve as a blueprint for other consortia tasked with the advancement of pain related science.

Multi-domain biopsychosocial postoperative recovery trajectories associate with patient outcomes following lumbar fusion.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe and assess the impact of multi-domain biopsychosocial (BPS) recovery on outcomes following lumbar spine fusion. We hypothesized that discrete patterns of BPS recovery (e.g., clusters) would be identified, and then associated with postoperative outcomes and preoperative patient data. METHODS: Patient-reported outcomes for pain, disability, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and social roles were collected at multiple timepoints for patients undergoing lumbar fusion between baseline and one year. Multivariable latent class mixed models assessed composite recovery as a function of (1) pain, (2) pain and disability, and (3) pain, disability, and additional BPS factors. Patients were assigned to clusters based on their composite recovery trajectories over time. RESULTS: Using all BPS outcomes from 510 patients undergoing lumbar fusion, three multi-domain postoperative recovery clusters were identified: Gradual BPS Responders (11%), Rapid BPS Responders (36%), and Rebound Responders (53%). Modeling recovery from pain alone or pain and disability alone failed to generate meaningful or distinct recovery clusters. BPS recovery clusters were associated with number of levels fused and preoperative opioid use. Postoperative opioid use (p < 0.01) and hospital length of stay (p < 0.01) were associated with BPS recovery clusters even after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSION: This study describes distinct clusters of recovery following lumbar spine fusion derived from multiple BPS factors, which are related to patient-specific preoperative factors and postoperative outcomes. Understanding postoperative recovery trajectories across multiple health domains will advance our understanding of how BPS factors interact with surgical outcomes and could inform personalized care plans.

ISSLS Prize in Bioengineering Science 2023: Age- and sex-related differences in lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration between patients with chronic low back pain and asymptomatic controls.

PURPOSE: Clinical management of disc degeneration in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) is hampered by the challenge of distinguishing pathologic changes relating to pain from physiologic changes related to aging. The goal of this study was to use imaging biomarkers of disc biochemical composition to distinguish degenerative changes associated with cLBP from normal aging. METHODS: T1ρ MRI data were acquired from 133 prospectively enrolled subjects for this observational study (80 cLBP, 53 controls; mean ± SD age = 43.9 ± 13.4 years; 61 females, 72 males). The mean T1ρ relaxation time in the nucleus pulposus (NP-T1ρ; n = 650 discs) was used as a quantitative biomarker of disc biochemical composition. Linear regression was used to assess associations between NP-T1ρ and age, sex, spinal level, and study group, and their interactions. RESULTS: NP-T1ρ values were lower in cLBP patients than controls (70.8 ± 22.8 vs. 76.4 ± 22.2 ms, p = 0.009). Group differences were largest at L5-S1 (ΔT1ρcLBP-control = -11.3 ms, p < 0.0001), representing biochemical deterioration typically observed over a 9-12 year period (NP-T1ρ declined by 0.8-1.1 ms per year [95% CI]). Group differences were large in younger patients and diminished with age. Finally, the age-dependence of disc degeneration was stronger in controls than cLBP patients. CONCLUSION: Aging effects on the biochemical composition of the L5-S1 disc may involve a relatively uniform set of factors from which many cLBP patients deviate. NP-T1ρ values at L5-S1 may be highly relevant to clinical phenotyping, particularly in younger individuals.

Increased Age, Operative Time, American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification, Functional Dependency, and Comorbidity Burden Are Risk Factors for Adverse Events After Meniscectomy and Meniscus Repair: 10-Year Analysis of 64,223 Patients.

PURPOSE: To use the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database to identify risk factors for 30-day adverse events and hospital readmission following isolated and unilateral meniscectomy or meniscus repair. METHODS: A retrospective review of the NSQIP database from the years 2012 to 2021 identified all patients undergoing isolated, unilateral meniscectomy or meniscus repair. Multivariable analyses were performed for each procedure to identify patient characteristics associated with any adverse event (AAE) or unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days of surgery. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2021, 59,450 (93%) patients underwent meniscectomy, and 4,773 (7%) patients underwent meniscus repair. Overall adverse event rate was 0.95% after meniscectomy and 1.40% after repair. Risk factors for AAE after meniscectomy included increased age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.010; P = .009), increased operative time (OR = 1.003; P = 0.011), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class IV (OR = 2.048; P = .045), functional dependency (OR = 3.527; P = .001), and current smoking (OR = 1.308; P = .018). Risk factors for AAE after meniscus repair included age (OR = 1.024; P = .016), operative time (OR = 1.004; P = .038), and bleeding disorders (OR = 7.000; P = .014). ASA class III increased risk of hospital readmission after both procedures (OR = 1.906; P = .008; OR = 4.101; P = .038), and medical comorbidities of heart failure (OR = 3.924; P = .016), hypertension (OR = 1.412; P = .011), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 2.350; P < .001) increased readmission risk after meniscectomy only. CONCLUSIONS: Per analysis of the ACS-NSQIP database, surgical treatment of meniscal tears in the knee has been performed frequently over the past 10 years, with meniscectomies comprising over 90% of cases. Increased age and operative time were associated with a modest risk of adverse events after both meniscectomy and meniscus repair. Increased comorbidity burden, evidenced by ASA class, dependent functional status, current smoking, and systemic medical conditions, such as heart failure, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bleeding disorders, greatly increased rates of unfavorable outcomes within 30 days of meniscus surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective prognostic comparative investigation.

Compensatory biomechanics and spinal loading during dynamic maneuvers in patients with chronic low back pain.

PURPOSE: This study explores the biomechanics underlying the sit-to-stand (STS) functional maneuver in chronic LBP patients to understand how different spinal disorders and levels of pain severity relate to unique compensatory biomechanical behaviors. This work stands to further our understanding of the relationship between spinal loading and symptoms in LBP patients. METHODS: We collected in-clinic motion data from 44 non-specific LBP (NS-LBP) and 42 spinal deformity LBP (SD-LBP) patients during routine clinical visits. An RGB-depth camera tracked 3D joint positions from the frontal view during unassisted, repeated STS maneuvers. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for back pain (VAS) and low back disability (ODI) were collected during the same clinical visit. RESULTS: Between patient groups, SD-LBP patients had 14.3% greater dynamic sagittal vertical alignment (dSVA) and 10.1% greater peak spine torque compared to NS-LBP patients (p < 0.001). SD-LBP patients also had 11.8% greater hip torque (p < 0.001) and 86.7% greater knee torque (p = 0.04) compared to NS-LBP patients. There were no significant differences between patient groups in regard to anterior or vertical torso velocities, but anterior and vertical torso velocities correlated with both VAS (r = - 0.38, p < 0.001) and ODI (r = - 0.29, p = 0.01). PROs did not correlate with other variables. CONCLUSION: Patients with LBP differ in movement biomechanics during an STS transfer as severity of symptoms may relate to different compensatory strategies that affect spinal loading. Further research aims to establish relationships between movement and PROs and to inform targeted rehabilitation approaches.

Spatial distribution of fat infiltration within the paraspinal muscles: implications for chronic low back pain.

PURPOSE: Fat infiltration (FI) of the paraspinal muscles (PSMs) measured using MRI is an aspect of muscle quality and is considered to be worse in chronic low back pain (cLBP) patients. However, there is not a clear association between paraspinal muscle FI and cLBP, leaving the clinical importance of paraspinal muscle composition unestablished. The spatial distribution of FI in the PSMs may inform mechanistic understanding of non-specific cLBP as it relates to degenerative intervertebral disc (IVD) pathology. We hypothesized that paraspinal muscle fat-mapping would reveal distinct FI distribution patterns in relation to cLBP symptoms and proximity to symptomatic IVD degeneration. METHODS: From advanced-sequence water-fat MRI of 40 axial cLBP patients and 21 controls, we examined the spatial distribution of paraspinal muscle FI in relation to the center of rotation at the L4L5 disc. Using statistical parametric mapping, we compared FI patterns for multifidus (MF), erector spinae (ES), and psoas between patients and controls, and to the presence and severity of adjacent degenerative IVD pathology. RESULTS: The spatial distribution of PSMs FI differs between PSMs and according to symptoms and the adjacent degenerative IVD pathology. Furthermore, the region of MF closest to the disc center of rotation appears most susceptible to FI in the presence of symptomatic IVD degeneration. CONCLUSION: Our study identified spatial distribution patterns of FI in the PSMs as a potential diagnostic biomarker that may also provide granular mechanistic insights into spine biomechanics related to cLBP, as well as advancing the use of prior summary measures limited to overall muscle FI.

The contributions of cartilage endplate composition and vertebral bone marrow fat to intervertebral disc degeneration in patients with chronic low back pain.

PURPOSE: The composition of the subchondral bone marrow and cartilage endplate (CEP) could affect intervertebral disc health by influencing vertebral perfusion and nutrient diffusion. However, the relative contributions of these factors to disc degeneration in patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) have not been quantified. The goal of this study was to use compositional biomarkers derived from quantitative MRI to establish how CEP composition (surrogate for permeability) and vertebral bone marrow fat fraction (BMFF, surrogate for perfusion) relate to disc degeneration. METHODS: MRI data from 60 patients with cLBP were included in this prospective observational study (28 female, 32 male; age = 40.0 ± 11.9 years, 19-65 [mean ± SD, min-max]). Ultra-short echo-time MRI was used to calculate CEP T2* relaxation times (reflecting biochemical composition), water-fat MRI was used to calculate vertebral BMFF, and T1ρ MRI was used to calculate T1ρ relaxation times in the nucleus pulposus (NP T1ρ, reflecting proteoglycan content and degenerative grade). Univariate linear regression was used to assess the independent effects of CEP T2* and vertebral BMFF on NP T1ρ. Mixed effects multivariable linear regression accounting for age, sex, and BMI was used to assess the combined relationship between variables. RESULTS: CEP T2* and vertebral BMFF were independently associated with NP T1ρ (p = 0.003 and 0.0001, respectively). After adjusting for age, sex, and BMI, NP T1ρ remained significantly associated with CEP T2* (p = 0.0001) but not vertebral BMFF (p = 0.43). CONCLUSION: Poor CEP composition plays a significant role in disc degeneration severity and can affect disc health both with and without deficits in vertebral perfusion.

Using hierarchical unsupervised learning to integrate and reduce multi-level and multi-paraspinal muscle MRI data in relation to low back pain.

PURPOSE: The paraspinal muscles (PSM) are a key feature potentially related to low back pain (LBP), and their structure and composition can be quantified using MRI. Most commonly, quantifying PSM measures across individual muscles and individual spinal levels renders numerous separate metrics that are analyzed in isolation. However, comprehensive multivariate approaches would be more appropriate for analyzing the PSM within an individual. To establish and test these methods, we hypothesized that multivariate summaries of PSM MRI measures would associate with the presence of LBP symptoms (i.e., pain intensity). METHODS: We applied hierarchical multiple factor analysis (hMFA), an unsupervised integrative method, to clinical PSM MRI data from unique cohort datasets including a longitudinal cohort of astronauts with pre- and post-spaceflight data and a cohort of chronic LBP subjects and asymptomatic controls. Three specific use cases were investigated: (1) predicting longitudinal changes in pain using combinations of baseline PSM measures; (2) integrating baseline and post-spaceflight MRI to assess longitudinal change in PSM and how it relates to pain; and (3) integrating PSM quality and adjacent spinal pathology between LBP patients and controls. RESULTS: Overall, we found distinct complex relationships with pain intensity between particular muscles and spinal levels. Subjects with high asymmetry between left and right lean muscle composition and differences between spinal segments PSM quality and structure are more likely to increase in pain reported outcome after prolonged time in microgravity. Moreover, changes in PSM quality and structure between pre and post-spaceflight relate to increase in pain after prolonged microgravity. Finally, we show how unsupervised hMFA recapitulates previous research on the association of CEP damage and LBP diagnostic. CONCLUSION: Our analysis considers the spine as a multi-segmental unit as opposed to a series of discrete and isolated spine segments. Integrative and multivariate approaches can be used to distill large and complex imaging datasets thereby improving the clinical utility of MRI-based biomarkers, and providing metrics for further analytical goals, including phenotyping.

Significant Reduction in Short-Term Complications Following Unicompartmental Versus Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a gold standard surgical treatment for end-stage arthritis and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an alternative for localized disease in appropriate patients. Both have been shown to have equivalent complications in the short-term period. We aimed to explore the differences in 30-day complication rates between UKA and TKA using recent data. METHODS: Current Procedural Terminology codes identified patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who underwent primary TKA or UKA from 2014 to 2018. Propensity score matching addressed demographic differences. Rate of any adverse event (AAE) and complications were compared. RESULTS: We identified 279,852 patients with 270,786 and 9,066 undergoing TKA and UKA. No significant difference was observed in baseline demographics after matching. The AAE rate differed significantly between TKA (5.07%) and UKA (2.38%) cohorts (P < .001). TKA group experienced more wound dehiscence, cerebrovascular accident, postoperative blood transfusion, deep vein thrombosis, and requirement for postoperative intubation. Rate of extended length of stay differed between the TKA (11.35%) and UKA (4.89%) cohorts (P < .001). Accounting for all other variables, preoperative corticosteroid use, bleeding disorder, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increased the risk for AAE for both groups. Increasing American Society of Anesthesiologists class also increased the odds for complication proportionally with increasing age and operative time. CONCLUSION: Contrary to previous data, we found a significantly higher 30-day complication rate in TKA patients. TKA patients had a higher likelihood of having an extended length of stay. Multivariable analysis identified preoperative steroid use, bleeding disorder, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as risk factors for developing adverse events for both groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.