Who Needs Surgical Stabilization for Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis? Retrospective Analysis of Non-Surgically Treated Patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series analysis. OBJECTIVE: To identify relevant clinical and radiographic markers for patients presenting with infectious spondylo-discitis associated with spinal instability directly related to the infectious process. METHODS: We evaluated patients presenting with de-novo intervertebral discitis or vertebral osteomyelitis /discitis (VOD) who initiated non-surgical treatment. Patients who failed conservative treatment and required stabilization surgery within 90 days were defined as "failed treatment group" (FTG). Patients who experienced an uneventful course served as controls and were labeled as "nonsurgical group" (NSG). A wide array of baseline clinical and radiographic parameters was retrieved and compared between 2 groups. RESULTS: Overall 35 patients had initiated non-surgical treatment for VOD. 25 patients had an uneventful course (NSG), while 10 patients failed conservative treatment ("FTG") within 90 days. Factors found to be associated with poorer outcome were intra-venous drug abuse (IVDA) as well as the presence of fever upon initial presentation. Radiographically, involvement of the same-level facets and the extent of caudal and rostral VB involvement in both MRI and CT were found to be significantly associated with poorer clinical and radiographic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: We show that clinical factors such as IVDA status and fever as well as the extent of osseous and posterior element involvement may prove to be helpful in favoring surgical treatment early on in the management of spinal infections.

Severe Life-Threatening Sepsis Complicating Infected Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthroplasty.

Thumb Carpometacarpal (CMC) total joint arthroplasty is commonly performed with increasing numbers worldwide. We present a case of Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) leading to severe septic shock and disseminated septic emboli 8 months following uneventful thumb CMC arthroplasty. Such extensive and life-threatening infection following thumb CMC arthroplasty has not been reported. Level of Evidence: Level V (Therapeutic).

[THE TREATMENT OF TRAUMATIC SHOULDER INSTABILITY - THE OPEN APPROACH VS. ARTHROSCOPIC APPROACH].

INTRODUCTION: Shoulder dislocation occurs when the head of the humerus disengages from the glenoid bone. About 95% of shoulder dislocations are traumatic, while the other 5% are not trauma-related in a patient with predisposing factors such as generalized ligamentous laxity. Ninety percent of shoulders dislocate anteriorly from direct force on the arm in the "ABER" position (Abduction- External Rotation). Usually, dislocations are accompanied by injuries to the shoulder that may lead to recurrent anterior shoulder instability and in the long-run, osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint. In the case of traumatic shoulder dislocation in the younger population or competitive sport players, accompanied with bone injury on X-ray's (Bony Bankart or Hill-Sachs), surgical treatment is recommended as soon as possible to avoid recurring dislocation and further joint damage. There are several options to treat recurrent shoulder instability, including soft tissue procedures, bone procedures, and a combination of these procedures. Surgery can be performed by an open or arthroscopic approach.

Use of Intraoperative Tranexamic Acid and Wound Complications in Spine Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the effect of tranexamic acid (TXA) on postoperative wound healing in spine surgery. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: TXA (Cyklokapron, Hexakapron) is a widely used anti-fibrinolytic drug that is shown to be effective in mitigating hemorrhage during and after surgery by competitively blocking plasminogen in fibrinolytic cascade. Plasminogen also plays a role in inflammatory and infectious diseases. The modulation of this role by TXA may influence the development of postoperative infectious complications. METHODS: We collected and reviewed the charts of 110 patients who underwent spine surgery at our academic center. We used multivariate regression analysis to assess the factors affecting surgical site infection (SSI). RESULTS: Of the 110 patients included in this study, 21 patients (19%) were categorized as having postoperative wound complications, 16 patients (14%) had deep or superficial wound infection, and five patients (4%) had wound dehiscence. Patients with a higher surgical invasiveness index score, longer surgeries, and older patients were found to be at risk for wound complications. TXA was determined not to be a direct risk factor for wound healing complications and SSIs. CONCLUSIONS: We found no risk of wound healing complications and SSI directly attributable to preoperative and intraoperative treatment with TXA in spine surgeries.

[LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION: PROTRUSION, EXTRUSION OR BULGE? THE PROPER USE OF THE TERMS - HOW AND WHEN WILL IT BE DEFINED AS A DISEASE?]

INTRODUCTION: Lumbar disc herniation is a medical condition in which obscurity exists in the relation between the clinical and the radiological definition. The following paper was written by both surgeons and a radiologist, who are engaged in the field of spine surgery. The aim is to provide clear definitions as to the different pathologies involving disc herniation. The secondary goal of this article is to differentiate between the radiological picture and the clinical syndrome which are not necessarily connected. We hope this review will illuminate these issues and simplify the definitions and make it easier for all to use, primary care practitioners, general orthopedics and trauma care providers.

Closed Wound Subfascial Suction Drainage in Posterior Fusion Surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Prospective Randomized Control Study.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective randomized control study. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the complication rate in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) posterior spinal fusion (PSF) surgery with and without drainage. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: PSF is the mainstay of surgical treatment for AIS. Drains are commonly used despite contradictory findings in the literature for their having any clear advantage. METHODS: A total of 100 AIS patients undergoing instrumented PSF were blindly randomized into two groups of either a deep drain or no drain. The collected data included wound follow-up findings, hemoglobin, hematocrit, vital signs and fever levels, and mean 20 months follow-up. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were randomly allocated to the "no drain" group and 48 to the "drain" group. There were no differences in patient characteristics, surgical data, and hemoglobin and hematocrit levels between the two groups. Only 4 units of packed cells were given in total. Fever during the first postoperative 1 to 3 days was equal, but increased in the no drain group on day 6 (P = 0.017). Length of hospitalization was equal (6 days) for all the patients. The mean follow-up period was 20 months [8.5-30.7 (SD 6.4)]. Complications included one case (1.9%) of pneumonia in the "no-drain" group, wound dehiscence in two cases (3.8%) in the "no-drain" group and in one case (2.1%) in the "drain" group, and two cases (3.8%) of superficial wound infection in the "no-drain" group. There was no case of deep infection in either group. CONCLUSION: The current results indicate that there is no advantage to deep drainage in AIS patients undergoing PSF. The number of wound healing complications was low and identical for both the drain and no-drain groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2.

Relatively High Complication and Revision Rates of the Mayo® Metaphysical Conservative Femoral Stem in Young Patients.

The Mayo metaphysical conservative femoral stem (Zimmer, Warsaw, Indiana) is a wedge-shaped implant designed to transfer loads proximally, reduce femoral destruction, and enable the preservation of bone stock in the proximal femur. Thus, it is a potentially preferred prosthesis for active, non-elderly patients who may require additional future surgeries. This retrospective case study analyzed the outcomes of consecutive patients who underwent total hip replacements with this stem between May 2001 and February 2013. All patients underwent clinical assessment, radiological evaluation for the presence and development of radiolucent lines, and functional assessment (numerical analog scale, Harris hip score, and Short Form-12 questionnaire). Ninety-five hips (79 patients) were available for analysis. The patients' mean age was 43 years (range, 18-64 years), and the mean follow-up was 97 months (range, 26.9-166 months). The postoperative clinical assessments and functional assessments revealed significant improvements. Sixteen patients (20.3%) had 18 orthopedic complications, the most common of which were an intraoperative femoral fracture and implant dislocation requiring revision surgeries in 10 hips (10.5%). Radiological analysis revealed evidence of femoral remodeling in 64 (67.4%) implants, spot welds (neocortex) in 35 (36.8%), and osteolysis in 3 (3.2%). These results suggest that the conservative hip femoral implant has an unacceptable complication rate for non-elderly patients. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(4):e516-e522.].