Large Nodular Fasciitis of the Shoulder Presenting as Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Case Report.

CASE: This case report describes a patient who presented with clinical and radiographic features of a soft tissue sarcoma of the shoulder. Despite having a painless and relatively large mass, a biopsy and resection revealed nodular fasciitis (NF). CONCLUSION: This is an unusual case of a painless 10 cm mass that histopathologically was diagnosed as NF in the upper extremity with proximity to the axillary nerve and posterior humeral circumflex vessels. The USP6 rearrangement was helpful in confirming the diagnosis. Careful clinical, radiographic, and pathologic correlation is necessary in diagnosing these relatively rare tumors. In cases where there are discordant findings, molecular markers can be very helpful.

Total Humeral Endoprosthetic Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Total humeral endoprosthetic reconstruction (THER) is a rare reconstruction option for limb salvage surgery for large humeral neoplasms or bone destruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Because of the limited data and need for this procedure, we reviewed the literature surrounding THER and assessed functionality, complications, and revisions using the PubMed, Embase, Ovid, and Scopus databases. RESULTS: Among 29 articles and 175 patients, the most common indication was neoplasm (n=25, 86%), mean follow-up was 61.98 months (SD=55.25 months), and mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 73.64% (SD=10.69%). Reported complications included 26 (23%) revisions in 7 studies, 35 (36%) cases of shoulder instability in 7 studies, and 13 (13.54%) cases of deep infection in 4 studies. CONCLUSION: THER should be considered with a thorough knowledge of outcomes and potential complications to guide patient and clinician expectations. [Orthopedics. 2024;47(3):e106-e113.].

Assessing ChatGPT's orthopedic in-service training exam performance and applicability in the field.

BACKGROUND: ChatGPT has gained widespread attention for its ability to understand and provide human-like responses to inputs. However, few works have focused on its use in Orthopedics. This study assessed ChatGPT's performance on the Orthopedic In-Service Training Exam (OITE) and evaluated its decision-making process to determine whether adoption as a resource in the field is practical. METHODS: ChatGPT's performance on three OITE exams was evaluated through inputting multiple choice questions. Questions were classified by their orthopedic subject area. Yearly, OITE technical reports were used to gauge scores against resident physicians. ChatGPT's rationales were compared with testmaker explanations using six different groups denoting answer accuracy and logic consistency. Variables were analyzed using contingency table construction and Chi-squared analyses. RESULTS: Of 635 questions, 360 were useable as inputs (56.7%). ChatGPT-3.5 scored 55.8%, 47.7%, and 54% for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. Of 190 correct outputs, 179 provided a consistent logic (94.2%). Of 170 incorrect outputs, 133 provided an inconsistent logic (78.2%). Significant associations were found between test topic and correct answer (p = 0.011), and type of logic used and tested topic (p = < 0.001). Basic Science and Sports had adjusted residuals greater than 1.96. Basic Science and correct, no logic; Basic Science and incorrect, inconsistent logic; Sports and correct, no logic; and Sports and incorrect, inconsistent logic; had adjusted residuals greater than 1.96. CONCLUSIONS: Based on annual OITE technical reports for resident physicians, ChatGPT-3.5 performed around the PGY-1 level. When answering correctly, it displayed congruent reasoning with testmakers. When answering incorrectly, it exhibited some understanding of the correct answer. It outperformed in Basic Science and Sports, likely due to its ability to output rote facts. These findings suggest that it lacks the fundamental capabilities to be a comprehensive tool in Orthopedic Surgery in its current form. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Management of Calcaneal Cysts in the Pediatric Population: A Review.

Cysts of the bone are a common pathology that, although benign, are frequently treated because of their tendency to compromise the integrity of affected bone. Two common entities are unicameral bone cysts and aneurysmal bone cysts. Although these are two distinct pathologies, they are treated similarly and thus will be discussed in tandem. The optimal treatment of calcaneal bone cysts in pediatric patients has long been debated among orthopaedic surgeons because of the relatively small number of cases and varied results within the literature. Currently, there are three lines of thought regarding treatment: observation, injection, and surgical intervention. When considering which course of treatment is best for an individual patient, the surgeon must consider the fracture risk without treatment, the risk of complications with treatment, and the recurrence rate with each treatment approach. There are limited data on pediatric calcaneal cysts specifically. Still, there are much data concerning simple bone cysts of long bones in the pediatric population and calcaneal cysts in the adult population. Because of the lack of literature on the subject, there is a need for a review of the available literature and a consensus on the approach to treating calcaneal cysts in the pediatric population.

Surgical Management for Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Leg: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

PURPOSE: To review published literature to characterize the at-risk demographic, operative indications, surgical techniques, functional outcomes, and reoperation and complication rates after operative management of chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) of the lower leg. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Database, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) through February 1, 2015, using the terms "chronic exertional" and/or "exercise induced compartment syndrome." The inclusion criteria were studies of Level I to IV evidence in English, published in 1970 or later, involving human subjects, reporting clinical outcomes of operative management of CECS of the lower leg, including at least 5 patients, and having follow-up of at least 80% and 6 months. RESULTS: Among the 204 original articles, 24 primary studies with 1,596 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 26.6 years (standard deviation, 8.9 years), and the majority of patients were male patients (70%). The total study population mostly comprised military service members (54%) and athletes (29%). Of the athletes, 83% were recreational; 9% were college level; and 8% were either national, international, or professional. The most commonly involved compartment was the anterior compartment (51%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 48.6% to 52.3%), followed by lateral (33%; 95% CI, 31.4% to 34.9%), deep posterior (13%), and superficial posterior (3%). The cumulative posterior involvement rate was 16% (95% CI, 15.1% to 17.8%). Mean follow-up was 48.8 months (standard deviation, 22.1 months; 95% CI, 47.1 to 50.5 months). Six percent underwent revision surgery. The overall complication rate was 13% (due to postoperative neurologic dysfunction, infection, and so on). CONCLUSIONS: Primary operative management of lower-extremity CECS was successful in approximately two-thirds of all young athletic patients, and 84% were satisfied with their surgical outcomes at short- to mid-term follow-up. Open fasciotomy remains the predominant surgical technique, although its comparative efficacy relative to newer endoscopic or other minimally invasive techniques is not currently known. These data may be used to guide the orthopaedic community on accurate preoperative counseling and benchmark patient outcomes for future quality-improvement initiatives. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review (studies ranging from Level I to Level IV).