Patient-reported hip pain and function are worse among elite Nordic ski athletes competing in ski jumping versus Nordic combined: a cross-sectional analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Nordic ski athletes are at increased risk of developing hip pain and dysfunction secondary to femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), but it is unclear whether hip symptomatology differs between ski jumping (SJ) and Nordic combined (NC) athletes. The purpose of this study was to compare patient-reported hip pain and dysfunction between elite Nordic ski athletes participating in SJ versus NC. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving SJ and NC athletes who competed at the international and U.S. national levels during the 2021-2022 season. Subjects were excluded if they had hip surgery within two years prior to enrollment. Subjects were asked to undergo diagnostic workups for FAIS, including physical examination and plain radiographic imaging. Subjects were asked to complete a survey that collected information on athletic and training history and to complete the hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS). Demographics, athletic/training history, and HOOS sub-scores were compared between the SJ and NC groups using the Student's t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. p-values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Twenty-four athletes (13 SJ, 11 NC) were included in the study. There were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, BMI, or age of menarche between the two groups (all p â€‹> â€‹0.05). There were also no statistically significant differences in the number of prior sports participated in, total hours of participation in prior sports, or total hours of training in Nordic specialization (all p â€‹> â€‹0.05). Among the 18 athletes who underwent physical examination (9 SJ, 9 NC), there were no statistically significant inter-group differences in hip range of motion or incidence of positive impingement tests (all p â€‹> â€‹0.05). Among the 19 athletes who underwent imaging (9 SJ, 10 NC), there were no statistically significant inter-group differences in the incidence of cam or pincer morphology in at least one hip (all p â€‹> â€‹0.05). SJ athletes had statistically significantly worse HOOS sub-scores for hip symptoms and stiffness, hip function in sports/recreational activities, and hip-related quality of life compared to NC athletes (all p â€‹< â€‹0.05). CONCLUSION: Elite SJ athletes have worse self-reported hip function compared to elite NC athletes, despite comparable demographics, athletic history, and duration of ski training. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Gender does not impact clinical outcomes following SLAP repair.

Background: The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether pain, function, satisfaction, return to play (RTP), or psychological readiness to RTP differ between sexes post-operatively following SLAP repair. Methods: A retrospective review of patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of a SLAP tear was performed. The American Shoulder & Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), patient satisfaction, willingness to undergo surgery again, revisions, and return to play (RTP) were evaluated. Clinical outcomes were compared between male and female patients. Results: Our study included 169 patients treated with SLAP repair, 133 of them male (78.7%) and 36 of them female (21.3%), with an average age of 32.3 ± 8.3 and 33.4 ± 6.8 respectively. The mean follow-up duration was 5.8 years. At final follow up, there was no difference between treatment groups in any of the functional outcome measures assessed (p > 0.05). Conclusion: There is no difference in clinical outcomes, function, satisfaction, or revision procedures in mid- to long-term follow-up after SLAP repair between male and female patients. This data is useful in the preoperative counselling of patients undergoing arthroscopic management of symptomatic superior labral pathology. Level of evidence: III.

Surgical (over) treatment of pediatric Lyme arthritis: a need for faster Borrelia testing.

Pediatric Lyme arthritis is described but not well-characterized in urban populations. Similarities in clinical features between Lyme and septic arthritis also results in some patients with Lyme arthritis undergoing surgical treatment. The aims of this study are to (1) characterize Lyme arthritis in an urban population and (2) determine what factors predispose patients with Lyme arthritis to undergoing surgery. We performed a retrospective review of children with Lyme arthritis at a single academic institution in New York City from 2016 to 2021. Inclusion criteria were age ≤18 years, involvement of a major joint, and positive Lyme serology. Patients treated with irrigation and debridement were compared to those treated non-surgically using Chi-squared tests with a significance of P < 0.05. A total of 106 children with Lyme arthritis were included. Mean age was 9.5 years; 61.3% were male, and 71.7% were Caucasian. 46.2% lived in regions with an average household income >$100 000; 70.8% had private insurance. Ten patients (9.4%) underwent surgery for suspected septic arthritis. The operative group was more likely to have an elevated heart rate, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate level and synovial cell count ( P < 0.05). Patients were more likely to undergo surgery if they presented to the emergency department than to the clinic ( P = 0.03). The average time for a Lyme test to result was 43.5 h, averaging 8.7 h after the surgical start time. Lyme arthritis occurs commonly in an urban pediatric population. Surgery is performed in ~10% of Lyme arthritis patients. More efficient diagnostic tests may reduce this rate.

Sex-Based Differences in Outcomes of Tibial Tubercle Anteromedialization.

Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Diseases 2022;80(4):252-6252 Bloom DA, Gonzalez M, Hurley ET, Kingery MT, Carter CW, Jazrawi LM, Strauss EJ. Sex-based differences in outcomes of tibial tubercle anteromedi- alization. Bull Hosp Jt Dis. 2022;80(4):252-6. Abstract Background: Previous research has demonstrated sex- based differences in patient-reported outcomes of orthopedic surgical procedures. The hypothesis of the current study was that females would have inferior patient-reported outcomes to their male peers following a tibial tubercle anteromedial- ization (AMZ) procedure for both patellofemoral instability and cartilage defects. METHODS: Patients who had undergone AMZ for isolated osteochondral defect or patellofemoral instability with a minimum follow-up time of 1 year were identified. They were then asked to complete several patient-reported outcome questionnaires that were then statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Overall, 109 patients were included in this study. Seventy-nine patients (72.5%) were female with a mean follow-up duration of 3.4 ± 2.0 years. Forty-seven females had AMZ for patellar instability while 32 females had AMZ for osteochondral defects. There were no statistically signifi- cant differences between sexes with respect to concomitant procedures performed, visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, or patient reported outcome (PRO) scores at follow-up (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference with respect to outcomes between the sexes for AMZ overall and when isolating the sexes based on indication. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that female patients undergoing AMZ have short-term clinical and functional outcomes that are not significantly different to those reported in males.

Orthopaedic Manifestations of Alagille Syndrome: A Report of Two Cases and an Updated Literature Review.

CASE: Case 1 is a 6-month-old female who presented for evaluation of asymptomatic vertebral anomalies in the setting of jaundice and cardiac murmur; she was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome (AGS). Her spine has been monitored clinically. Case 2 is a 10-year-old female who sustained a pathologic femur fracture in the setting of known AGS, requiring operative stabilization and optimization of her bone mineral density. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric orthopaedists care for children with AGS both in management of congenital musculoskeletal anomalies and in treatment of pathologic fractures. Familiarity with the current AGS literature is necessary for provision of optimal multidisciplinary care.

Abstract Submission and Acceptance Rates for Men and Women in Academic Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery: An Analysis of POSNA Annual Meeting Abstract Submissions 2012-2015.

BACKGROUND: It has recently been demonstrated that women members of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) participate at the Annual Meeting at disproportionately lower rates than men members, as defined by accepted abstract(s). We hypothesize that this discrepancy is associated with lower abstract submission rates by women members. METHODS: POSNA membership directories for the years 2012-2015 were used to record the name, sex, membership category, and years of membership for each member. Final programs for Annual Meetings and abstract submission records for the same time period were used to record the number of accepted and rejected abstracts for each member. General estimating equations with a binomial model and logit link were used to compare the proportion of abstract acceptances between sexes across years. RESULTS: During the period 2012-2015, active members included 534 men (83.8%) and 103 women (16.2%), whereas candidate members included 207 men (64.7%) and 113 women (35.3%). When active and candidate members were considered collectively, men were significantly more likely to have an accepted abstract (P=0.009) and this significant difference did not change over the 4-year period (P=0.627). However, men submitted significantly more abstracts per member per year than women (means: 1.5 abstracts/man/y; 0.8 abstracts/woman/y; P<0.001). This held true for both candidate members (early career) (P=0.001) as well as active members (mid-career) (P<0.001). When the total number of abstract submissions per year per member was taken into account, the percentage of abstract acceptances was similar for men and women (men=42%, women=40%; P=0.847). CONCLUSIONS: Abstract acceptance rates were similar for women and men members of POSNA for the 2012-2015 Annual Meetings. However, men had a significantly greater number of abstract submissions per member than women, and consequently, men presented a higher proportion of abstracts relative to their membership numbers. This supports our hypothesis that the disproportionately lower rate of active participation amongst women members at POSNA Annual Meetings, defined as abstract acceptance, is due to lower rates of abstract submissions, rather than to lower rates of acceptances. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: It is not applicable as it is not a clinical or basic science study.

Concurrent Surgery and the Role of the Pediatric Attending Surgeon: Comparing Parents' and Surgeons' Expectations.

BACKGROUND: The common practice of performing concurrent or overlapping operations has been intensely scrutinized by lay media and academic press to investigate its safety and cost-effectiveness. However, there is little information about its use within the pediatric population. Even less is known about parents' expectations about the surgeon's role on the day of operation and how they align with those of pediatric surgeons and surgical trainees, despite the potential for significant discrepancies in expectations to erode trust and damage the physician-family relationship. STUDY DESIGN: A 5-point Likert-style survey was designed to characterize expectations about the degree of involvement by pediatric attending surgeons throughout a surgical case (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neutral, 5 = strongly agree). The survey was administered to parents of pediatric patients undergoing elective operations during a 3-month interval at a single academic institution. The survey was also administered to surgeons and surgical residents at the same institution. Multivariate multiplicity-adjusted t-tests were used to identify significant differences between responders. RESULTS: One hundred and ten parents and 84 pediatric surgeons and trainees completed the survey. Parents' responses to the survey ranged from 4.15 to 4.89, compared with 2.75 to 4.86 from surgeons. The differences achieved statistical significance (p < 0.05) for 8 of 9 statements. Statistically significant differences were fewer, but still present, between attending surgeons and surgical trainees, as well as between surgeons with and without children. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant mismatch between parents' expectations and those of pediatric surgeons about the role of the surgeon on the day of operation, with parents consistently expecting more direct involvement by the attending surgeon. These discrepancies can have implications for both parent/patient satisfaction and medical education.

Current Concepts: Evaluation and Treatment of Discoid Meniscus in the Pediatric Athlete.

Discoid meniscus is a rare anatomical variant with altered morphology and structure that can sometimes present symptomatically, typically in the pediatric population. The discoid meniscus is usually in the lateral compartment of the knee and is characterized by a partial or complete filling-in of central meniscal tissue, increased meniscal thickness, disorganization of longitudinal collagen fibers, and sometimes lack of peripheral attachments. These changes to both the macro- and micro-structure of the meniscus predispose affected patients to increased rates of both meniscal tears and mechanical symptoms. Surgical management of symptomatic discoid meniscus is directed toward symptom resolution while preserving sufficient functional meniscal tissue to delay or prevent the development of osteoarthritis. Modern surgical techniques consist of arthroscopic saucerization of the discoid meniscus with repair of associated meniscal tears and stabilization of peripheral attachments. Although long-term outcome data are lacking, short- and mid-term outcomes for patients treated with arthroscopic partial meniscectomy and meniscal repair and/or stabilization as needed are generally good.

The importance of sex of patient in the management of femoroacetabular impingement.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), a recently described hip condition in adolescents and young adults, typically manifests as activity-related hip pain. Characteristic physical findings include limited passive internal rotation of the affected hip and a positive impingement sign. Diagnostic imaging may reveal cam and/or pincer lesions, and associated intra-articular pathology (eg, labral tear, chondral damage) is common. When nonoperative treatment fails to adequately alleviate symptoms, surgery may be warranted. Both open and arthroscopic techniques have been effective. As our understanding of FAI continues to evolve, sex-based differences in incidence, presentation, and outcomes for patients with FAI have become apparent. Understanding the different ways in which males and females may present with FAI and then changing clinical practice patterns to accommodate these sexual dimorphisms will likely result in improved outcomes for each patient with symptomatic FAI.

Clinical outcomes as a function of meniscal stability in the discoid meniscus: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: Current treatment for discoid meniscus includes arthroscopic saucerization, with meniscal stabilization additionally performed in patients with demonstrated instability. It is thought that unstable discoid menisci represent a more severe variant and are therefore at risk for poorer clinical outcomes. Our hypothesis was that there is no difference in clinical outcomes between patients undergoing discoid meniscal saucerization alone and those who additionally require stabilization. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients presenting to a single pediatric center for treatment of a symptomatic discoid meniscus. Data collected included sex, age, affected side(s), preoperative and postoperative range of motion (ROM), type of surgery, and the presence of postoperative complications. In addition, a subset of these patients was enrolled prospectively. These patients completed 3 self-assessment tools-the International Knee Documentation Committee questionnaire, Lysholm Knee Score, and Tegner Activity Scale-before and after surgical intervention. Outcomes measures included objective criteria (ROM and surgical complications) and subjective criteria (patient-reported functional outcomes). For all outcomes measures, the Fisher exact test was used to determine whether significant differences existed between the patients who had undergone saucerization only and those who had also required surgical stabilization. RESULTS: Fifty-seven knees in 51 patients were included in the study. Thirty-three patients (58%) underwent saucerization alone and 24 (42%) underwent saucerization and stabilization. Six surgical complications were identified. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding patient-specific factors (sex, age, and affected side) and postoperative outcomes measures (ROM and complication rate). Average patient follow-up was 15 months postoperatively. Seventeen patients (17 knees) additionally completed the 3 self-assessment questionnaires. In this subset of patients followed prospectively, there was no significant difference in self-reported outcomes detected between the meniscal saucerization and meniscal repair groups. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term results for patients with symptomatic discoid menisci requiring surgical intervention are favorable. The addition of a meniscal stabilization step to the saucerization procedure does not negatively affect either early clinical outcomes or complication rates in patients with demonstrated meniscal instability. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III: Therapeutic Study, Retrospective, Comparative.

Assessment of shoulder range of motion: introduction of a novel patient self-assessment tool.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to show that patient self-assessment of active shoulder range of motion (ROM) by use of a novel, diagram-based questionnaire is accurate when compared with physician-assessed shoulder ROM. METHODS: We designed a diagram-based self-assessment tool that enables patients to determine their own active shoulder ROM in 3 planes of motion: forward elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation. This questionnaire was administered to 100 consecutive English-speaking patients presenting to a university-based orthopaedic surgery practice for evaluation of a shoulder-related complaint. After completion of the questionnaire, the patients' actual shoulder ROM in each plane was measured by a single blinded investigator using a standard 12-inch goniometer. Direct comparison of patient and physician ROM assessments was performed, and logistic regression analysis was then applied to identify those factors affecting the patients' ability to accurately complete the questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients were able to properly quantify motion 85% of the time; they were able to qualitatively assess motion as impaired or unimpaired 93% of the time. Patients who were more likely to make errors in self-assessment were significantly older than the error-free subjects and expressed significantly more dissatisfaction with shoulder function. In addition, there was a weak inverse relation between education level and accurate self-assessment. Gender, exposure to physical therapy, and involvement in litigation or Workers' Compensation cases were not significantly correlated with accurate ROM self-assessment. Patients were significantly less accurate in their assessment of internal rotation than in their assessment of both forward elevation and external rotation. CONCLUSIONS: Using a diagram-based questionnaire, patients are able to accurately assess their own active shoulder ROM.

Arthroscopic anterior shoulder instability repair: techniques, pearls, pitfalls, and complications.

Initial attempts to replicate the success of open anterior shoulder instability procedures using arthroscopic procedures were associated with unacceptably high failure rates. The resultant focus on identifying clear surgical indications and improving both arthroscopic technique and instrumentation has culminated in arthroscopic success rates approaching those of established open procedures. Current experience shows that with careful patient selection, strict adherence to proper surgical technique, and the avoidance of common surgical errors, excellent clinical results can be achieved with arthroscopic instability repair.