Threshold Values for Success After Hip Arthroscopy Using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Assessment: Determining the Minimum Clinically Important Difference and Patient Acceptable Symptomatic State.

BACKGROUND: Threshold values for patient-reported outcome measures, such as the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) and patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS), are important for relating postoperative outcomes to meaningful functional improvement. PURPOSE: To determine the PASS and MCID after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaire. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement were administered preoperative and minimum 1-year postoperative PROMIS surveys focusing on physical function (PF) and pain interference (PI). External anchor questions for the MCID and PASS were given with the postoperative PROMIS survey. Receiver operator curves were constructed to determine the threshold values for the MCID and PASS. Curves were generated for the study population as well as separate cohorts segregated by median baseline PF or PI scores and preoperative athletic participation. A multivariate post hoc analysis was then constructed to evaluate factors associated with achieving the PASS or MCID. RESULTS: There were 113 patients (35% male; mean ± SD age, 32.8 ± 12.5 years; body mass index, 25.8 ± 4.8 kg/m2), with 60 (53%) reporting preoperative athletic participation. Survey time averaged 77.5 ± 49.2 seconds. Anchor-based MCID values were 5.1 and 10.9 for the PF and PI domains, respectively. PASS thresholds were 51.8 and 51.9 for the PF and PI, respectively. PASS values were not affected by baseline scores, but athletic patients had a higher PASS threshold than did those not participating in a sport (53.1 vs 44.7). MCID values were affected by preoperative baseline scores but were largely independent of sports participation. A post hoc analysis found that 94 (83%) patients attained the MCID PF while 66 (58%) attained the PASS PF. A multivariate nominal logistic regression found that younger patients (P = .01) and athletic patients (P = .003) were more likely to attain the PASS. CONCLUSION: The PROMIS survey is an efficient metric to evaluate preoperative disability and postoperative function after primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement. The MCID and PASS provide surgeons with threshold values to help determine PROMIS scores that are clinically meaningful to patients, and they can assist with therapeutic decision making as well as expectation setting.

Do Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Scales Demonstrate Responsiveness as Well as Disease-Specific Scales in Patients Undergoing Knee Arthroscopy?

BACKGROUND: The Patient Reported Outcomes Information System (PROMIS) is an efficient metric able to detect changes in global health. PURPOSE: To assess the responsiveness, convergent validity, and clinically important difference (CID) of PROMIS compared with disease-specific scales after knee arthroscopy. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (Diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: A prospective institutional review board-approved study collected PROMIS Physical Function (PF), PROMIS Pain Interference (PI), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) results in patients undergoing knee arthroscopy. The change from preoperative to longest follow-up was used in analyses performed to determine responsiveness, convergent validity, and minimal and moderate CID using the IKDC scale as the anchor. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients enrolled, 76 were included. Values of the effect size index (ESI) ranged from near 0 to 1.69 across time points and were comparable across scales. Correlations of the change in KOOS and PROMIS with IKDC ranged from r values of 0.61 to 0.79. The minimal CID for KOOS varied from 12.5 to 17.5. PROMIS PF and PI minimal CID were 3.3 and -3.2. KOOS moderate CID varied from 14.3 to 18.8. PROMIS PF and PI moderate CID were 5.0 and -5.8. CONCLUSION: The PROMIS PF and PI showed similar responsiveness and CID compared with disease-specific scales in patients after knee arthroscopy. PROMIS PI, PROMIS PF, and KOOS correlations with IKDC demonstrate that these scales are measuring a similar construct. The ESIs of PROMIS PF and PI were similar to those of KOOS and IKDC, suggesting similar responsiveness at 6 months or longer (ESI >1.0). Minimum and moderate CID values calculated for PROMIS PF and PI using IKDC as an anchor were sufficiently low to suggest clinical usefulness. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: PROMIS PF and PI can be accurately used to determine improvement or lack thereof with clinically important changes after knee arthroscopy.

Allograft Use in Shoulder Surgery: Instability and Rotator Cuff.

Shoulder instability and rotator cuff pathology can provide a challenging problem, especially in the revision setting. Allograft use in primary or revision surgical intervention for shoulder instability and rotator cuff tear may be a valuable resource. This paper reviews allograft tissue use in shoulder surgery for instability and rotator cuff tear.

Physical examination of the hand.

Examination of the hand is an essential piece of a hand surgeon's skill set. This current concepts review presents a systematic process of performing a comprehensive physical examination of the hand including vascular, sensory, and motor assessments. Evaluations focused on specific hand diseases and injuries are also discussed. This information can be useful for any health care provider treating patients with hand conditions.