Failed and Revision Rotator Cuff Repair.

With an increasing incidence of rotator cuff repairs (RCRs), and by extension, RCR failures, surgeons must be facile in the diagnosis and management of this complication. A detailed history and physical exam as well as familiarity with the patient-specific, anatomic, and technical variables that increase a patient's risk of RCR failure is critical. Modifiable factors should be addressed prior to revision RCR and non-modifiable factors should be examined as they may disqualify an individual from a revision attempt. A methodical surgical approach is critical. In general, outcomes following revision RCR are typically favorable although inferior than those following primary RCR.

A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Comparison of Adhesive Wound Closure Devices in an Orthopaedic Patient.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to compare Zip and Clozex with a typical closure using a running 3-0 Prolene suture. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in patients aged 18 years and older undergoing elective orthopaedic surgical procedures between 2019 and 2021. Patients were randomized to undergo skin closure using a running 3-0 Prolene suture, Zip, or Clozex. The length and location of incision, time to close, surgeon satisfaction, and complications were recorded. The Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale (SBSES) was used to assess cosmesis at 2 weeks and 3 months postoperatively. Patient satisfaction and adverse events were also recorded. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were included in the analysis. Suture closure time was longer than Zip (266 vs 123 seconds; P = 0.02) and Clozex (266 vs 91 seconds; P = 0.005). SBSES scores were greater for Clozex at 2 weeks compared with suture (4.09 vs 2.8; P = 0.005). At 3 months, Clozex maintained greater scores compared with suture (3.82 vs 2.85; P = 0.023) and Zip (3.82 vs 3.0; P = 0.046).No differences were observed in patient satisfaction at any time points. DISCUSSION: Although patient satisfaction was similar across groups, wound closure times, SBSES scores, and total cost favor Clozex compared with Prolene suture or Zip. CLINICALTRIALSGOV REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05251064.

Interobserver Reliability and Change in the Sagittal Tibial Tubercle-Trochlear Groove Distance with Increasing Knee Flexion Angles.

The tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance is currently utilized to evaluate knee alignment in patients with patellar instability. Sagittal plane pathology measured by the sagittal tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (sTT-TG) distance has been described in instability but may also be important to consider in patients with cartilage injury. This study aims to (1) describe interobserver reliability of the sTT-TG distance and (2) characterize the change in the sTT-TG distance with respect to changing knee flexion angles. In this cadaveric study, six nonpaired cadaveric knees underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies at each of the following degrees of knee flexion: -5, 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20. The sTT-TG distance was measured on the axial T2 sequence. Four reviewers measured this distance for each cadaver at each flexion angle. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine interobserver reliability and reproducibility of the sTT-TG measurement. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests and Friedman's tests with a Bonferroni's correction were performed for each cadaver to compare sTT-TG distances at each flexion angle. Significance was defined as p < 0.05. There was excellent interobserver reliability of the sTT-TG distance with all intraclass correlation coefficients >0.9. The tibial tubercle progressively becomes more posterior in relation to the trochlear groove (more negative sTT-TG distance) with increasing knee flexion. The sTT-TG distance is a measurement that is reliable between attending surgeons and across training levels. The sTT-TG distance is affected by small changes in knee flexion angle. Awareness of knee flexion angle on MRI is important when this measurement is utilized by surgeons.

Arthroscopically Assisted Acromioclavicular Joint Reconstruction Using the Infinity-Lock Button System With Allograft Augmentation.

Acromioclavicular (AC) joint injuries are extremely common in the athletic population. Although most low-grade injuries can be managed nonoperatively, high-grade injuries often require reconstruction of the AC joint. Various reconstructive options have been described with varying risks and benefits to each. Implant or graft failure with loss of reduction as well as clavicle and coracoid fracture are a few of the more common complications following AC joint reconstruction surgery. Currently, no gold standard exists. This technical paper describes an arthroscopically assisted AC joint reconstruction technique using the Infinity-Lock Button System with hamstring allograft augmentation. This technique provides an anatomic, minimally invasive, low-profile reconstruction that may minimize risk of clavicle and coracoid fracture. It also provides augmented stabilization across the AC joint, which may also help resist naturally occurring horizontal and rotational displacing forces.

Next-generation sequencing for diagnosis of infection: is more sensitive really better?

BACKGROUND: The utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in differentiating between active infection and contaminant or baseline flora remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to compare NGS with culture-based methods in primary shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS: A prospective series of primary shoulder arthroplasty patients with no history of infection or antibiotic use within 60 days of surgery was enrolled. All patients received standard perioperative antibiotics. After skin incision, a 10 × 3-mm sample of the medial skin edge was excised. A 2 × 2-cm synovial tissue biopsy was taken from the rotator interval after subscapularis takedown. Each sample set was halved and sent for NGS and standard cultures. RESULTS: Samples from 25 patients were analyzed. Standard aerobic/anaerobic cultures were positive in 10 skin samples (40%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 20%-60%) and 3 deep tissue samples (12%, 90% CI 1%-23%]). NGS detected ≥1 bacterial species in 17 of the skin samples (68%, 95% CI 49%-87%) and 7 deep tissue samples (28%, 95% CI 9%-47%). There was a significant difference (P < .03) in the mean number of bacterial species detected with NGS between the positive standard culture (1.6 species) and the negative standard culture groups (5.7 species). CONCLUSION: NGS identified bacteria at higher rates in skin and deep tissue samples than standard culture did in native, uninfected patients undergoing primary procedures. Further research is needed to determine which NGS results are clinically relevant and which are false positives before NGS can be reliably used in orthopedic cases.

Blastomycosis infection of the knee treated with staged total knee arthroplasty.

Blastomycosis is a rare fungal disease that can cause intraarticular infection and joint destruction requiring surgical reconstruction. We describe a patient who presented with destruction of the knee joint of unknown etiology. The patient was initially treated with debridement and spacer placement followed by antifungal therapy after cultures grew blastomycosis. Following adequate treatment of the infection, the patient was taken back to the operating room for reconstruction with a total knee arthroplasty. The patient had a successful outcome with no evidence of infection at two years following surgery. To our knowledge, this case report represents the first documented case in which a blastomycotic infection of a native knee was successfully treated with a two-stage total knee arthroplasty.

Intraoperative frozen section analysis for failed metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty: is it useful?

Recent failure mechanisms seen with metal-on-metal (MOM) total hip arthroplasty (THA) include a spectrum of inflammatory and immune-mediated reactions of lymphocyte predominance. Frozen section (FS) analysis has been used to evaluate joints for acute inflammation indicative of infection. However, the impact of the inflammatory response to metal debris on FS analysis is unknown and the usefulness of FS analysis in failed MOM THA has not been reported. This study investigated the impact of intraoperative FS analysis in evaluating the possibility of infection in 30 patients undergoing revision of a failed MOM THA. The authors' experience suggests that FS has acceptable specificity (96.6%) for infection in revision MOM surgery, although one false positive was noted in this series and the addition of FS did not provide obvious diagnostic utility. The authors believe that FS should be used selectively (if at all) in conjunction with other studies to avoid misdiagnosis in failed MOM THA.