Residual Acetabular Dysplasia at Walking Age: A Study of 470 Hips Treated With Pavlik Harness.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to report on the acetabular indices of walking age children following successful DDH treatment with Pavlik harness and investigate risk factors for residual acetabular dysplasia (RAD). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data for children treated for DDH at a single centre between 2015 and 2020. Acetabular indices (AI) measured on pelvic radiographs taken at 2- and 4-year follow-up visits were referenced against age-matched and sex-matched normal data. Values ≥90th percentile were considered to represent RAD. RESULTS: A total of 305 children with 470 hips were suitable for inclusion. The mean age at treatment initiation was 7.0±4.5 weeks and mean treatment duration was 15.9±4.3 weeks. Overall, 27% and 19% of hips were found to have RAD at 2- (n=448) and 4-year (n=206) follow-up, respectively. The χ 2 test for independence demonstrated that the difference in the proportion of hips with RAD at both time points was significant ( P =0.032). Patients with RAD at 2 years were found to have been treated for longer ( P =0.028) and had lower alpha angles on final ultrasound assessment ( P <0.001). Patients with RAD at 4 years were older at initiation of treatment ( P =0.041), had lower alpha angles on final ultrasound assessment ( P <0.001) and were more likely to have had RAD at 2 years ( P <0.001). Multivariate analysis identified lower alpha angles on final ultrasound to be predictive for RAD at 2 years ( P =0.011), and presence of RAD at 2 years to be predictive for RAD at 4 years ( P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of RAD beyond walking age in children successfully treated with Pavlik harness is not negligible. However, we observed that a significant proportion of children with RAD at 2-year follow-up had spontaneously improved without any intervention. This data suggests that routine long-term radiologic follow-up of children treated with Pavlik harness is necessary, and surgical intervention to address RAD should be delayed until at least 4 years of age. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-case-control study.

Aneurysmal bone cysts: A UK wide tumor center experience.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This multicenter retrospective series of consecutive extra-spinal aneurysmal bone cysts aims to identify risk factors for treatment failure. METHODS: Aneurysmal bone cysts treated within seven collaborating centers with over 12-months follow-up were eligible for inclusion. Survival analyses were performed to identify variables associated with recurrence using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS: One hundred and fifteen (M:F 60:55) patients were included. Median age at presentation was 13 years and median follow-up was 27 months. Seventy-five patients underwent surgical curettage and 27% of these required further intervention for recurrence. Of the 30 patients who underwent biopsy with limited percutaneous curettage as initial procedure, 47% required no further treatment. Patients under 13 years (log-rank p = 0.006, HR 2.3, p = 0.011) and those treated who had limited curettage (log-rank p = 0.001, HR 2.7, p = 0.002) had a higher risk of recurrence/persistence. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high risk of recurrence following surgical treatment for aneurysmal bone cysts and this risk is higher in young patients. However, the cyst heals in a substantial number of patients who have a limited curettage at the time of biopsy.

Surgery for the Pronated Forearm and Flexed Wrist in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

AIM: There is no consensus in the literature on how best to manage wrist flexion and forearm pronation deformities in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this research was to come up with a treatment algorithm for the surgical management of such cases. METHODS: Children with CP who underwent upper limb surgery between 2009 and 2016 at a single centre and by a single lead surgeon were reviewed retrospectively. Movement analysis and Shriners Hospital Upper Extremity Evaluation (SHUEE) data collected pre- and post-operatively. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were recruited. Most patients underwent a flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) to extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) transfer, with or without pronator teres (PT) re-routing, and finger flexor or elbow flexor releases. Mean increase in active range of supination was 40.8° (p = 0.002) and wrist extension 28.9° (p = 0.004). The mean increase in dynamic positional analysis (part of the SHUEE) was 25.4% (of which 40.3% was due the increases in wrist function and 16.8% due to forearm function). The loss of wrist flexion was not significant (p = 0.125). The mean follow-up was 14 months (range 9-21). CONCLUSIONS: To tackle both a pronation and flexion deformity, the authors favour performing a FCU to ECRB transfer in isolation if there is active supination to neutral; if active supination is short of neutral, then a FCU to ECRB with a PT release and possible re-routing performed. A treatment algorithm is proposed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.