John N. Insall Award: Randomized Clinical Trial of Cementless Versus Cemented Tibial Components: Durable and Reliable at a Mean 10-Years Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND: Cementless fixation is gaining popularity for primary total knee arthroplasties (TKAs). The prior 5-year results of our randomized clinical trial that included 3 different tibial designs found minimal differences. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the 10-year results in the same cohort. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2006, 389 primary TKAs were randomized: traditional modular cemented tibia (135); hybrid (cemented baseplate with uncemented pegs) monoblock tibia (128); and cementless monoblock tibia (126). Implant survivorships, radiographs, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Mean age at TKA was 68 years (range, 41 to 85), 46% were male, and mean body mass index was 32 (range, 21 to 59). The mean follow-up was 10 years. RESULTS: The 10-year survivorship free of any revision was similar between the hybrid monoblock and cementless monoblock groups at 96%, but lower (89%) for the traditional modular cemented tibia (P = .05). The traditional modular cemented tibia group had significantly more revisions for aseptic tibial loosening than the other 2 groups (7 versus 0%) at 10 years (P = .003). The traditional modular cemented tibia group had significantly more nonprogressive radiolucent lines than the hybrid and cementless monoblock groups (24, 12, and 9%, respectively). Clinical outcomes were similar and excellent between all 3 groups. CONCLUSION: Cementless and hybrid monoblock tibial components have excellent implant survivorship (96%) with no cases of aseptic tibial loosening to date. The traditional cemented modular tibial group had a 7% cumulative incidence of aseptic loosening at 10 years. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, Prospective Randomized Control Trial.

High tibial osteotomy with modern PEEK implants is safe and leads to lower hardware removal rates when compared to conventional metal fixation: a multi-center comparison study.

PURPOSE: Various implant materials have been used in medial, opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) including traditional metal and modern polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants. The purpose of this study was to compare metal and PEEK implants and determine safety, varus deformity correction, as well as short- to mid-term hardware removal and arthroplasty rates. METHODS: HTO performed with metal and PEEK implants were reviewed between 2000 and 2015 at two institutions with a minimum of 2 years follow-up. Postoperative complications, radiographic measures, and osteotomy union were compared between groups using Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher's exact testing. Survival free of hardware removal and arthroplasty was compared between groups using Kaplan-Meier testing. Risk factors for HTO conversion to arthroplasty were examined using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Ninety-five HTOs were performed in 90 patients (59 M, 31 F) using 50 metal and 45 PEEK implants. Mean follow-up was 4.2 years (range 2.0-16.5). Two metal and two PEEK HTO patients experienced nonunions, resulting in revision HTO at a mean of 1.0 years postoperatively (range 0.4-1.4 years). Both implant groups demonstrated similar, significant improvements in coronal deformity, with mean angulation improving from 6.0° and 5.4° varus preoperatively to 1.1° and 1.0° valgus postoperatively for the metal (p < 0.01) and PEEK groups (p < 0.01), respectively. 2- and 5-year hardware removal-free survival was 94% and 94% for PEEK, which was significantly superior to 80% and 73% observed for metal (p = 0.02). 2- and 5-year arthroplasty-free survival was similar for the metal (98% and 94%) and PEEK groups (100% and 78%) (n.s.). HTO performed for focal cartilage defects was observed to demonstrate decreased arthroplasty risk (HR 0.36, p = 0.03) when compared to HTO performed for osteoarthritis. CONCLUSIONS: Both metal and PEEK implants were found to be effective in obtaining and maintaining coronal varus deformity correction, with 88% overall arthroplasty-free survival at 5 years. Metal fixation demonstrated a higher rate of hardware removal while HTO performed for medial compartment osteoarthritis predicted conversation to arthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Proceedings from the Ice Hockey Summit III: Action on Concussion.

The Ice Hockey Summit III provided updated scientific evidence on concussions in hockey to inform these five objectives: 1) describe sport-related concussion (SRC) epidemiology, 2) classify prevention strategies, 3) define objective, diagnostic tests, 4) identify treatment, and 5) integrate science and clinical care into prioritized action plans and policy. Our action plan evolved from 40 scientific presentations. The 155 attendees (physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, nurses, neuropsychologists, scientists, engineers, coaches, and officials) voted to prioritize these action items in the final Summit session. 1) Establish a national and international hockey data base for SRC at all levels, 2) eliminate body checking in Bantam youth hockey games, 3) expand a behavior modification program (Fair Play) to all youth hockey levels, 4) enforce game ejection penalties for fighting in Junior A and professional hockey leagues, 5) establish objective tests to diagnose concussion at point of care (POC), and 6) mandate baseline testing to improve concussion diagnosis for all age groups. Expedient implementation of the Summit III prioritized action items is necessary to reduce the risk, severity, and consequences of concussion in the sport of ice hockey.

Concussion in Ice Hockey: Current Gaps and Future Directions in an Objective Diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: This review provides an update on sport-related concussion (SRC) in ice hockey and makes a case for changes in clinical concussion evaluation. Standard practice should require that concussions be objectively diagnosed and provide quantitative measures of the concussion injury that will serve as a platform for future evidence-based treatment. METHODS: The literature was surveyed to address several concussion-related topics: research in ice hockey-related head trauma, current subjective diagnosis, promising components of an objective diagnosis, and current and potential treatments. MAIN RESULTS: Sport-related head trauma has marked physiologic, pathologic, and psychological consequences for athletes. Although animal models have been used to simulate head trauma for pharmacologic testing, the current diagnosis and subsequent treatment in athletes still rely on an athlete's motivation to report or deny symptoms. Bias-free, objective diagnostic measures are needed to guide quantification of concussion severity and assessment of treatment effects. Most of the knowledge and management guidelines of concussion in ice hockey are generalizable to other contact sports. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for an objective diagnosis of SRC that will quantify severity, establish a prognosis, and provide effective evidence-based treatment. Potential methods to improve concussion diagnosis by health care providers include a standardized concussion survey, the King-Devick test, a quantified electroencephalogram, and blood analysis for brain cell-specific biomarkers.

Characterizing the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Contact Dermatitis to 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate Used for Skin Closure in Elective Orthopedic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: While studies have shown that postoperative wound complications can predispose to deep infection following orthopedic surgery, the best form of skin closure has not been elucidated. Furthermore, the unique risks and benefits of each type of wound closure have not been studied. The goal of this study is to present the diagnosis and treatment of patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, a skin adhesive commonly used in wound closure. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with ACD to 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Prineo, Ethicon, NJ) following elective orthopedic surgeries from 2013 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed; this occurred in 29 of 6088 units of Prineo used at our institution, for an estimated incidence of 0.5%. Nineteen patients (66%) had knee operations. Mean age was 55 years (range, 15-92 years). We classified patients by symptom severity and treatment requirements into mild, moderate, and severe reactions. RESULTS: Most reactions were moderate (48%) or severe (38%) reactions. Mean time from surgery to diagnosis was 11.8 days (range, 2-42 days). All patients underwent removal of the Prineo dressing and daily dressing changes with a specific protocol. Twenty patients (69%) received oral antihistamines, 16 patients (55%) required topical corticosteroids, and 5 patients (17%) required oral corticosteroids. All cases of ACD ultimately resolved at a mean of 22 days (range, 13-56 days) postoperatively. CONCLUSION: 2-Octyl cyanoacrylate skin adhesive occurs in an estimated 0.5% of cases and can lead to severe postoperative ACD when used following orthopedic operations. However, with early recognition and appropriate treatment, patients' symptoms resolve without a significant impact on wound healing.

The Mark Coventry Award: Trabecular metal tibial components were durable and reliable in primary total knee arthroplasty: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Although highly porous metals have demonstrated excellent bone ingrowth properties and so are an intriguing option for fixation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), some surgeons are skeptical about the durability of uncemented tibial fixation and the potential for soft tissues to adhere to these porous metals and perhaps cause knee stiffness or pain. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to compare, in the context of a randomized clinical trial, a highly porous metal tibia compared with a traditional modular cemented tibia in terms of survivorship, Knee Society scores, range of motion (ROM), and complications. METHODS: From 2003 to 2006, 397 patients (age 67.8 ± 8.7 years; 54% female) were randomized to three groups: (1) traditional modular cemented tibia; (2) cemented highly porous metal tibia; and (3) uncemented highly porous metal tibia. The same posterior-stabilized femoral component and patella component were cemented in every case. Stratified randomization was done for surgeon, patient's age, sex, and body mass index. Survivorship at 5 years was compared between the groups, as were Knee Society scores, ROM, and complications. Radiographic assessment included alignment, radiolucency, and implant migration/loosening. Patients were followed until death, revision, or for a minimum of 2 years (mean, 5 years; range, 2-9 years). Four patients were lost to followup before 2 years. RESULTS: Highly porous metal tibias (both uncemented and cemented) were no different from traditional cemented modular tibial modular components in terms of survivorship at 5 years using a intention-to-treat analysis (96.8% [1]; 97.6% [2]; 96.7% [3]; p = 0.59). A per-protocol analysis revealed that no highly porous metal tibia was revised for aseptic loosening. Highly porous metal tibias performed comparably to traditional cemented modular tibias in terms of Knee Society scores, ROM, and the frequency of complications. CONCLUSIONS: At 5 years this randomized clinical trial demonstrated that highly porous metal tibias provided comparably durable fixation and reliable pain relief and restoration of function when compared with a traditional cemented modular tibia in TKA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

High Tibial Osteotomy with a Modern Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) System: Mid-Term Results at a Mean of 6 Years Follow-Up.

The purpose of this study was to determine patient-reported outcomes, hardware removal rates, as well as conversion to arthroplasty at mid-term follow-up following high tibial osteotomy (HTO) with a modern polyetheretherketone (PEEK) system. All PEEK system-based HTOs performed at a single institution between January 2010 and January 2016 with a minimum of 2 years follow-up were reviewed. Rates of postoperative complications, hardware removal and conversion to arthroplasty were calculated. Patient-reported outcomes including visual analog pain scale (VAS), Tegner activity scale, Lysholm, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) were obtained. Forty-seven HTOs in 43 patients (mean age: 37.6 ± 10.8 years; 30 M, 13 F) were followed for a mean of 6.0 ± 1.5 years. A total of four postoperative complications occurred in three patients, resulting in an overall complication rate of 6.4%. Hardware removal occurred in three patients at a mean of 0.73 ± 0.53 years after surgery, with overall survival free of hardware removal of 96% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 85-99) at 1 year, 94% (95% CI: 82-98) at 2 years, and 94% (95% CI: 82-98) at 8 years. Conversion to arthroplasty occurred in three patients at a mean of 3.2 ± 1.0 years after surgery, with mean survival of 100% (95% CI: 94-100) at 1 year, 100% (95% CI: 94-100) at 2 years, and 93% (95% CI: 81-98) at 8 years. VAS at rest improved, from 3.1 ± 2.5 preoperatively to 1.1 ± 1.6 postoperatively (p < 0.001). Patients remained active, with a mean Tegner activity scale of 4.4 ± 1.4 at final follow-up and satisfactory Lysholm, KOOS, and SF-36 scores. At mid-term follow-up, medial opening-wedge HTO using a modern PEEK-based system was found to be safe, efficacious, and durable, with satisfactory outcome scores and a low rate of conversion to arthroplasty. PEEK-based implants were found to have low hardware removal rates of 6% at 5 years, which compares favorably to historic metal fixation. This is a Level III study.

A comparison of facial protection and the incidence of head, neck, and facial injuries in Junior A hockey players. A function of individual playing time.

A cohort of 282 elite amateur ice hockey players were analyzed to 1) record the number, type, location, and severity of head, neck, and facial injuries sustained during games; 2) examine the relationship between injuries and the type of facial protection (none, partial, or full) according to individual playing time; and 3) determine whether full or partial facial protection is associated with an increased incidence of concussions, eye injuries, and neck injuries. Fifty-two injuries (158.9 per 1000 player-game hours) occurred in players wearing no facial protection, 45 (73.5 per 1000 player-game hours) in players wearing partial facial protection (half shield), and 16 (23.2 per 1000 player-game hours) in players wearing full facial protection (full cage or shield). Players wearing no protection were injured at a rate more than twice that of players wearing partial protection and almost seven times higher than those wearing full protection. Concussions occurred in four players wearing no protection, five players wearing partial protection, and two players wearing full protection; these differences were not significant. The risk of eye injury was 4.7 times greater for players wearing no protection compared with those wearing partial protection. No eye or neck injuries occurred in players wearing full protection. This study demonstrates that both full and partial facial protection significantly reduce injuries to the eye and face without increasing neck injuries and concussions.

Descriptive epidemiology of the Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) cohort.

BACKGROUND: Revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has worse outcomes than primary reconstructions. Predictors for these worse outcomes are not known. The Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) Group was developed to perform a multisurgeon, multicenter prospective longitudinal study to obtain sufficient subjects to allow multivariable analysis to determine predictors of clinical outcome. PURPOSE: To describe the formation of MARS and provide descriptive analysis of patient demographics and clinical features for the initial 460 enrolled patients to date in this prospective cohort. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: After training and institutional review board approval, surgeons began enrolling patients undergoing revision ACL reconstruction, recording patient demographics, previous ACL reconstruction methods, intra-articular injuries, and current revision techniques. Enrolled subjects completed a questionnaire consisting of validated patient-based outcome measures. RESULTS: As of April 1, 2009, 87 surgeons have enrolled a total of 460 patients (57% men; median age, 26 years). For 89%, the reconstruction was the first revision. Mode of failure as deemed by the revising surgeon was traumatic (32%), technical (24%), biologic (7%), combination (37%), infection (<1%), and no response (<1%). Previous graft present at the time of injury was 70% autograft, 27% allograft, 2% combination, and 1% unknown. Sixty-two percent were more than 2 years removed from their last reconstruction. Graft choice for revision ACL reconstruction was 45% autograft, 54% allograft, and more than 1% both allograft and autograft. Meniscus and/or chondral damage was found in 90% of patients. CONCLUSION: The MARS Group has been able to quickly accumulate the largest revision ACL reconstruction cohort reported to date. Traumatic reinjury is deemed by surgeons to be the most common single mode of failure, but a combination of factors represents the most common mode of failure. Allograft graft choice is more common in the revision setting than autograft. Concomitant knee injury is extremely common in this population.

Rotating platform knees did not improve patellar tracking: a prospective, randomized study of 240 primary total knee arthroplasties.

Renewed interest in mobile-bearing total knee replacement designs has been generated by the concept of self alignment and the suggestion that those designs can accommodate small mismatches in the rotational position of the tibial and femoral components. Self alignment might improve patellar tracking, decrease the prevalence of lateral retinacular release and postoperative patellar tilt or subluxation, improve knee flexion, and improve patellofemoral function during daily activities such as stair climbing. This prospective randomized study of 240 patients used a single posterior-stabilized femoral component and included three groups of 80 patients: an all-polyethylene group, a modular metal-backed group, and a rotating platform tibia group. The prevalence of lateral retinacular release was 3.8% in each group. The prevalence of patellar tilt was 5% (all-polyethylene group), 7% (modular metal-backed group), and 11% (rotating platform group). Preoperative motion was not significantly different and both the 3-month flexion (112 degrees , 110 degrees , and 108 degrees ) and 1-year flexion (116 degrees , 117 degrees , and 115 degrees ) were not significantly different among the all-polyethylene, modular metal-backed, and rotating platform groups, respectively. Preoperative stair climbing scores were not significantly different and both the 3-month (38, 41, and 35 points) and 1-year (44, 46, and 42 points) scores were not significantly different. In this prospective randomized study, the rotating platform knee design did not decrease the prevalence of lateral retinacular release or patellar tilt or subluxation and did not increase knee flexion or improve stair climbing ability at 3 months or at 1 year postoperatively when compared with a posterior-stabilized, fixed-bearing knee.