Irritation from metalwork after ankle arthrodesis fixed using screws: a proportional meta-analysis and systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Ankle arthrodesis (AA) is often fixed using cannulated screws. The irritation from metalwork is a relatively common complication, but there is no consensus regarding the need to remove the screws on a systematic basis. The aim of this study was to determine (1) the proportion of screws removed after AA and (2) whether predictors of screw removal could be identified. METHODS: This PRISMA-compliant systematic review was part of a larger previous protocol registered on the PROSPERO platform. Multiple databases were searched including studies in which patients undergone AA using screws as exclusive fixation method were followed. Data were harvested regarding the cohort, the study design, the surgical technique, the nonunion and complication rate at the longest follow-up. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). RESULTS: Forty-four series of patients from thirty-eight studies (1990 ankles, 1934 patients) were selected. The average follow-up was 40.8 months (range 12-110). In all studies, hardware was removed due to symptoms reported by patients and related to the screws. The pooled proportion of removal of metalwork was 3% (95% CI 2-4). The pooled proportion of fusion was 96% (95%CI 95-98), while the pooled proportion of complications and reoperations (excluding the removal of metalwork) stood at 15% (95% CI 11-18) and 3% (95% CI 2-4), respectively. The mean mCMS (50.8 ± 8.1, range 35-66) revealed only an overall fair quality of studies. The univariate analysis and the multivariate model showed that the year of publication (R = - 0.004; p = 0.01) and the number of screws (R = 0.08; p = 0.01) were associated with the screw removal rate. Specifically, we found that over time the removal rate decreased by 0.4% per year and that the use of three screws instead of two reduced the risk of removal of metalwork by 8%. CONCLUSIONS: In this review, removal of metalwork after ankle arthrodesis using cannulated screws was needed in 3% of cases at an average follow-up of 40.8 months. It was indicated only in case of symptoms related to soft tissue irritation from screws. The use of three screws was paradoxically related to a reduced risk of removal of screws as compared to two-screw constructs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review of Level IV.

Role of lateral soft tissue release in percutaneous hallux valgus surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether lateral soft tissue release (LSTR) is required as part of percutaneous hallux valgus (PHV) surgery. The primary aim of this systematic review was to assess whether LSTR reduces the risk of recurrence of hallux valgus deformity. The secondary aims were to assess if LSTR increases the risk of complications, improves the clinical outcome and leads to a greater radiographic correction. METHODS: We performed a PRISMA-compliant PROSPERO-registered systematic review, pooling clinical papers reporting results after PHV surgery into two categories (PHV with (Group 1, G1) and without LSTR (Group 2, G2)) and comparing them. Data regarding the study design, demographics, the surgical procedure and the clinical and radiological outcome were extracted and compared. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). RESULTS: Sixteen studies were selected (G1:594 feet; G2:553 feet). The pooled proportion of recurrence at a minimum 21-month follow-up (2%, 95%CI 0-3 vs 2%, 95%CI 0-5; p = 0.70) did not differ in the two groups. Similarly, the pooled proportion of complications (27%, 95%CI 17-38 vs 25%, 95%CI 12-37; p = 0.79) was similar. The pre- (p = 0.23) and post-operative AOFAS scores (p = 0.16), the pre-(HVA: p = 0.23) (IMA: p = 0.94) and post-operative radiological angles (HVA: p = 0.47) (IMA: p = 0.2) and the methodological quality of studies (p = 0.2) did not differ either between G1 and G2. CONCLUSION: There is no evidence that LSTR performed during percutaneous HV surgery reduces the risk of recurrence of the deformity at a mean 4-year follow-up nor improves the clinical and radiological outcome. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV systematic review of Level I to IV studies.

Bösch osteotomy for hallux valgus correction: results at a mean 10-year follow-up.

INTRODUCTION: Bösch osteotomy (BO), which is a first metatarsal subcapital osteotomy stabilised with a K-wire, is a surgical option to correct hallux valgus (HV). The aim of this study was to assess the long-term clinical and radiographic results in a cohort of patients treated at our institution with such osteotomy. METHODS: In this retrospective monocentric single-surgeon cohort study, we included 58 HVs (46 patients) who underwent HV correction by BO and were followed at a minimum of 7 years. The range of motion (ROM), the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society's Forefoot scale (AOFAS-FS) and the Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) for pain were recorded. On weightbearing radiographs, the Hallux Valgus Angle (HVA), Intermetatarsal Angle (IMA), the Distal Metatarsal Articular Angle (DMAA), and the Lateral Sesamoid Position (LSP) were measured and compared with pre-operative values. The complication rate and first metatarsophalangeal joint stiffness were also assessed. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 10 ± 2 (7-17) years, mean ± standard deviation AOFAS-FS and VAS were 89 ± 11 (67-93) and 2.1 ± 2.8 (0-7) points, respectively. In 42 (72%) cases there was no limitation in the choice of footwears. Radiographically, we found a significant improvement in the HVA (from 33.9° ± 6.7 to 18.8° ± 5.6, p < 0.001), in the IMA (14.2° ± 3.1 to 9.4° ± 2.7, p < 0.001), in the DMAA (from 30.3° ± 6.8 to 11.5° ± 5.1, p < 0.001) and in LSP (median value from 3 to 1, p < 0.001). In 36 (62%) cases the ROM was greater than 75° while in 22 (38%) it ranged between 30° and 75°. Minor complications occurred in six (10%) cases, which did not require any further surgery at the longest follow-up. CONCLUSION: Bösch technique provided satisfactory clinical and radiographic outcomes in the treatment of hallux valgus which persisted at a mean 10-year follow-up. The complication rate did not differ from more recent techniques described in literature. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective cohort study.

Musculoskeletal Interventional Radiology in the Pediatric Population: State of the Art.

Interventional radiology procedures have been proven to be as effective as traditional surgery but usually are characterized by lower morbidity rates. In this article, the most diffuse IR treatments for pediatric lesions are reviewed with the aim of describing main advantages and drawbacks. Ablation procedures (in particular RFA and MRgFUS) are widely used for the management of osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma whereas intracystic injection of methylprednisolone acetate is performed for simple bone cysts. Sclerosing agents and where possible, selective arterial embolization are used for treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts and other vascular malformations. In the management of malignant muscoloskeletal tumors, the role interventional radiology is mainly represented by percutaneous biopsies, and by adiuvant selective embolizations in presence of hypervascular lesions to be submitted to surgery.

Static versus dynamic fixation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis: a systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses.

PURPOSE: Multiple Level I meta-analyses were conducted comparing traditional static vs. more recently introduced dynamic strategies of fixation for injuries of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis (TFS). The aim of this review was to assess their robustness and methodological quality, providing support in the choice of a treatment strategy in case of TFS injury using the highest level of evidence. METHODS: In this systematic review, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, meta-analyses/systematic reviews comparing static and dynamic fixation methods after acute TFS injury were identified. The robustness of studies was evaluated using the fragility index (FI) for meta-analysis and the fragility quotient (FQ). The risk of bias was evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) instrument. Finally, the Jadad was applied to select the study which provided the highest quality of evidence to develop recommendations for the fixation strategy of these lesions. RESULTS: Out of 1.302 records, four Level I meta-analyses were included in this study. Analyzing the statistically significant dichotomous outcomes, the median FI was 3.5 (IQR, 2 to 5.5; range, 1 to 9), while the median FQ was 1.9% (IQR, 1 to 3.5; range 0.35 to 4.4). In total, 37% had an FI of 2 or less and 75% of outcomes had a FI of 4 or less. According to the AMSTAR score and Jadad algorithm, the largest meta-analysis was selected as the highest evidence provided so far. CONCLUSION: The meta-analyses with statistically significant dichotomous outcomes comparing dynamic and static fixation for treating injuries of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis are fragile, with a change in less than four patients or less than 2% of the study population sufficient to reverse a significant outcome to nonsignificant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I.

"I only watch for the commercials": Messages about weight, eating and race in Super Bowl advertisements.

OBJECTIVE: Health experts and communication experts assert that the media influence individuals' health. Yet, incongruously, the public, policy-makers and the media themselves appear reticent to accept that the media could have extensive negative influence on health. METHODS: The current study examined all ads that aired from Super Bowl XLVI through Super Bowl XLIX (N = 241) using a detailed, multistep coding process. RESULTS: Ads had similar racial/ethnic diversity in the full sample and food/beverage ads. A minority (14.5%) of advertisements contained actors with overweight/obesity, who were more likely to be White and less likely to be Hispanic compared with race/ethnicity in all ads. Humour and tone were similarly present whether or not the ads included actors with overweight/obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are striking given the high prevalence of overweight/obesity in the USA, particularly among Black and Hispanic populations, and the comparatively low representation of actors with overweight/obesity in Super Bowl advertisements. Surprising weight findings may signal a change in how the media portray body-size norms (away from exclusively thin), although representations remain disproportionate from actual body-size distributions in the USA.

A High-Grade Lachman's Exam Predicts a Ramp Tear of the Medial Meniscus in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear: A Prospective Clinical and Radiological Evaluation.

Background: Medial meniscus ramp tears are present in 22.9-40.8% of anterior cruciate ligament tears. The diagnosis of ramp tears is difficult on MRI, with sensitivity reported around 48%, which has recently emphasized the importance of proper arthroscopic probing for ramp tears. Methods: A prospective evaluation was performed on patients undergoing a single bundle ACL reconstruction to assess patient demographics, posterior tibial slope, posterior cruciate ligament angle, Lachman's exam, and rotational instability to determine secondary findings associated with medial meniscal ramp tears. Results: A total of 96 patients underwent ACL reconstruction, of these, 63 patients had an isolated ACL tear, and 33 patients had an ACL tear with a concomitant medial meniscus ramp tear. A high-grade Lachman's exam and male sex were associated with medial meniscus ramp tears. There were no differences in posterior tibial slope, posterior cruciate ligament angle, or rotational instability between groups. Conclusions: This study found that a high-grade Lachman's exam and male sex were significantly associated with patients with an ACL tear with a concomitant medial meniscus ramp tear. These findings suggest that an ACL tear with concomitant medial meniscus ramp tear may be better diagnosed based upon the clinical evaluation rather than other secondary radiological findings.

Preoperative Echocardiographic Unknown Valvopathy Evaluation in Elderly Patients Undergoing Neuraxial Anesthesia during Major Orthopedic Surgery: A Mono-Centric Retrospective Study.

Background: The assessment of cardiac risk is challenging for elderly patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery with preoperative functional limitations. Currently, no specific cardiac risk scores are available for these critical patients. Echocardiography may be a reliable and safe instrument for assessing cardiac risks in this population. This study aims to evaluate the potential benefits of echocardiography in elderly orthopedic patients, its impact on anesthesiologic management, and postoperative Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACEs). Methods: This is a retrospective, one-arm, monocentric study conducted at ''Federico II'' Hospital-University of Naples-from January to December 2023, where 59 patients undergoing hip or knee revision surgery under neuraxial anesthesia were selected. The demographic data, the clinical history, and the results of preoperative Echocardiography screening (pEco-s) were collected. After extensive descriptive statistics, the χ2 test was used to compare the valvopathies and impaired Left Ventricular Function (iLVEF) prevalence before and after echocardiography screening and the incidence of postoperative MACE; a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 72.5 ± 6.9, and the prevalence of cardiac risk factors was about 90%. The cumulative prevalence of iLVEF and valvopathy was higher after the screening (p < 0.001). The pEco-s diagnosed 25 new valvopathies: three of them were moderate-severe. No patients had MACE. Conclusions: pEco-s evaluation could discover unknown heart valve pathology; more studies are needed to understand if pEco-s could affect the anesthetic management of patients with functional limitations, preventing the incidence of MACE, and assessing its cost-effectiveness.

Role of fibular autograft in ankle arthrodesis fixed using cannulated screws: a proportional meta-analysis and systematic review.

Ankle arthrodesis is commonly performed to treat end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of fibular autograft might increase the fusion rate and decrease the complication rate in ankle arthrodesis (AA) fixed using cannulated screws. To perform this PRISMA-compliant proportional meta-analysis, multiple databases were searched for studies in which patients undergone AA (using exclusively cannulated screws and augmented with fibular bone graft) were followed. The characteristics of the cohort, the study design, surgical details, the nonunion and complication rate at the longest follow-up were extracted and recorded. The modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS) was applied to appraise the quality of studies. Two groups were built: arthrodeses fixed with screws combined with cancellous autograft (G1) and arthrodeses fixed with screws combined with cancellous autograft and augmented with a lateral fibular onlay (G2). A third group (arthrodeses fixed with screws and no graft, G3) was extracted from previous literature for a further comparison. Overall, we included 306 ankles (296 patients) from ten series (ten studies). In G1 and G2 there were 118 ankles (111 patients) and 188 ankles (185 patients), respectively. In patients where cancellous autograft was used, a further augmentation with a fibular lateral strut autograft did not change significantly the nonunion (4% [95% CI 1-9] in G1 vs. 2% [95% CI 0-5) in G2, p = 0.99) nor the complication rate (18% [95% CI 0-36] in G1 vs. 13% [95% CI 6-21) in G2, p = 0.71). Upon comparison with 667 ankles (659 patients, G3) in which arthrodeses had been performed without grafting, the nonunion and complication rates did not differ significantly either (pooled estimates: 3% [95% CI 1-3) in G1 + G2 vs. 3% [95% CI 2-4] in G3, p = 0.73 for nonunion; 15% [8-23] in G1 + G2 vs. 13% [95% CI 9-17] in G3, p = 0.93 for complications). In ankle arthrodesis fixed with cannulated screws combined with cancellous autograft at the fusion site, a construct augmentation with a distal fibular onlay strut graft positioned laterally at the ankle joint does not reduce the risk of nonunion or complication. In general, the use of bone graft does not influence significantly the nonunion nor the complication rate as compared to non-grafted screw-fixed ankle arthrodeses.Kindly check and confirm the corresponding author mail id is correctly identified.It's all correct.

Analysis of the 50 Most Cited Articles on Achilles Tendon Injury.

Background: Achilles tendon injuries represent one of the most common reasons for referral to orthopaedic surgeons. Purpose: To outline the characteristics, examine trends in publication, and evaluate the correlation between citations and study quality of the 50 most cited articles on Achilles tendon injury. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: After searching the Web of Science for articles published in orthopaedic journals, we identified the 50 most cited articles on Achilles tendon injury and abstracted their characteristics. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). Multiple bivariate analyses (Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient) were used to evaluate the association among number of citations, citation rate (citations/year), 2020 journal impact factor (JIF), year of publication, level of evidence (LoE), study type (tendon rupture or chronic tendinopathy), sample size, and mCMS. Results: The top 50 articles were cited 12,194 times. Each article had a mean ± SD 244 ± 88.8 citations (range, 157-657) and a citation rate of 12.6 ± 5.4 per year (range, 3-28). A total of 35 studies (70%) were published between 2000 and 2010. The citation rate of the 16 most recent studies was almost double that of the 16 oldest studies (17.5 vs 9.9; P < .001). Nineteen studies (49%) were classified as having poor quality (mCMS <50 points). The mean JIF of the 9 journals that published the studies was 5.1. The citation rate correlated with the number of citations (r = 0.56; P < .001), publication year (r = 0.60; P < .001), and LoE (r = -0.44; P = .005). The publication year correlated with the LoE (r = -0.40; P = .01). Study quality in terms of mCMS correlated with the JIF (r = 0.35; P = .03) and LoE (r = -0.48; P = .003) but not the citation rate (P = .15). Conclusion: The mean LoE and the citation rate of the most cited articles on Achilles tendon injury both significantly increased over time. Although the JIF was positively correlated with study quality, almost half of the studies had poor-quality methodology.

Does the Number of Screws Influence the Union Rate in Ankle Arthrodesis? A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the number of cannulated screws used during ankle arthrodesis (AA) might influence the union and complication rate. METHODS: In this Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-compliant PROSPERO-registered systematic review, multiple databases were searched including studies in which patients undergone AA using cannulated screws as exclusive fixation method were followed. Data were harvested regarding the cohort, the study design, the surgical technique, the nonunion, and complication rate at the longest follow-up. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). Two groups were built (arthrodeses fixed with 2 screws [group 1, G1] vs arthrodeses fixed with 3 screws [group 2 G2]) and compared. RESULTS: Fifteen series of patients from 15 studies (667 ankles) were selected (G1 = 458 ankles and G2 = 209). The pooled proportion estimate revealed a similar nonunion rate in the 2-screw group as compared with the 3-screw group (4% vs 3%; P = .68). The pooled proportion of complications was higher in G1 (19%) than in G2 (8%), but it was not significantly different either (P = .45). After exclusion of "symptomatic hardware and screw removal," the difference was still not significant (P = .28) although it resulted lower in G1 than in G2 (4% vs 8%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Using 3 cannulated screws during AA as compared with a 2-screw construct does not significantly reduce the risk of nonunion nor the risk of complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Systematic review of level IV.

Periprosthetic joint infection in total ankle replacement: which are the current diagnostic criteria?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is among the most common complications of Total Ankle Replacement (TAR) and its management may be challenging. We set out to define which are the criteria currently used to diagnose PJI after TAR. METHODS: This PRISMA-compliant systematic review was registered in the Open Science Framework. Multiple databases were searched including clinical studies in which PJI after TAR was diagnosed and treated. Data were harvested regarding the cohort, the study design and the diagnostic criteria for PJI. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). RESULTS: Six papers (122 infected TARs) published between 2012 and 2022 were included in this review. Ankle pain with swelling and unexplained increased local temperature were the most common clinical findings leading to a suspicion of PJI. In 100% of cases the diagnosis was confirmed through synovial fluid analysis associated with positive blood tests. In all the revision surgeries intraoperative cultures (at least 3) were performed. In 109 ankles (90%) there was a microbiological isolation. Out of these, 38 (35%) were single organism infections by Staphylococcus coagulase negative and 37 (34%) were single organism infections by Staphylococcus Aureus. The mean mCMS was 37.6 out of 100. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of diagnostic criteria specific for PJI after TAR. Clinical and laboratory tests inspired to the knowledge in total knee and total hip arthroplasty are generally adopted in the field of ankle arthroplasty. The quality of evidence for studies included in this review was poor.

Tetra-block: ultrasound femoral, lateral femoral-cutaneous, obturator, and sciatic nerve blocks in lower limb anesthesia: a case series.

BACKGROUND: The gold standard anesthesiologic procedure for urgent femur fracture surgery is Spinal Anesthesia. It is not always feasible because of patients' severe comorbidities and difficulties in optimizing drug therapy in the appropriate time frame such as discontinuation of anticoagulant drugs. The use of four peripheral nerve blocks (tetra-block) can be a winning weapon when all seems lost. CASE PRESENTATION: We present, in this case series, three Caucasian adult femur fractures (an 83-year-old woman, a 73-year-old man, and a 68-year-old woman) with different and major comorbidities (cardiac or circulatory disorders on anticoagulants therapy that were not discontinued on time; breast cancer and others) underwent the same anesthesiologic approach in the urgent setting. Ultrasound peripheral nerve blocks, that is femoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, obturator, and sciatic with parasacral approach were successfully performed in all patients who underwent intramedullary nailing for intertrochanteric fracture. We evaluated the adequacy of the anesthesia plane, postoperative pain control with the VAS scale, and the incidence of postoperative side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Four peripheral nerve blocks (Tetra-block) can be alternative anesthesiologic management in urgent settings, in patients where drug therapy cannot be optimized, as in antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy.

Long-term longitudinal study on swine VML model.

BACKGROUND: Volumetric Muscle Loss (VML), resulting from severe trauma or surgical ablation, is a pathological condition preventing myofibers regeneration, since skeletal muscle owns the remarkable ability to restore tissue damage, but only when limited in size. The current surgical therapies employed in the treatment of this pathology, which particularly affects military personnel, do not yet provide satisfactory results. For this reason, more innovative approaches must be sought, specifically skeletal muscle tissue engineering seems to highlight promising results obtained from preclinical studies in VML mouse model. Despite the great results obtained in rodents, translation into human needs a comparable animal model in terms of size, in order to validate the efficacy of the tissue engineering approach reconstructing larger muscle mass (human-like). In this work we aim to demonstrate the validity of a porcine model, that has underwent a surgical ablation of a large muscle area, as a VML damage model. RESULTS: For this purpose, morphological, ultrasound, histological and fluorescence analyses were carried out on the scar tissue formed following the surgical ablation of the peroneus tertius muscle of Sus scrofa domesticus commonly called mini-pig. In particular, the replenishment of the damaged area, the macrophage infiltration and the vascularization at different time-points were evaluated up to the harvesting of the scar upon six months. CONCLUSION: Here we demonstrated that following VML damage, there is an extremely poor regenerative process in the swine muscle tissue, while the formation of fibrotic, scar tissue occurs. The analyses performed up to 180 days after the injury revealed the development of a stable, structured and cellularized tissue, provided with vessels and extracellular matrix acquiring the status of granulation tissue like in human.

Smart working perception in banking companies' employees during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to make decisions to re-assess working-time and location in order to ensure business survival. The resorting to Smart Working (SW) has been adopted to support business continuity, especially in the banking sector. OBJECTIVE: This study aims at evaluating the attitude and opinions of the bank employees on SW, focusing on the demographic, social and occupational characteristics of the respondents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the attitudes of the banking workers towards SW. The research was conducted from September 2020 to April 2021 through a validated questionnaire administered online. RESULTS: The workers more interested in SW were younger than 45 years old (p < 0.001), with a high educational level (p = 0.001), and lived > 50 km away from the workplace (p < 0.001). Who reported an improved productivity was aged < 45 years, childless (p < 0.001), not married (p = 0.004).Who thought that working in smart mode has penalized the teamwork was older than 45 years (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.12-1.73), lived near the office (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.16-2.99). CONCLUSIONS: SW could help finding a balance between private and working life, modifying the traditional working activity. However, it could enhance the risk of social isolation, impacting negatively on the working motivation. Establishing good practices on SW could be useful in the short-term to improve the time-management, focus better on work, and prevent possible psychological consequences on banking workers.

O2-O3 chemodiscolysis: How much, how long? Retrospective outcome evaluation of different treatment sessions in partially-responder patients.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical and instrumental outcome of different treatment sessions of oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) chemodiscolysis in patients with lumbar disc herniation. METHODS: We evaluated 73 patients partially responders to a single session of oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) chemodiscolysis and submitted to multiple injections sessions. All patients completed a pre- and post-treatment clinical (VAS and modified McNab score) and instrumental MRI follow-up. Imaging evaluation included assessment of intervertebral disc area (IDA). Pre- and post-treatment differences were compared to evaluate differences in variation between groups. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between morphological and clinical parameters. RESULTS: Based on the type and number of treatments performed, patients were divided into three groups: Group A) patients submitted to an additional periradicular anaesthetic/steroid injection; Group B) patients submitted to an additional session of intradiscal O2-O3 injection; Group C) patients submitted to two further sessions of intradiscal O2-O3 injection.The results showed an improvement of pain scores in all groups, and a smaller disc area change in group B. Comparing the differences between pre- and post-treatment features among the three different groups of patients, we did not find any statistically significant difference. Correlation analysis did not show any statistically significant correlation between the morphological changes of the intervertebral disc and the clinical output scores. CONCLUSIONS: In our retrospective observation of partially responder patients, multiple intradiscal ozone injections were not associated with a higher disc shrinkage nor superior clinical outcome compared to a single intradiscal O2-O3 application with an additional periradicular injection session.

Management of Osteoblastoma and Giant Osteoid Osteoma with Percutaneous Thermoablation Techniques.

Osteoblastoma (OB) is a rare, benign bone tumor, accounting for 1% of all primary bone tumors, which occurs usually in childhood and adolescence. OB is histologically and clinically similar to osteoid osteoma (OO), but it differs in size. It is biologically more aggressive and can infiltrate extraskeletal tissues. Therapy is required because of severe bone pain worsening at night. Moreover, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not a reasonable long-term treatment option in young patients. Surgical excision, considered the gold standard in the past, is no longer attractive today due to its invasiveness and the difficulty in performing a complete resection. The treatment of choice is currently represented by percutaneous thermoablation techniques. Among these, Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is considered the gold standard treatment, even when the lesions are located in the spine. RFA is a widely available technique that has shown high efficacy and low complication rates in many studies. Other percutaneous thermoablation techniques have been used for the treatment of OB, including Cryoablation (CA) and laser-ablation (LA) with high success rates and low complications. Nevertheless, their role is limited, and further studies are necessary.

Could anaesthesia be a key factor for the good outcome of bone ablation procedures? A retrospective analysis of a musculoskeletal interventional centre.

OBJECTIVE: To choose the best anaesthetic approach through the retrospective review of different bone ablation procedures. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively evaluated 118 ablation procedures carried out in our institute over the last 30 months. Three different anaesthetic approaches were used: general anaesthesia, i.v. sedation/analgesia and loco-regional anaesthesia (brachial plexus block, spinal anaesthesia). The outcomes were evaluated based on three parameters: technical success, patient comfort (Scale 1-5) and operator comfort (Scale 1-5). RESULTS: The 118 interventional procedures were carried out on 62 benign and 56 malignant bone lesions. The overall procedural success rate was 100%. Three cases were treated under general anaesthesia: patient comfort was 5/5 in all cases; operator comfort was 5/5 in one case, and 4/5 in two cases. Twenty-one patients underwent sedation/analgesia: in three patients with benign bone lesions, patient comfort was 1/5 and operator comfort 3/5; in two patients with malignant bone lesions, patient comfort was 3/5 and operator comfort 4/5. Ninety-four patients underwent loco-regional anaesthesia: patient and operator comfort was 5/5 in all cases. CONCLUSION: Based on our experience, loco-regional anaesthesia is probably the best anaesthetic approach during bone ablation procedures. Benign bone lesions ablation are the more painful procedures. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This is the first paper that systematically investigates about the best anaesthesiological support for IR procedures.

Characterizing the BCG Induced Macrophage and Neutrophil Mechanisms for Defense Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The live attenuated Mycobacterium bovis strain, Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) is a potent innate immune stimulator. In the C57BL/6 mouse model of tuberculosis, BCG vaccination leads to a significant reduction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis burden after aerogenic infection. Our studies indicated that BCG induced protection against pulmonary tuberculosis was independent of T cells and present as early as 7 days after vaccination. This protection showed longevity, as it did not wane when conventional T cell and TNF-α deficient mice were infected 30 days post-vaccination. As BCG induced mycobacterial killing after 7 days, this study investigated the contributions of the innate immune system after BCG vaccination to better understand mechanisms required for mycobacterial killing. Subcutaneous BCG inoculation resulted in significant CD11b+F4/80+ monocyte subset recruitment into the lungs within 7 days. Further studies revealed that killing of mycobacteria was dependent on the viability of BCG, because irradiated BCG did not have the same effect. Although others have identified BCG as a facilitator of trained innate immunity, we found that BCG reduced the mycobacterial burden in the absence of mechanisms required for trained innate immunity, highlighting a role for macrophages and neutrophils for vaccine induced killing of M. tuberculosis.

Biparametric (bp) and multiparametric (mp) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach to prostate cancer disease: a narrative review of current debate on dynamic contrast enhancement.

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in male population. Over the last few years, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proved to be a robust clinical tool for identification and staging of clinically significant prostate cancer. Though suggestions by the European Society of Urogenital Radiology to use complete multiparametric (mp) T2-weighted/diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)/dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) acquisition for all prostate MRI examinations, the real advantage of functional DCE remains a matter of debate. Recent studies demonstrate that biparametric (bp) and mp approaches have similar accuracy, but controversial evidences remain, and the specific potential benefits of contrast medium administration are still poorly discussed in literature. The bp approach is in fact sufficient in most cases to adequately identify a negative test, or to accurately define the degree of aggressiveness of a lesion, especially if larger or with major characteristics of malignancy. This feature would give the DCE a secondary role, probably limited to a second evaluation of the lesion location, for detecting small cancer or in case of controversy. However, DCE has proved to increase the sensitivity of prostate MRI, though a less specificity. Therefore, an appropriate decision algorithm is needed to standardize the MRI approach. Aim of this review study was to provide a schematic description of bpMRI and mpMRI approaches in the study of prostatic anatomy, focusing on comparative validity and current DCE application. Additional theoretical considerations on prostate MRI are provided.