Is the Fibular Station on Lateral Ankle Radiographs Symmetric? A Retrospective Observational Radiographic Study.

BACKGROUND: Precise reduction of a syndesmosis after disruption is critical to improve patient physical function. Intraoperative lateral radiographs of the unaffected ankle are often used in clinical practice as a template for anatomic syndesmotic reduction because sagittal plane malreduction is common. However, there is little data to suggest fibular station, or the position of the fibula in the AP plane on the lateral radiograph, is symmetric side-to-side in patients. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) Is the position of the fibula in the AP plane (fibular station) on lateral ankle radiographs symmetric in an individual? (2) Do the measurements used to judge the position of the fibula on lateral radiographs have good inter- and intraobserver reliability? METHODS: Over the period from August 2016 to October 2018, we identified 478 patients who presented to an orthopaedic clinic with forefoot and midfoot complaints. Skeletally mature patients with acceptable bilateral lateral ankle radiographs, which are common radiographs obtained for new patients to clinic for any complaint, were included. Based on that, 52% (247 of 478 patients) were included with most (22%, 107 patients) excluded for poor lateral radiographs. The most common diagnosis in the patient cohort was midfoot OA (14%, 35 patients). The median (range) age of the included patients was 54 years (15 to 88), and 65% (159 of 247) of the patients were female. Fibular station, defined as the position of the fibula in the AP plane, and fibular length were measured using a digital ruler and goniometer on lateral radiographs. A paired t-test was used to determine if no difference in fibular station existed between the left and right ankles. With 247 paired-samples, with 80% power and an alpha level of 0.05, we could detect a difference between sides of 0.008 for the posterior ratio, 0.010 for the anterior ratio, and 0.012 for fibular length. Two readers, one fellowship-trained orthopaedic traumatologist and one PGY-4, measured 40 patients to determine the inter- and intraobserver reliability by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The posterior fibular station (mean right 0.147 [σ = 0.056], left 0.145 [σ = 0.054], difference = 0.03 [95% CI 0 to 0.06]; p = 0.59), anterior fibular station (right 0.294 [σ = 0.062], left 0.299 [σ = 0.061], difference = 0.04 [95% CI 0 to 0.08]; p = 0.20), and fibular length (right 0.521 [σ = 0.080], left 0.522 [σ = 0.078], difference = 0.05 [95% CI 0.01 to 0.09]; p = 0.87) ratios did not differ with the numbers available between ankles. Inter- and intraobserver reliability were excellent for the posterior ratio (ICC = 0.928 and ICC = 0.985, respectively) and the anterior ratio (ICC = 0.922 and ICC = 0.929, respectively) and moderate-to-good for the fibular length ratio (ICC = 0.732 and ICC = 0.887, respectively). CONCLUSION: The use of lateral radiographs of the contralateral uninjured ankle appears to be a valid template for determining the position of the fibula in the sagittal plane. However, further prospective studies are required to determine the efficacy of this method in reducing the syndesmosis over other methods that exists. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic study.

Is load application necessary when using computed tomography scans to diagnose syndesmotic injuries? A cadaver study.

BACKGROUND: Injuries to the distal tibio-fibular ligaments are common. While pronounced injuries can be reliably diagnosed using conventional radiographs, assessment of subtle syndesmotic injuries is challenging. This cadaver study determines the impact of loading on the assessment of incomplete and more complete syndesmotic injuries when using weightbearing computed tomography (CT) scans. METHODS: Fourteen paired male cadavers (tibial plateau to toe-tip) were included. A radiolucent frame held specimens in a plantigrade position while both non-weightbearing and weightbearing computed tomography (CT) scans were taken. The following conditions were tested: First, intact ankles (Native) were scanned. Second, one specimen from each pair underwent anterior inferior tibio-fibular ligament (AITFL) transection (Condition 1A), while the contralateral underwent deltoid transection (Condition 1B). Third, the remaining intact deltoid or AITFL was transected from each specimen (Condition 2). Finally, the distal tibiofibular interosseous membrane (IOM) was transected in all ankles (Condition 3). Eight different measurements were performed to assess the integrity of the distal tibio-fibular syndesmosis on axial CT scans. RESULTS: Load application had no impact on most measurements. While incomplete syndesmotic injuries could not be identified, cadavers with more complete injuries differentiated from native ankles when assessed using axial CT images. No significant difference was evident between discrete AITFL or deltoid ligament transection. CONCLUSIONS: In a cadaver model, load application had no effect on the assessment of the distal tibio-fibular syndesmosis in incomplete and more complete syndesmotic injuries. Only more complete injuries of the distal tibio-fibular syndesmosis could be identified using axial CT images.

Torque application helps to diagnose incomplete syndesmotic injuries using weight-bearing computed tomography images.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate identification of distal tibio-fibular syndesmotic injuries is essential to limit potential deleterious post-traumatic effects. To date, conventional radiographs, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown limited utilization. This cadaver study evaluates the utility of weight-bearing CT scans on the assessment of incomplete and more complete syndesmotic injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten male cadavers (tibial plateau to toe-tip) were included. Weight-bearing CTs were taken under four test conditions, with and without torque on the tibia (corresponding to external rotation of the foot and ankle). First, intact ankles (native) underwent imaging. Second, the anterior-inferior tibio-fibular ligament (AITFL) was transected (condition 1). Then, the deltoid ligament (condition 2) was transected, followed by the interosseous membrane (IOM, condition 3). Finally, the posterior-inferior tibio-fibular ligament (PITFL) was transected (condition 4). The medial clear space (MCS), the tibio-fibular clear space (TFCS), and the tibio-fibular overlap (TFO) were assessed on digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs), and on axial CT images. RESULTS: The TFO differentiated isolated AITFL transection from native ankles when torque was applied. Also under torque conditions, the MCS was a useful predictor of an additional deltoid ligament transection, whereas the TFCS identified cadavers in which the PITFL was also transected. CONCLUSION: Torque application helps to diagnose incomplete syndesmotic injuries when using weight-bearing CT. The TFO may be useful for identifying incomplete syndesmotic injuries, whereas the MCS and TFCS predict more complete injuries.

Traction Time, Force and Postoperative Nerve Block Significantly Influence the Development and Duration of Neuropathy Following Hip Arthroscopy.

PURPOSE: To (1) evaluate the individual and combined effects of traction time and traction force on postoperative neuropathy following hip arthroscopy, (2) determine if perioperative fascia iliaca block has an effect on the risk of this neuropathy, and (3) identify if the these items had a significant association with the presence, location, and/or duration of postoperative numbness. METHODS: Between February 2015 and December 2016, a consecutive cohort of hip arthroscopy patients was prospectively enrolled. Traction time, force, and postoperative nerve block administration were recorded. The location and duration of numbness were assessed at postoperative clinic visits. Numbness location was classified into regions: 1, groin; 2, lateral thigh; 3, medial thigh; 4, dorsal foot; and 5,preoperative thigh or radiculopathic numbness. RESULTS: A total of 156 primary hip arthroscopy patients were analyzed, 99 (63%) women and 57 (37%) men. Mean traction time was 46.5 ± 20.3 minutes. Seventy-four patients (47%) reported numbness with an average duration of 157.5 ± 116.2 days. Postoperative fascia iliaca nerve block was a significant predictor of medial thigh numbness (odds ratio, 3.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.46-7.76; P = .04). Neither traction time nor force were associated with generalized numbness (P = .85 and P = .40, respectively). However, among those who experienced numbness, traction time and force were greater in patients with combined groin and lateral thigh numbness compared with those with isolated lateral thigh or medial thigh numbness (P = .001 and P = .005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative neuropathy is a well-documented complication following hip arthroscopy. Concomitant pudendal and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve palsy may be related to increased traction force and time, even in the setting of low intraoperative traction time (<1 hour). Isolated medial thigh numbness is significantly associated with postoperative fascia iliaca blockade. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, case series.

Development and validation of a large animal ovine model for implant-associated spine infection using biofilm based inocula.

Postoperative implant-associated spine infection remains poorly understood. Currently there is no large animal model using biofilm as initial inocula to study this challenging clinical entity. The purpose of the present study was to develop a sheep model for implant-associated spine infection using clinically relevant biofilm inocula and to assess the in vivo utility of methylene blue (MB) for visualizing infected tissues and guiding debridement. This 28-day study used five adult female Rambouillet sheep, each with two non-contiguous surgical sites- in the lumbar and thoracic regions- comprising randomized positive and negative infection control sites. A standard mini-open approach to the spine was performed to place sterile pedicle screws and Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-covered (positive control), or sterile (negative control) spinal fusion rods. Surgical site bioburden was quantified at the terminal procedure. Negative and positive control sites were stained with MB and staining intensity quantified from photographs. Specimens were analyzed with x-ray, micro-CT and histologically. Inoculation rods contained ∼10.44 log10 colony forming units per rod (CFU/rod). Biofilm inocula persisted on positive-control rod explants with ∼6.16 log10 CFU/rod. There was ∼6.35 log10 CFU/g of tissue in the positive controls versus no identifiable bioburden in the negative controls. Positive controls displayed hallmarks of deep spine infection and osteomyelitis, with robust local tissue response, bone resorption, and demineralization. MB staining was more intense in infected, positive control sites. This work presents an animal-efficient sheep model displaying clinically relevant implant-associated deep spine infection.

Treatment of Recalcitrant Femoral Shaft Nonunion With Medial Femoral Condyle Pedicled Autograft: Technical Trick.

SUMMARY: Nonunited fractures of the femoral shaft and distal femur are usually successfully addressed with stabilization with or without autogenous bone grafting. For the small subset of these problems that prove recalcitrant to front-line treatment, a pedicled medial femoral condyle (MFC) bone flap can provide a source of vascularized autograft with minimal donor site morbidity. The MFC has gained recent widespread adoption as a free vascularized bone transfer, and here, we present a surgical technique and retrospective analysis of patients treated with a pedicled MFC technique. This serves as a useful treatment option for these difficult problems and may be especially helpful in low resource environments or where microsurgical anastomosis is not feasible.

Impact of Torque on Assessment of Syndesmotic Injuries Using Weightbearing Computed Tomography Scans.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of subtle injuries to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis remains elusive. Conventional radiographs miss a large subset of injuries that present without frank diastasis. This study evaluated the impact of torque application on the assessment of syndesmotic injuries when using weightbearing computed tomography (CT) scans. METHODS: Seven pairs of male cadavers (tibia plateau to toe-tip) were included. CT scans with axial load application (85 kg) and with (10 Nm) or without torque to the tibia (corresponding to external rotation of the foot and ankle) were taken during 4 test conditions. First, intact ankles (native) were scanned. Second, 1 specimen from each pair underwent anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) transection (condition 1A), while the contralateral underwent deltoid transection (condition 1B). Third, the lesions were reversed on the same specimens and the remaining intact deltoid or AITFL was transected (condition 2). Finally, the distal tibiofibular interosseous membrane (IOM) was transected in all ankles (condition 3). Measurements were performed to assess the integrity of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis on digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) and on axial CT scans. RESULTS: Torque impacted DRR and axial CT scan measurements in almost all conditions. The ability to diagnose syndesmotic injuries using axial CT measurements improved when torque was applied. No significant syndesmotic morphological change was observed with or without torque for either isolated AITFL or deltoid ligament transection. DISCUSSION: Torque application had a notable impact on two-dimensional (2-D) measurements used to diagnose syndesmotic injuries for both DRRs and axial CT scans. Because weightbearing conditions allow for standardized positioning of the foot while radiographs or CT scans are taken, the combination of axial load and torque application may be desirable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Application of torque to the tibia impacts 2-D measurements and may be useful when diagnosing syndesmotic injuries by DRRs or axial CT images.

Development and Initial Validation of the Risk Analysis Index for Measuring Frailty in Surgical Populations.

Importance: Growing consensus suggests that frailty-associated risks should inform shared surgical decision making. However, it is not clear how best to screen for frailty in preoperative surgical populations. Objective: To develop and validate the Risk Analysis Index (RAI), a 14-item instrument used to measure surgical frailty. It can be calculated prospectively (RAI-C), using a clinical questionnaire, or retrospectively (RAI-A), using variables from the surgical quality improvement databases (Veterans Affairs or American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Projects). Design, Setting, and Participants: Single-site, prospective cohort from July 2011 to September 2015 at the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Heath Care System, a Level 1b Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The study included all patients presenting to the medical center for elective surgery. Exposures: We assessed the RAI-C for all patients scheduled for surgery, linking these scores to administrative and quality improvement data to calculate the RAI-A and the modified Frailty Index. Main Outcomes and Measures: Receiver operator characteristics and C statistics for each measure predicting postoperative mortality and morbidity. Results: Of the participants, the mean (SD) age was 60.7 (13.9) years and 249 participants (3.6%) were women. We assessed the RAI-C 10 698 times, from which we linked 6856 unique patients to mortality data. The C statistic predicting 180-day mortality for the RAI-C was 0.772. Of these 6856 unique patients, we linked 2785 to local Veterans Affairs Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Projects data and calculated the C statistic for both the RAI-A (0.823) and RAI-C (0.824), along with the correlation between the 2 scores (r = 0.478; P < .001). Of these 2785 patients, there were sufficient data to calculate the modified Frailty Index for 1021, in which the C statistics were 0.865 (RAI-A), 0.797 (RAI-C), and 0.811 (modified Frailty Index). The correlation between the RAI-A and RAI-C was 0.547, and the correlations of the modified Frailty Index to the RAI-A and RAI-C were 0.301 and 0.269, respectively (all P < .001). A cutoff of RAI-C of at least 21 classified 18.3% patients as "frail" with a sensitivity of 0.50 and specificity of 0.82, whereas the RAI-A was less sensitive (0.25) and more specific (0.97), classifying only 3.7% as "frail." Conclusions and Relevance: The RAI-C and RAI-A represent effective tools for measuring frailty in surgical populations with predictive ability on par with other frailty tools. Moderate correlation between the measures suggests convergent validity. The RAI-C offers the advantage of prospective, preoperative assessment that is proved feasible for large-scale screening in clinical practice. However, further efforts should be directed at determining the optimal components of preoperative frailty assessment.

Association of a Frailty Screening Initiative With Postoperative Survival at 30, 180, and 365 Days.

Importance: As the US population ages, the number of operations performed on elderly patients will likely increase. Frailty predicts postoperative mortality and morbidity more than age alone, thus presenting opportunities to identify the highest-risk surgical patients and improve their outcomes. Objective: To examine the effect of the Frailty Screening Initiative (FSI) on mortality and complications by comparing the surgical outcomes of a cohort of surgical patients treated before and after implementation of the FSI. Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-site, facility-wide, prospective cohort quality improvement project studied all 9153 patients from a level 1b Veterans Affairs medical center who presented for major, elective, noncardiac surgery from October 1, 2007, to July 1, 2014. Interventions: Assessment of preoperative frailty in all patients scheduled for elective surgery began in July 2011. Frailty was assessed with the Risk Analysis Index (RAI), and the records of all frail patients (RAI score, ≥21) were flagged for administrative review by the chief of surgery (or designee) before the scheduled operation. On the basis of this review, clinicians from surgery, anesthesia, critical care, and palliative care were notified of the patient's frailty and associated surgical risks; if indicated, perioperative plans were modified based on team input. Main Outcomes and Measures: Postoperative mortality at 30, 180, and 365 days. Results: From October 1, 2007, to July 1, 2014, a total of 9153 patients underwent surgery (mean [SD] age, 60.3 [13.5] years; female, 653 [7.1%]; and white, 7096 [79.8%]). Overall 30-day mortality decreased from 1.6% (84 of 5275 patients) to 0.7% (26 of 3878 patients, P < .001) after FSI implementation. Improvement was greatest among frail patients (12.2% [24 of 197 patients] to 3.8% [16 of 424 patients], P < .001), although mortality rates also decreased among the robust patients (1.2% [60 of 5078 patients] to 0.3% [10 of 3454 patients], P < .001). The magnitude of improvement among frail patients increased at 180 (23.9% [47 of 197 patients] to 7.7% [30 of 389 patients], P < .001) and 365 days (34.5% [68 of 197 patients] to 11.7% [36 of 309 patients], P < .001). Multivariable models revealed improved survival after FSI implementation, controlling for age, frailty, and predicted mortality (adjusted odds ratio for 180-day survival, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.98-4.16). Conclusions and Relevance: Implementation of the FSI was associated with reduced mortality, suggesting the feasibility of widespread screening of patients preoperatively to identify frailty and the efficacy of system-level initiatives aimed at improving their surgical outcomes. Additional investigation is required to establish a causal connection.

A frailty index identifies patients at high risk of mortality after tracheostomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of a modified frailty index as an indicator of postoperative mortality in patients undergoing tracheostomy. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care veterans hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A chart review was conducted of consecutive tracheostomies performed between April 2007 and September 2012. A modified frailty index consisting of 11 items based on the Revised Minimum Data Set Mortality Rating Index (MMRI-R) was retrospectively applied using the patient's status immediately prior to tracheostomy. The resultant 6-month calculated mortality risk was compared with both the Veterans Health Administration Surgical Quality Improvement Program's (VASQIP) 30-day calculated mortality and actual mortality. RESULTS: One hundred consecutive tracheostomies were analyzed. No patients were excluded. Sixty-nine patients died within the study period, with 1-, 6-, and 12-month mortality rates of 25%, 43%, and 59%, respectively. The average calculated 6-month mortality risk using the modified frailty index was 40.5% for nonsurvivors compared with 25.4% for survivors (P = .001). Both the VASQIP calculator and modified frailty index differentiated mortality risks between patients without head and neck cancer who survived less than 6 months versus those who survived longer than 6 months (P = .006 and .01). However, neither the VASQIP nor the modified frailty index differentiated mortality risks for head and neck cancer patients who survived less than 6 months versus greater than 6 months (P = .94 and .26). CONCLUSION: A modified frailty index identifies patients without head and neck cancer at high risk of postoperative mortality after tracheostomy.