Amandys® versus four-corner fusion in patients aged over 50 years: long-term retrospective study in stage 3 wrist osteoarthritis.

We compared the outcomes of the Amandys® implant and four-corner fusion in patients aged over 50 years with grade 3 wrist osteoarthritis and a mean follow-up of 5 years. Clinical assessments were of pain, mobility, strength, functional scores and satisfaction. Radiographs were taken. A total of 46 patients (mean age 63 years; 28 four-corner fusion and 21 Amandys®) were included. Pain relief, mobility and functional scores were not significantly different in the two groups at inclusion. At the last follow-up, wrist extension and grip were improved after Amandys® arthroplasty. Flexion decreased after four-corner fusion. One patient in the Amandys® group was not satisfied and one dislocation required repositioning of the implant. There were six nonunions, of which one required revision surgery in the four-corner fusion group. With the Amandys®, immobilization was shorter and mobility improved, making it a valid alternative to four-corner fusion especially in older patients.Level of evidence: IV.

Limited fasciectomy with versus without autologous adipose tissue grafting for treatment of Dupuytren's contracture (REMEDY): study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dupuytren's contracture is a hereditary disorder which causes progressive fibrosis of the palmar aponeurosis of the hand, resulting in digital flexion contractures of the affected rays. Limited fasciectomy is a standard surgical treatment for Dupuytren's, and the one with the lowest recurrence rate; however, the recurrence is still relatively high (2-39%). Adipose-derived stem cells have been shown to inhibit Dupuytren's myofibroblasts proliferation and contractility in vitro, as well as to improve scar quality and skin regeneration in different types of surgeries. Autologous adipose tissue grafting has already been investigated as an adjuvant treatment to percutaneous needle fasciotomy for Dupuytren's contracture with good results, but it was only recently associated with limited fasciectomy. The purpose of REMEDY trial is to investigate if limited fasciectomy with autologous adipose tissue grafting would decrease recurrence compared to limited fasciectomy alone. METHODS: The REMEDY trial is a multi-centre open-label randomised controlled trial (RCT) with 1:1 allocation ratio. Participants (n = 150) will be randomised into two groups, limited fasciectomy with autologous adipose tissue grafting versus limited fasciectomy alone. The primary outcome is the recurrence of Dupuytren's contracture on any of the treated rays at 2 years postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are recurrence at 3 and 5 years, scar quality, complications, occurrence of algodystrophy (complex regional pain syndrome), patient-reported hand function, and hypodermal adipose tissue loss at 1 year postoperatively in a small subset of patients. DISCUSSION: The REMEDY trial is one of the first studies investigating limited fasciectomy associated with autologous adipose tissue grafting for Dupuytren's contracture, and, to our knowledge, the first one investigating long-term outcomes of this treatment. It will provide insight into possible benefits of combining adipose tissue grafting with limited fasciectomy, such as lower recurrence rate and improvement of scar quality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05067764, June 13, 2022.

Pyrocardan Scaphotrapeziotrapezoid Joint Arthroplasty for Isolated Osteoarthritis: Results after a Mean Follow-Up of 5 Years.

Background Isolated scaphotrapeziotrapezoid (STT) osteoarthritis (OA) mainly develops in women over 50 years of age in a bilateral manner. Many surgical treatments are available, including distal scaphoid resection with or without interposition, trapeziectomy, and STT arthrodesis. However, there is a controversy about which procedure is the most effective. Purposes The purpose of this study was to report the outcomes of the Pyrocardan implant for treating STT isolated OA at a mean follow-up of 5 years. Patients and Methods Consecutive patients who underwent STT arthroplasty using the Pyrocardan were reviewed retrospectively by an independent examiner who performed a clinical and radiological evaluation. Results The mean follow-up time was 5 years (range 3-8 years). Thirteen patients (76%) were followed for more than 5 years. Between the preoperative assessment and the last follow-up, pain levels decreased significantly. There was no significant difference in the mean Kapandji opposition score. Grip and pinch strengths were 88 and 91% of the contralateral side. The active range of motion in flexion-extension and radioulnar deviation was not significantly different to the contralateral side (119° vs. 121° and 58° vs. 52°, p > 0.1). Functional scores were improved significantly. No identifiable differences were found in the radioscaphoid, capitolunate, and scapholunate angles before and after surgery. In three cases, the preoperative dorsal intercalated scapholunate instability (DISI) failed to be corrected. In one case, DISI appeared after the procedure. There was one asymptomatic dislocation of the implant. Calcification around the trapezium and/or distal scaphoid was found in four cases. The survival rate of the implant without reoperation was 95%. Conclusions In the medium term, Pyrocardan implant is an effective treatment for STT OA as it reduces pain, increases grip strength, and maintains wrist mobility. This is consistent with the results of other published case series using pyrocarbon implants. It provides a high rate of patient satisfaction. Nevertheless, the surgical procedure must be done carefully to avoid STT ligament damage, periarticular calcifications, or dislocation.

Inverted human umbilical artery as a 3D scaffold for sciatic nerve regeneration in rats.

Treatment of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) remains a challenge. Interposing a graft delivers better regenerative outcomes. Autografts present major drawbacks which have given rise to the development of alternatives such as artificial scaffolds, some of which are very promising. This study was designed to investigate the potential use of an inverted human umbilical cord artery (iHUA) as a 3D scaffold nerve chamber, for nerve regeneration after transection of the sciatic nerve (SN) in rats. Rats underwent surgical SN transection in their right hindlimb, followed by suture of the device at the resected stumps. Local tolerance, insert biodegradability and nerve reconstruction over time were thoroughly studied by histopathological and morphometric analysis, completed by functional test assessment of sensitivity and motricity recovery. We have demonstrated that nerve reconstruction in the presence of an iHUA insert is effective. The device is well tolerated and highly biodegraded. Although the regenerated nerve is still immature at the end of our study, signs of sensitivity and partial functional recovery were witnessed, confirming our histological findings. Our results support the potential clinical use of iHUA as a 3D scaffold to bridge nerve discontinuity and guide axonal regrowth in selected cases of PNIs.

Graft Choice and the Incidence of Osteoarthritis After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Causal Analysis From a Cohort of 541 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is important to prevent knee osteoarthritis. Neither of the 2 most common graft techniques-the patellar tendon (PT) or hamstring tendon (HS) graft-has demonstrated superiority in terms of the long-term osteoarthritis rate. HYPOTHESIS: Based on the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) radiographic grading system, PT grafts decrease the incidence of osteoarthritis by providing better knee stability as compared with HS grafts over 12 years of follow-up. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: All adults with a first ACL rupture who underwent surgery with a PT or HS graft technique between January 2002 and December 2003 were included in the 2014 French Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Symposium database. Baseline characteristics were collected. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of moderate to severe osteoarthritis in each group. The secondary endpoints included clinical subjective evaluations by the IKDC score and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. To control the differences in baseline characteristics, the data were analyzed with propensity score matching. RESULTS: In the cohort, 541 patients from 18 centers were included: 311 PT and 230 HS ACL reconstructions. The baseline characteristics were similar after inverse probability weighting treatment (IPWT). The occurrence of osteoarthritis was similar after IPWT (19.3% for PT and 19.6% for HS, P = .94). Age at surgery >29 years and IKDC osteoarthritis stage B at the index surgery were identified as risk factors for moderate to severe osteoarthritis. Most functional outcomes were significantly higher in the HS group; however, the difference between groups remained <10 points. Of the 106 patients who needed a medial meniscectomy, the proportion of patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis was much higher in the HS group (43.5% vs 18.3%, P = .006). However, after IPWT, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: At 12 years of follow-up, neither graft technique was superior to the other in terms of the rate of osteoarthritis.

Endovascular cooling versus standard femoral catheters and intravascular complications: A propensity-matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Targeted temperature management (TTM) contributes to improved neurological outcome in adults who have been successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest with shockable rhythm. Endovascular cooling catheters are widely used to induce and maintain targeted temperature in the ICU. The aim of the study was to compare the risk of complications with cooling catheters and standard central venous catheters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective single-centre cohort study, we included all patients admitted to an intensive care unit for successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest that required endovascular TTM (Coolgard®, Zoll™ Medical corporation, MA, USA), between August 2012 and November 2014, inclusive. We matched the endovascular cooling catheter cohort with a retrospective historical cohort of 512 central femoral venous catheters from the 3SITES trial to compare thrombotic and infectious complications. RESULTS: Overall, 108 patients were included in the cooling cohort, of which 89 had ultrasound doppler. The duration of catheterization was 4.9 days in the control group versus 4.2 days in the TTM group (p = 0.08). After propensity-score matching, there were significantly more thrombotic complications in the cooling (n = 75) than in the control (n = 75) group (12 of 75 (16%) versus 0 of 75 (0%), respectively, p = 0.005), and 4 patients presented major complications. There were 8 colonized catheters in each group (11%) (p > 0.99), and none of the patients had a catheter-related bloodstream infection. CONCLUSIONS: In our propensity-score matched study, endovascular cooling catheters were associated with an increased risk of venous catheter-related thrombosis compared to standard central venous catheters.