Operative Treatment of Anterior Shoulder Instability A Network Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic anterior shoulder instability is a common clinical problem among athletic populations, with several surgical treatment options available. The optimal treatment remains undetermined. Currently the main current treatment options are the Latarjet procedure or open or arthroscopic Bankart repair. The purpose of this study was to network meta-analyze the recent evidence to ascertain if the open Latarjet procedure and open or arthroscopic Bankart repair result in lower recurrence rates and subsequent revision procedures. The results were ranked with the P-score. METHODS: A literature search was performed based on the PRISMA guidelines. Cohort studies comparing any of the open Latarjet procedure and open or arthrosopic Bankart repair for anterior shoulder instability were included. Clinical outcomes were compared using a frequentist approach to network meta-analysis, with statistical analysis performed using R. RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies with 2,474 patients were included. The open Latarjet procedure resulted in lower rates of recurrent instability and revisions due to recurrence compared to both open and arthroscopic Bankart repairs. The open Latarjet procedure resulted in the highest rate of return to play. However, the open Latarjet procedure also resulted in the highest complication rate. CONCLUSION: Our network meta-analysis found the open Latarjet procedure had the lowest recurrence rates, lowest revisions rates, and highest rates of return to play in the surgical treatment of anterior shoulder instability. However, the Latarjet procedure has been shown to result in a higher complication rate, which needs to be considered when deciding which stabilization procedure to perform.

Tranexamic acid for the Latarjet procedure: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is commonly used in orthopedic surgery to reduce perioperative bleeding and the need for transfusion. The purpose of the study was to assess whether TXA could reduce the incidence of postoperative swelling and hematoma formation and pain and opioid use in the early postoperative period following the Latarjet procedure. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 100 patients undergoing open Latarjet surgery for anterior shoulder instability by a single surgeon. Patients were randomized to receive either 1 g TXA or a placebo intravenously preoperatively. Outcomes measured during the perioperative period were (1) intraoperative blood loss, (2) postoperative blood loss (via drain output), (3) postoperative swelling/hematoma formation, (4) visual analog scale (VAS) score, and (5) postoperative opioid use (in morphine milligram equivalents). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss (60.9 vs. 68.9 mL, P = .18). However, there was significantly lower postoperative blood loss with TXA (29.6 vs. 64.9 mL, P < .01). There was a significantly lower rate of painful postoperative swelling (4% vs. 32%, P < .01). Additionally, we found a significantly lower VAS score for pain (1.7 vs. 3.0, P < .01) and significantly less postoperative opioid use (9.4 vs. 22 mg, P < .01) in the TXA group. Postoperative swelling was shown to correlate with increased pain and opioid use (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Our study found that TXA significantly reduced postoperative blood loss, painful postoperative swelling, and hematoma formation and subsequently reduced postoperative pain and opioid use following the Latarjet procedure.

Open Compared with Arthroscopic Biceps Tenodesis: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Biceps tenodesis can be performed via an open or arthroscopic approach, and there is currently no consensus over which method is superior. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the cohort studies available in the literature to ascertain if open or arthroscopic techniques for biceps tenodesis result in superior clinical outcomes. METHODS: A systematic search of articles in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Cohort studies comparing the open and arthroscopic techniques for biceps tenodesis were included. RESULTS: Seven clinical trials were identified with 598 patients. The mean follow-up was 23.6 months. In all of the included studies, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in any of the functional outcome scoring systems used, including, most commonly, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score and the Constant score. Similarly, no study found a significant difference (p > 0.05) in either patient satisfaction or return to sport. However, 2 studies found a slightly higher rate of complications with the arthroscopic technique due to an increased rate of fixation failure in 1 study and stiffness in the other study. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that both open tenodesis and arthroscopic tenodesis result in excellent clinical outcomes, with no significant differences between either method. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

The Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma and Platelet-Rich Fibrin in Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Basic science studies suggest that platelet-rich therapies have a positive effect on tendon repair. However, the clinical evidence is conflicted on whether this translates to increased tendon healing and improved functional outcomes. PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the literature to ascertain whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) improved patient outcomes in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: Two independent reviewers performed the literature search based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, with a third author resolving any discrepancies. RCTs comparing PRP or PRF to a control in rotator cuff repair were included. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Jadad score. Clinical outcomes were compared using the risk ratio for dichotomous variables and the mean difference for continuous variables. A P value <.05 was deemed statistically significant. RESULTS: Eighteen RCTs with 1147 patients were included in this review. PRP resulted in significantly decreased rates of incomplete tendon healing for all tears combined (17.2% vs 30.5%, respectively; P < .05), incomplete tendon healing in small-medium tears (22.4% vs 38.3%, respectively; P < .05), and incomplete tendon healing in medium-large tears (12.3% vs 30.5%, respectively; P < .05) compared to the control. There was a significant result in favor of PRP for the Constant score (85.6 vs 83.1, respectively; P < .05) and the visual analog scale score for pain at 30 days postoperatively (2.9 vs 4.3, respectively; P < .05) and at final follow-up (1.2 vs 1.4, respectively; P < .05) compared to the control. PRF did not result in a significantly decreased rate of incomplete tendon healing for all tears combined (23.0% vs 24.6%, respectively; P = .74) or an improved Constant score (80.8 vs 79.8, respectively; P = .27) compared to the control. PRF resulted in a significantly longer operation time (99.1 vs 83.3 minutes, respectively; P< .05) compared to the control. CONCLUSION: The current evidence indicates that the use of PRP in rotator cuff repair results in improved healing rates, pain levels, and functional outcomes. In contrast, PRF has been shown to have no benefit in improving tendon healing rates or functional outcomes.

Open Versus Arthroscopic Latarjet Procedure for Anterior Shoulder Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anterior shoulder instability with significant glenoid bone loss is a challenging condition. The open Latarjet procedure is the established standard treatment method in this setting, but there is an increasing use of the arthroscopic technique. PURPOSE: To systematically review the current evidence in the literature to ascertain if the open or arthroscopic Latarjet procedure resulted in improved patient outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library was performed based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. Cohort studies comparing the open and arthroscopic Latarjet procedures for anterior shoulder instability were included. Clinical outcomes were compared, with all statistical analysis performed using Review Manager (version 5.3). A P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Six clinical trials with 896 patients were included. The open and arthroscopic Latarjet procedures resulted in a similar number of total recurrent instability (2.0% vs 2.4%; P = .75), revision procedures (2.4% vs 5.4%; P = .06), and total complications (13.8% vs 11.9%; P = .50), but the open procedure had a lower rate of persistent apprehension (10.2% vs 35.7%; P < .05). In addition, after the learning curve, the operative time was similar between the 2 procedures. CONCLUSION: Both the open and arthroscopic Latarjet procedures result in significant improvements in patient function and outcome scores, with low rates of recurrent instability and similar complication rates. While technically challenging, the arthroscopic procedure has been shown to be a safe and viable alternative. However, there is a significant learning curve associated with the arthroscopic Latarjet procedure. The significant learning curve associated with this procedure suggests the arthroscopic procedure may be advisable to perform only in high-volume centers with experienced arthroscopists.

The Hounsfield value for cortical bone geometry in the proximal humerus--an in vitro study.

INTRODUCTION: Fractures of the proximal humerus represent a major osteoporotic burden. Recent developments in CT imaging have emphasized the importance of cortical bone thickness distribution in the prevention and management of fragility fractures. We aimed to experimentally define the CT density of cortical bone in the proximal humerus for building cortical geometry maps. METHODS: With ethical approval, we used ten fresh-frozen human proximal humeri. These were stripped of all soft tissue and high-resolution CT images were then taken. The humeral heads were then subsequently resected to allow access to the metaphyseal area. Using curettes, cancellous bone was removed down to hard cortical bone. Another set of CT images of the reamed specimen was then taken. Using CT imaging software and a CAD interface, we then compared cortical contours at different CT density thresholds to the reference inner cortical contour of our reamed specimens. Working with 3D model representations of these cortical maps, we were able to accurately make distance comparison analyses based on different CT thresholds. RESULTS: We could compute a single closest value at 700 HU. No difference was found in the HU-based contours generated along the 500-900 HU pixels (p = 1.000). The contours were significantly different from those generated at 300, 400, 1,000, and 1,100 HU. CONCLUSIONS: A Hounsfield range of 500-900 HU can accurately depict cortical bone geometry in the proximal humerus. Thresholding outside this range leads to statistically significant inaccuracies. Our results concur with a similar range reported in the literature for the proximal femur. Knowledge of regional variations in cortical bone thickness has direct implications for basic science studies on osteoporosis and its treatment, but is also important for the orthopedic surgeon since our decision for treatment options is often guided by local bone quality.