Effects of soft tissue surgery on transverse kinematics in patients with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Gait disturbances, including flexed knee gait, stiff knee gait, and tip-toeing gait, are common in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). There has been no reports regarding kinematic changes in the transverse plane after soft tissue surgeries, such as distal hamstring lengthening (DHL), rectus femoris transfer (RFT), and tendo-Achilles lengthening (TAL). This study aimed to evaluate changes in the transverse plane after soft tissue surgery in patients with CP by assessing the effects of the DHL, RFT, and TAL. METHODS: The study enrolled 156 consecutive patients (mean age, 8.4 years; range, 4.4 to 20.9), representing 213 operated limbs, who underwent soft tissue surgery including DHL with semitendinosus transfer, RFT, and TAL. All patients were assessed by preoperative and 1-year postoperative three-dimensional gait analysis. Changes in transverse plane kinematics after soft tissue surgery and affecting factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Sagittal kinematics including knee flexion at initial contact, ankle dorsiflexion at initial contact, and mean ankle dorsiflexion in the stance phase were significantly improved after single event multilevel surgery (all p < 0.001). Transverse kinematics, including mean tibial rotation and foot progression angle, were significantly improved to a more external angle after soft tissue surgeries (- 2.9°, p = 0.004 and - 9.5°, p < 0.001). The mean hip rotation was significantly improved to a more external angle by RFT (- 4.7°, p = 0.010) and the foot progression angle was significantly improved to a more external angle by TAL (- 3.9°, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the transverse kinematics were improved to a more external angle after soft tissue surgery in patients with CP. Therefore, clinicians should consider that soft tissue surgery can affect the transverse plane kinematics in patients with CP. To confirm our findings, further research regarding the natural history of femoral and tibial torsion in children with CP is needed.

Inverse Relationship Between Radiographic Lateral Ankle Instability and Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus in Patients With Ankle Inversion Injuries.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient or excessive bony constraint surrounding the talus might contribute to the occurrence of ligamentous injury or bone contusion, respectively, at the time of ankle inversion injuries. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between radiographic lateral ankle instability and osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) following ankle inversion injuries. METHODS: A total of 195 patients (113 men and 83 women; mean age, 38.7 years) with a history of ankle inversion injuries were included in this study. All patients underwent ankle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and stress radiography. The tibiotalar tilt angle on varus stress radiograph, anterior translation of the talus on anterior-drawer lateral radiographs, bimalleolar tilt angle, and fibular position were radiographically determined. The radiographic lateral ankle instability was defined as tibiotalar tilt angle ≥10 degrees, and the presence of OLT was confirmed on MR images. The relationship between the radiographic lateral ankle instability and the presence of OLT was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The presence of radiographic lateral ankle instability (tibiotalar tilt angle ≥10 degrees) showed an inverse relationship with that of OLT in the chi-squared test (P = .003). An increased tibiotalar tilt angle was associated with lower incidence of OLT (P = .011) in the multiple regression analysis, and the presence of OLT was associated with a decreased tibiotalar tilt angle (P = .016) in the binary logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed an inverse relationship between lateral ankle instability and the development of OLT following ankle inversion injury. The role of bony constraint in the development of sports injuries in the ankle should be considered with these injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic, comparative study.

Discoid Medial Meniscus Tear, with a Literature Review of Treatments.

The present study reports our experience of treating four cases of symptomatic discoid medial meniscus, three of which were bilateral. We performed partial meniscectomy with a four-portal technique using a knife leaving a 6 mm peripheral margin after confirmation of magnetic resonance imaging findings. Clinical results were assessed at the end of 2-year follow-up using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and a visual analogue scale. We obtained satisfactory clinical results without recurrence of the symptoms in all cases.

Comparison of the Outcomes Between Headless Cannulated Screw Fixation and Fixation Using a Locking Compression Distal Ulna Hook Plate in Fracture of Fifth Metatarsal Base.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the clinical and radiologic results of internal fixation with a headless cannulated screw versus a locking compression distal ulna hook plate for fractures at the base of the fifth metatarsal bone, zone 1. From April 2012 to April 2015, 30 cases (29 patients) were retrospectively evaluated. The mean follow-up period was 13 months. The patients were divided into 2 groups stratified by the fixation method: screw (group A, n = 15) or plate (group B, n = 15). We measured the displacement to diastasis of the fracture on the foot oblique radiographs taken pre- and postoperatively in each group, recorded the time to bony union, and measured the difference in the reduction distance in each group. The clinical results were evaluated using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society midfoot score at 12 months postoperatively. In group A, the mean interval to union was 54.2 ± 9.3 days, the mean displacement to diastasis had improved to 0.3 ± 0.4 mm postoperatively (p < .001), and the mean reduction distance was 2.9 ± 1.0 mm postoperatively. In group B, the mean interval to union was 41.5 ± 7.0 days, the mean displacement to diastasis had improved to 0.06 ± 0.2 mm postoperatively (p < .001), and the mean reduction distance was 4.1 ± 1.6 mm. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society midfoot scale score was 97.7 ± 3.4 in group A and 98.2 ± 3.2 in group B. The interval to union was significantly different between the 2 groups (p = .01). No complications were recorded. Our findings have shown that the plate is a reasonable and alternative method for the surgical treatment of fifth metatarsal base fractures.

The Fixation Method according to the Fracture Type of the Greater Trochanter in Unstable Intertrochanteric Fractures Undergoing Arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: We conducted a study on patients who underwent hip joint arthroplasty because of unstable femur intertrochanteric fractures with greater trochanter bony fragments. After dividing patients into three groups depending on their fracture patterns, we evaluated the clinical and radiological outcomes of different operation methods applied to each of these groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using Evan's classification, we defined an unstable intertrochanteric fracture as those characterized as stage 4 or 5. Of the 137 patients presenting with an intertrochanteric fracture with osteoporosis (bone mineral density, <-2.5) between March 2014 and October 2015, 63 met the eligibility criteria and were included in this study. Next, patients were divided into three groups based on their greater trochanter fracture patterns (discerned with three-dimensional computed tomography images); different fixation methods were applied to each group by a single orthopaedic surgeon. RESULTS: Taken as a whole, 50 out of 63 patients experienced no reduction in walking distance in their daily lives. Harris hip score increased from 74.8 to 85.7 point and we considered this a relatively good result. Radiologically, we observed complete bone union in 62 cases (98.4%); the lone exception was in a patient who experienced osteolysis. There were also 3 cases who removed greater trochanter reattachment device due to broken implant and 1 case of dislocation. CONCLUSION: The different fixation methods applied to three distinct groups with varying fractures patterns were successful in achieving proper reduction and fixation of greater trochanteric fractures. We also observed reduced bone union periods when arthroplasty was performed in patients with unstable intertrochanteric fractures. Lastly, we believe these approaches may also aid in achieving early ambulation and early rehabilitations.