Non-Vascularized Fibular Cortical Strut Graft with Intramedullary Nailing for Fibrous Dysplasia of the Proximal Radius - A Case Report.

Introduction: Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a skeletal developmental abnormality commonly affecting the ribs, femur, tibia, skull, pelvis, spine, and shoulder. FD of the proximal radius is extremely rare and very few cases have been reported. In addition, monostotic lesions of FD in the upper extremity go unnoticed as they are usually asymptomatic. Symptomatic lesions warrant surgical intervention. Here, we present a rare case of FD of the proximal radius treated with curettage and non-vascularized fibular cortical strut graft with intramedullary elastic nailing. We believe that this is the first report in the literature wherein this treatment modality has been undertaken. Case Report: A 27-year-old woman presented with excruciating pain and swelling in her right elbow for 4 weeks, with no inciting event or trauma leading to the pain. Plain radiographs revealed a well-circumscribed radiolucent lesion in the proximal radius with cortical thinning at the metaphysis and a rim of epiphyseal bone. Clinically, the patient had restricted supination (50°) and limited elbow range of motion (ROM) (20-130°), mostly because of the pain but had full pronation. With these radiographic and clinical features, FD and giant cell tumor were kept as differential diagnoses and surgical treatment was planned. The lesion was excised leaving the normal epiphysis of the radius intact and samples were sent for histopathological examination. A non-vascularized fibular cortical strut graft was harvested from the same side and was fluted into the radial shaft. Final stabilization was done using a 2.5 mm intramedullary elastic nail. The arm was immobilized in an above-elbow slab. Histopathology confirmed our diagnosis of FD. The slab was removed after 6 weeks, and a gentle ROM was started in the form of active-assisted ROM. At the end of 1 year, complete union and almost full ROM were achieved and the patient was completely pain-free. Conclusion: Non-vascularized fibular strut grafting with intramedullary nailing provides a comparatively quicker, cost-effective way of treating this lesion with a minimum insult of the bony cortex and quicker rehabilitation.

Robotics in Joint Replacement Surgery.

Today, the total knee replacement (TKR) is considered as one of the most successful orthopedics surgeries. The effective long-term pain relief, deformity correction, and restoration of function that it provides have resulted in a large number of these procedures being performed worldwide. It has been observed that 15-20% of patients are not satisfied even after successful TKR surgery. Various attempts such as careful patient selection, pre-operative education, optimization of patients before the surgery, expeditious and precise surgery, aggressive pain control, early return to home, and rehabilitation have been made to improve outcomes and satisfaction among patients. There are also attempts at designing newer implants and introducing smart technology like navigation and Robotics to improve the precision of surgery. In this letter, we look at the pros and cons of the rapid introduction of Robotics in the practice of total knee arthroplasty.

Chronic Recurrent Osteomyelitis of Ribs Due to Bamboo Stick Injury in an Adult Man: A Case Report.

Introduction: Chronic osteomyelitis of the ribs in adolescents and adults is a rare condition. Current understanding of its diagnosis and management is primarily derived from case reports and small series studies. Here, we present a case of chronic rib osteomyelitis initially managed conservatively with antibiotics, followed by debridement, sequestrectomy, and continued antibiotic therapy. However, due to recurrence, rib excision was ultimately chosen as the definitive management approach. Case Report: A 18-year-old male presents with a discharging sinus from the chest persisting for 6 months, with no history of fever, shivering, or weight loss. He sustained a blunt injury to the chest with a bamboo stick 9 months ago. Initially, the patient was treated with antibiotics, but there was no relief. He was later operated on with debridement, sequestrectomy, and antibiotics. Six weeks later, he again presented to us with a discharging sinus. Due to recurrence, he underwent re-operation with partial resection of the 6th rib. At the 1-year follow-up after rib excision, the patient is doing well, with all blood parameters within the normal range and without any systemic or local complications. Conclusion: Rib osteomyelitis is a rare complication of blunt chest trauma. Surgical management is indicated in cases of persistent infection. Sequestrectomy and antibiotics, though standard procedures in chronic osteomyelitis, may encounter failure due to various factors. Moreover, due to limited literature on chronic osteomyelitis of ribs, the standard approach to its management is not available. Partial excision of the rib with appropriate antibiotics in our case provided complete cure for the patient.

Comparison between effects of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization and manual myofascial release on pain, range of motion and function in myofascial pain syndrome of upper trapezius - A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a muscle pain disorder characterized by the presence of Myofascial Trigger Point (MTrP) within a taut band, local tenderness, referral of pain to a distant site, restricted range of motion, and autonomic phenomena. The upper trapezius is the muscle most often affected by MTrPs. Manual myofascial release (MFR) and Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) are techniques of soft tissue release that are used to resolve MPS. Fifty six percent of physiotherapists complain of pain in multiple areas due to the massage and manual therapy that they have to perform. Objective: The objective of this study is to find whether IASTM is better than manual MFR in treating patients with MPS in upper trapezius. Methods: This study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial that included 31 participants, both males and females between the age groups of 18-50 years. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. Three sessions were given over a period of one week for both groups. Group A received IASTM along with conventional treatment and Group B received Manual MFR along with the conventional treatment. The outcome measures evaluated were pain, cervical range of motion, pain pressure threshold (PPT) of trigger points, and the neck disability index. Pre- and post-measurements were taken and the analysis was done. Results: Both the treatment methods significantly reduced pain, improved PPT, range of motion, and function. The effects between the groups showed that IASTM was significantly better than manual MFR to reduce pain. The improvement in PPT, range of motion and function were equal in both the groups. Conclusion: IASTM and manual MFR both are effective individually as treatment procedures for pain, PPT, range of motion, and function. Neither of the treatment options can be considered better that the other. The clinician can decide based on the availability of the instrument, training, patient's preference, and his/her comfort whether which of the two treatment methods should be used.

Minimally invasive treatment for idiopathic chondrolysis of the hip: analysis of forty-one cases.

PURPOSE: Idiopathic chondrolysis of the hip is characterized by the loss of the articular cartilage of the hip joint with spectrum ranging from full recovery to fibrous ankylosis. Study assessed outcomes following intra-articular steroid injections, joint manipulation and traction immobilization. METHODS: Retrospective (2012-2021) review of 41 cases treated for idiopathic chondrolysis of hip, assessed pre-operatively and post-operatively (minimum 2-year follow-up) using Children's Hospital Oakland Hip Evaluation Score (CHOHES), visual analogue scale (VAS) and range of motion measurements. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (62%) achieved painless mobility, 6 (14%) had hip stiffness without pain and 10 (24%) had painful and stiff hips at final follow-up. They had a mean age of 12.49 ± 2.4 years and a mean follow-up duration of 33.15 ± 13.1 months. Range of motion improved significantly (p < 0.05). VAS improved to 3.93 ± 1.3 from 7.8 ± 0.7. CHOHES improved from 29.12 ± 9.9 to 56.37 ± 17.6. CONCLUSION: Intra-articular steroid injection, manipulation and traction immobilization may effectively treat idiopathic chondrolysis of the hip by enhancing patient function and reducing the need for further surgical intervention.

Functional Outcome of Mechanical Alignment in Total Knee Arthroplasty Surgery: A Short-Term Cohort Study at an Indian Tertiary Care Hospital.

Background: In severe arthritis cases, goal of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) management is to attain pain-free joint and restore the overall limb alignment. There are limited short-term studies published from Indian hospitals that investigated the importance of neutral mechanical component alignment in TKA patients. Methods: Retrospective and prospective study was conducted at the Department of orthopaedics, Sancheti Institute for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Pune from June 2020 to September 2022. Enrolled patients were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively using clinical examination, radiological assessment and functional outcomes through the Oxford knee score, Knee society score and VAS score. Results: 204 patients enrolled, and 267 knees were evaluated for the study. Osteoarthritis was the commonest diagnosis (254 knees, 95.13%). Pre-operatively, 92.13% knees were varus, 4.87% valgus and 3% neutral while post-operatively, 51.69% were varus, 16.1% were valgus, and 32.32% were with neutral axis. Majority of patients with a pre-operative neutral axis converted to varus axis (62.5%), while most valgus axis cases preoperatively converted to a neutral axis (53.84%). For pre-operative varus subgroup, the majority patients with < 10° pre-operative axis converted to neutral (41.28%). Majority patients with 10°-20° pre-operative axis remained varus (60.53%) and with > 20° pre-operative axis remained varus (78.26%). Functional outcome parameters were significantly improved at follow-up (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Short-term postoperative functional scores were significantly improved in postoperative cases, with the postoperative alignment of 0° ± 3° relative to the mechanical axis was achieved. Thus, postoperative neutral mechanical alignment of 0° ± 3° can be the standard of care for patients undergoing TKA.

"Critical pedicle wall" breaches analysis in complex spinal deformity using O-arm navigation.

Background: Free-hand and fluoroscopic-guided pedicle screw placement has been associated with higher rates of pedicle breaches (frequency range 15-40% especially in deformed pedicles). Neurological complications are more "critical" (i.e., frequent and significant) with medial and inferior pedicle-wall breaches due to the proximity of the neural elements. Here, we analyzed the effectiveness of O-arm navigation in minimizing "critical" pedicle wall breaches and their complications in 21 complex spinal deformity cases. Methods: Twenty-one complex spinal deformity cases were prospectively managed with O-arm-navigated posterior-instrumented fusions. Preoperative assessment included; evaluation of the type of scoliosis, the magnitude of the deformity, and the anatomy of the pedicles - (i.e., classified using Watanabe et al.). The O-arm was used to confirm and grade both the intraoperative and postoperative location of screws. Other variables analyzed included; duration of surgery, estimated blood loss, complications, and radiation exposure. Results: In 21 patients, 259 (63.45%) of 384 pedicles were instrumented; we observed 22 of 259 pedicle screw breaches. Significant (>2 mm) breaches were observed in two medial and one inferior wall cases that required revision; the overall biomechanically significant screw breach rate was (3/259) 1.2% with an accuracy rate of 98.8%. Pedicle screw placement resulted in another 14 nonsignificant (<2 mm) breaches; ten were medial and four involved the inferior wall. As anterior, lateral, and "in-out-in" trajectory pedicle screws beaches were nonsignificant, they were not included in our analysis. Conclusion: O-arm navigation decreased the incidence of medial and inferior (i.e., >2 mm "critical") pedicle screw breaches applied in 21 patients with deformed pedicles due to scoliosis. Further, the O-arm minimized the operating time, decreased the estimated blood loss, and reduced the incidence of complications.