Pulsed lavage in joint arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Knee and hip osteoarthritis affects millions of people around the world and is expected to rise even more in frequency as the population ages. Joint arthroplasty is the surgical management of choice in these articulations. Heterotopic ossification and radiolucent lines formation are two frequent problems faced in hip and knee replacements respectively. Some studies show that the usage of pulsed lavage may prevent their formation. AIM: To compare pulsed lavage to standard lavage in joint arthroplasty. METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (page 1-20) were searched till December 2023. Only comparative studies were included. The clinical outcomes evaluated were the heterotopic ossification formation in hip replacements, radiolucent lines formation, and functional knee scores in knee replacements. RESULTS: Four studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. Pulsed lavage was shown to reduce the formation of radiolucent lines (P = 0.001). However, no difference was seen in the remaining outcomes. CONCLUSION: Pulsed lavage reduced the formation of radiolucent lines in knee replacements. No difference was seen in the remaining outcomes. Furthermore, the clinical significance of these radiolucent lines is poorly understood. Better conducted randomized controlled studies and cost-effectivity studies are needed to reinforce these findings.

Towards a better understanding of knee angular deformities: discrepancies between clinical examination and 2D/3D assessments.

INTRODUCTION: Discrepancy between the clinical examination and the 2D/3D radiographs is a common concern in patients with angular or rotational deformities of the lower limbs, as it may alter clinical judgment and subsequent treatment. The aim was to identify such discrepancies and assess determinants that may contribute to their existence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 329 consecutive patients (658 lower limbs) who underwent physical examination and long-leg biplanar radiographs in our institution between 2013 and 2018 for limb length discrepancy or angular deformity of the knees (varus/valgus). Eleven parameters were measured on 2D and 3D images. 3D measurements were based on standing biplanar X-rays and their 3D reconstructions and were considered the gold standard. Contingency tables and multiple linear regression were used to assess discrepancies between the three modalities and their determinants respectively. RESULTS: Significant mismatches were found between physical examination and 2D images (1% in varus and 1% in valgus), between physical examination and 3D assessment (1% in varus and 4.6% in valgus) as well as between 2 and 3D assessments (1.9% in varus and 7.6% in valgus). The significant determinants of the mismatch between 2 and 3D modalities were frontal pelvic obliquity, neck shaft angle, knee flexion, femoral torsion, and tibial mechanical angle. CONCLUSION: In the presence of positional and/or morphological deformities, physical examination and 2D assessment of knee alignment could be biased due to axes projection errors. A better understanding of 3D alignment of the knee as part of the entire lower limb from pelvis to toes, may lead to a better diagnosis and subsequently a better treatment of knee angular deformities.

Anterior hip dislocation: A current concepts review and proposal of management algorithm.

Anterior hip dislocations as compared to posterior, rarely occurs. Nevertheless, it is important to be prepared to manage it. Physical examination and imaging are crucial in detecting this type of dislocation and ruling out any associated fractures. The most important thing is not delaying reduction which is done in a closed manner preferably in the operating room and under general anesthesia. Post-operative complications should be monitored. As for rehabilitation it is still debated and no consensus was reached.

Management of Displaced Metacarpal Shaft Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Affecting mainly the working population, metacarpal shaft fractures account for up to 31% of hand fractures. To manage this entity, conservative management can be equal to operative management. However, surgeons tend to favor operative management in order to reduce the rate of complications, such as shortening and malunion. This meta-analysis was conducted to compare conservative to operative management of displaced metacarpal shaft fractures. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (pages 1-20) were searched until August 2023. The clinical outcomes consisted of postoperative shortening, Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score, and mean grip strength. Results: Only three studies were included in this meta-analysis. Operative management was shown to reduce postoperative shortening (p<0.00001). However, conservative management had a better postoperative DASH score (p=0.001). Conclusion: Better DASH scores were seen in the conservative group, but there was a higher postoperative shortening. However, studies have shown that the shortening has no effect on the functional outcome. Nevertheless, more randomized controlled studies and cost-effectiveness studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Management of Bennett's fracture: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: First described in 1882, Bennett's fracture is an intra-articular fracture of the first metacarpal associated with a dislocation of the carpometacarpal joint. Usually, open reduction internal fixation is used to manage such fractures. However, closed reduction has shown good outcomes recently. This meta-analysis compares closed reduction to open reduction internal fixation in the management of Bennett's fracture. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (pages 1-20) were searched until August 2023. The clinical outcomes consisted of post-traumatic arthritis, grip and pinch strengths, range of motion, functional scores, and mean adduction deformity. Results: Six retrospective studies were included in this meta-analysis. Our results show higher grip and pinch strengths, better extension and flexion of the thumb, and lower mean adduction deformity in the open reduction internal fixation group. Conclusion: Higher grip and pinch strengths, better extension and flexion of the carpometacarpal joint, and a smaller mean adduction deformity of the thumb in the open reduction internal fixation group. No differences were seen in the remaining outcomes. However, a higher rate of complications is associated with open reduction internal fixation. Nevertheless, more randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm such results. Level of evidence: III.

Epidemiology of bone tumors in Lebanon: a retrospective study from 2000 to 2022 at a tertiary center.

Aim: Bone tumors are rare and have an uneven geographic distribution. Methods: 730 patients diagnosed with bone tumors were included in this retrospective analysis. Results: With a 64% rate of malignancy, the most common tumors were metastasis (40%) mostly in the axial skeleton, Osteosarcoma (9%) mostly in the femur, Osteochondroma (8%) mostly in the femur, giant cell tumors (7%) mostly in the knee, and Ewing's sarcoma (6%) mostly in the axial skeleton. Conclusion: Even though a some of the tumors have a predilection for certain localizations in the human body, they may differ in the middle-eastern population. One must also pay attention to the higher rates of malignancies as compared with other cohorts.

With significant morbidity and mortality, bone tumors incidence is low and varies geographically. In our Lebanese population, Seven-hundred-thirty patients with bone tumors were identified with a 64% rate of malignancy with osteosarcoma being the most common primary bone cancer and metastasis being the overall most prevalent bone malignancy. This higher rate of malignancy compared with other populations should be taken into consideration when evaluating Lebanese or Middle eastern patients.

Subscapular sparing approach for total shoulder arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.

Background: Total shoulder arthroplasty has been effective in treating primary glenohumeral arthritis surgically. However, the subscapularis (SSC) tendon must be released as part of the surgery's conventional approach, which could lead to postoperative problems and later tendon failure. Using a procedure that spares the tendon, Lafosse et al reported improved postoperative SSC performance. This meta-analysis will compare this approach to the standard one. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (pages 1-20) were searched till October 2022. The clinical outcomes consisted of the postoperative pain, adverse events, and range of motion. Results: Only 3 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The subscapularis sparing approach tended to have better postoperative internal rotation (P = .06) and shoulder elevation (P = .1); however, the results were marginally statistically insignificant. Conclusion: This is the first meta-analysis to compare the subscapularis sparing to the standard approach in total shoulder arthroplasty. Showing better postoperative range of motion (elevation and internal rotation), the SSC approach might be considered as a good substitute to the standard one. However, it is limited by the potentially limited exposure making it harder to use in muscular and obese patients. More randomized clinical trials are needed to reach more significant results and establish clearer indications of this approach.

Augmented reality and shoulder replacement: a state-of-the-art review article.

Since its implementation, the rates of failure of total shoulder arthroplasty which may be due to malpositioning pushed to improve this surgery by creating new techniques and tools to help perioperatively. Augmented reality, a newly used tool in orthopedic surgery can help bypass this problem and reduce the rates of failure faced in shoulder replacement surgeries. Although this technology has revolutionized orthopedic surgery and helped improve the accuracy in shoulder prosthesis components positioning, it still has some limitations such as inaccurate over-imposition that should be addressed before it becomes of standard usage.

Bridge enhanced ACL repair vs. ACL reconstruction for ACL tears: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.

INTRODUCTION: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most frequent ligamentous injuries. The gold standard for ACL tears is autograft reconstruction. However, ACL repair has regained enthusiasm with more recent results showing comparable outcomes to its reconstructive counterpart. METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (pp. 1-20) were searched until November 2022. The clinical outcomes consisted of the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the side-to-side difference in Anteroposterior (AP) knee laxity, the forces of the hamstring, quadriceps, and hip abduction as well as hopping tests. RESULTS: Only two studies were included in this meta-analysis. ACL repair was shown to have better Hamstrings strength. The rest of the analyzed outcomes were comparable. DISCUSSION: This is the first meta-analysis comparing these two treatments. The ACL repair showed no differences in muscle strength (quadriceps and hip abductors), postoperative knee scores, and knee joint laxity when compared to ACL reconstruction. However, it showed better hamstring strength. Further randomized clinical studies will be needed to compare both of these techniques.

Congenital scoliosis: a narrative review and proposal of a treatment algorithm.

Congenital scoliosis (CS) is a spinal deformity resulting from underlying spinal malformations with an incidence of 0.5-1/1000 births. CS makes up 10% of scoliotic deformities, of which 25% do not progress, 25% progress mildly and 50% need treatment depending on the age, curve characteristics and magnitude and type of anomaly. CS is associated with non-vertebral anomalies (genitourinary, musculoskeletal, cardiac, ribs anomalies, etc.) and intraspinal anomalies (syrinx and tethered cord). Imaging should include whole spine X-rays, CT scanner with reconstruction to better delineate the vertebral anomalies and MRI to visualize the neural elements. Treatment of CS in the majority of cases is non-surgical and relies on fusion techniques (in situ fusion and hemiepiphysiodeis), resection techniques (hemiverterba resection), and growth-friendly techniques (distraction and instrumentation without fusion).