Thirty day low-dose versus regular-dose aspirin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in primary total joint arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The optimal dosing of aspirin (ASA) monotherapy for prophylaxis after total joint arthroplasty is debatable. The objective of this study was to compare two ASA regimens with regards to symptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), bleeding, and infection 90 days after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: We retrospectively identified 625 primary THA and TKA surgeries in 483 patients who received ASA for 4 weeks post-op. 301 patients received 325 mg once daily (QD) and 324 patients received 81 mg twice daily (BID). Patients were excluded if they were minors, had a prior venous thromboembolism (VTE), had ASA allergy, or received other VTE prophylaxis drugs. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in rate of bleeding and suture reactions between the two groups. Bleeding was 7.6% for 325 mg QD and 2.5% for 81 mg BID (p = .0029 Χ2, p = .004 on multivariate logistic regression analysis). Suture reactions were 3.3% for 325 mg QD and 1.2% for 81 mg BID (p = .010 Χ2, p = .027 on multivariate logistic regression analysis). Rates of VTE, symptomatic DVT, and PE were not significantly different. The incidence of VTE was 2.7% for 325 mg QD and 1.5% for 81 mg BID (p = .4056). Symptomatic DVT rates were 1.6% for 325 mg QD and 0.9% for 81 mg BID (p = .4139). Deep infection was 1.0% for 325 mg QD and 0.31% for 81 mg BID (p = .3564). CONCLUSION: Low-dose ASA in patients with limited comorbidities undergoing primary THA and TKA is associated with significant lower rates of bleeding and suture reactions than high dose ASA. Low-dose ASA was not inferior to higher dose ASA for the prevention of VTE, wound complications, and infection 90 days postoperatively.

A Patella-Sided Tensioning Technique for Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction.

Reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) is a common procedure for treatment of recurrent patellofemoral instability. Over the last two decades, multiple surgical techniques for MPFL reconstruction have been described with no clear consensus on a superior reconstruction technique. Appropriate graft tensioning is one of the most important factors for a successful MPFL reconstruction. Overtensioning of the MPFL graft can lead to patellofemoral joint overload and undertensioning can lead to recurrent instability. Current literature demonstrates descriptions of MPFL reconstruction with final graft tensioning performed off of the femoral side. We describe a technique in this article for performing final graft tensioning from the patellar side, which gives the surgeon an option for intraoperative tension adjustments after evaluating patellar tracking.

Radiation in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Management: Estimated Cumulative Pre-Operative, Intra-Operative, and Post-Operative Exposure.

Background: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is the most common type of scoliosis affecting adolescents, with approximately 2-4% of children being diagnosed. Crucial to the diagnosis and management are radiographic imaging, which allow physicians to assess and treat - from initial visits through surgical planning and post-operative management. While initial stages require low levels of exposure to radiation, via x-rays, as patients progress in disease severity exposure becomes larger with pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative CT scans. While many studies have evaluated exposure during AIS treatment, few have assessed the cumulative radiation exposure adolescents receive during their evaluation. The purpose of our study is to complete a comprehensive review on cumulative radiation exposure and determine what stages in AIS treatment expose patients to the highest level of radiation over a duration of 2 years. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 109 AIS cases (29M, 80F), mean age 14.9 ± 2.3 years was completed to assess and quantify each imaging modality used. Employing a radiation detector, each imaging modality was then assessed, and estimated radiation exposures were determined. Statistical analysis was completed utilizing averaged patient exposures during each selected period in AIS management. Results: Mean estimated radiation doses (StDev) were 60.94 mrem (±0.609 mrem) for two x-rays (full-length AP and lateral radiograph of the entire spine), 12.92 mrem (±1.292 mrem) for each fluoroscopy exposure, and 1340.60 mrem (±13.406 mrem) per CT scan. Based on these values, estimated subject exposures were calculated. The total estimated radiation exposure over a 2-year period was 5572.74 mrem (±1428.88 merm) or 2786.37 mrem (±714.43 mrem) per year. Conclusion: The two-year cumulative radiation exposure is below the recommended exposure by Nuclear Regulatory Commission and OSHA. As expected, CT exposure presents the largest radiation exposure to patients with AIS throughout their operative management. Level of Evidence: III, retrospective study.

Monophasic Synovial Sarcoma in the Elbow Misclassified but Successfully Treated as Ewing's Sarcoma with Chemotherapy.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first published case of monophasic synovial sarcoma (SS) initially diagnosed as Ewing's sarcoma (ES), yet successfully treated with chemotherapy in a 24-year-old patient. The initial diagnosis showed a monotonous round cell tumor and positivity for CD99, characteristic of ES; however, the cytology was negative for the classic EWSR1 rearrangement of ES. The patient was treated with the standard chemotherapy protocol of ES - COG AEWS1031 Regimen A with vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and mesna - as well as with wide resection. Post-resection tissue submission showed additional morphologic features which led to a re-evaluation of the classification of the tumor as well as additional molecular studies; these revealed positivity for translocations of SS18 (18q11.1) in 100% of the nuclei, which is most characteristic of SS, thus, reclassifying the neoplasm as a SS tumor. This case underscores the importance of considering several pathologic entities in the differential diagnosis of small, round blue cell tumors, including ES, SS, and lymphoma. It also demonstrates the importance of using chromosomal identification for a more definitive diagnosis, rather than relying on histological features and markers which are found in more than one tumor classification. There is conflicting evidence of the impact of chemotherapy on survival in SS, as it is primarily treated with radiation therapy. Since SS is rare, prospective studies on the effect of chemotherapy on survival are limited in number. However, our case study demonstrates that chemotherapy is another modality that can be used in the treatment of SS neoplasms.

Treatment Approach for Knee Osteoarthritis with Ipsilateral Femoral Cartilage Tumor: A Case Series.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common pathology affecting the knee joint. Twenty percent of the cartilaginous tumors of bone are in the distal femur. This presents a challenge for treating patients with knee OA who also have ipsilateral distal femur cartilage tumors. We propose a classification system for knee OA with ipsilateral cartilaginous tumor and a treatment approach to address this issue. Intramedullary guides are avoided when performing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in these patients so as not to further contaminate the femur with tumor cells. A non-image-based stereotactic surgical system is favored at our institution to achieve this goal. Seven patients underwent classification and treatment with TKA utilizing this approach. Average final follow-up was 15.3 months. Component alignment averaged 89.2° and all patients had 0° of extension with an average flexion to 107.5°. There were no postoperative complications and no radiographic evidence of component complication, tumor recurrence, or tumor expansion. Few studies have reported on the treatment of knee OA with concurrent cartilaginous tumor of the distal femur. All patients treated with the proposed approach had their OA successfully treated without complication related to their cartilaginous tumor or TKA components. This case series presents a novel classification and treatment algorithm to potentially guide arthroplasty surgeons in approaching these often-concurrent occurring pathologies.