Isolated lateral-sided knee pain in total knee arthroplasty. A review.

Isolated lateral-sided knee pain is a unique problem following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Reported causes include soft tissue impingement against extruded cement, an overhanging tibial tray, remnant osteophytes rubbing against the iliotibial band (ITB), popliteal tendon impingement, fabella syndrome, and synovial tissue impingement in the lateral gutter. In addition, iliotibial band traction syndrome secondary to guided motion Bi-cruciate stabilizing knee arthroplasty has been recognized as a new clinical entity. Initial work up should include ruling out the most common causes of painful TKA including infection, aseptic loosening, and instability. Radiographs and CT scan are utilized to identify potential source of pain. Ultrasound evaluation (with elicited probe tenderness) can increase diagnostic accuracy. Ultrasound guided local anesthetic injections can confirm the source of pain. Anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy with ITB stretches, and therapeutic local steroid injections are initial treatment modalities. Satisfactory resolution of symptoms may require surgical intervention directed at the specific cause and may avoid the morbidity associated with revision TKA.

What is the Level of Evidence Substantiating Commercial Payers' Coverage Policies for Total Joint Arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in the United States has drawn the attention of health care stakeholders. The payers have also used a variety of strategies to regulate the medical necessity of these procedures. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of evidence of the coverage policies being used by commercial payers in the United States. METHODS: The references of the coverage policies of four commercial insurance companies were reviewed for type of document, level of evidence, applicability to a TJA population, and success of nonoperative treatment in patients with severe degenerative joint disease. RESULTS: 282 documents were reviewed. 45.8% were primary journal articles, 14.2% were level I or II, 41.2% were applicable to patients who were candidates for TJA, and 9.9% discussed the success of nonoperative treatment in patients who would be candidates for TJA. CONCLUSION: Most of the references cited by commercial payers are of a lower level of scientific evidence and not applicable to patients considered to be candidates for TJA. This is relatively uniform across the reviewed payers. The dearth of high-quality literature cited by commercial payers reflects the lack of evidence and difficulty in conducting high level studies on the outcomes of nonoperative versus operative treatment for patients with severe, symptomatic osteoarthritis. Patients, surgeons, and payers would all benefit from such studies and we encourage professional societies to strive toward that end through multicenter collaboration.

Comparison of two actuation systems for laparoscopic surgical manipulators using motion analysis.

BACKGROUND: During surgery, all joints of the upper limbs, including shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger, coordinate to complete a task. Hence, analysis of these joint movements during surgical manipulations is useful for the design of optimal hand-instrument interface. This study compared two types of surgical handheld manipulators with 6 degrees of freedom with different handle designs: one using a controlling wheel (fingertip control, FTC) and the other with a controlling joint (master slave control, MSC) in terms of ergonomics and movement efficiency. METHODS: Seventeen subjects consisting of surgeons and medical students participated in the experiment. Each performed two standardized surgical tasks in a surgical simulator. A set of reflective markers were attached on the subjects' upper limbs and the marker positions during the tasks were collected by a motion capture system for subsequent analysis of the trunk, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers joint movements. The subjects also completed a Visual Analogue Scale-based questionnaire on their preference for the control mechanism and ease of handling. RESULTS: The data showed that the manipulator with the MSC was more difficult to handle and resulted in larger range of movements, higher velocities, and accelerations in some joints than the manipulator with FTC mechanism. Use of the MSC manipulator also was accompanied by a higher error rate. Additionally, the subjects preferred the finger actuated manipulator and gave it a higher Visual Analogue Score for maneuverability. CONCLUSIONS: The manipulator equipped with the MSC was ergonomically inferior; it was more difficult to handle and provided less precision, resulting in higher error rates than the FTC manipulator. This study also confirmed that motion analysis is useful for assessment of the design of handheld manipulators for endoscopic surgery.

Giant cell tumour in the diaphysis of radius - a report.

BACKGROUND: We present a case of a 35 yrs old female who presented with swelling over her forearm. This is a rare case of a giant cell tumour in a nonepiphyseal region. METHODS: Case report and presentation of clinical, radiological and histological data on single case of giant cell tumour of diaphysis of radius. RESULTS: Although age, clinical features and radiological features are helpful, it is still the histology that helps to clinch the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: A thorough literature search and an exhaustive online search using various search engines revealed seven reported cases of giant cell tumours in the diaphysis of long bones. We reiterate the fact that irrespective of the location, a giant cell tumour should be diagnosed based on its histology.