Geographic Access to Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeons in the United States: An Analysis of Sociodemographic Factors.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how pediatric orthopedic surgeons are geographically distributed relative to their patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the geographic distribution of pediatric orthopedic surgeons in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: County-level data of actively practicing pediatric orthopedic surgeons were identified by matching several registries and membership logs. Data were used to calculate the distance between counties and nearest surgeon. Counties were categorized as "surgeon clusters" or "surgeon deserts" if the distance to the nearest surgeon was less than or greater than the national average and the average of all neighboring counties, respectively. Cohorts were then compared for differences in population characteristics using data obtained from the 2020 American Community Survey. RESULTS: A total of 1197 unique pediatric orthopedic surgeons were identified. The mean distance to the nearest pediatric orthopedic surgeon for a patient residing in a surgeon desert or a surgeon cluster was 141.9±53.8 miles and 30.9±16.0 miles, respectively. Surgeon deserts were found to have lower median household incomes (P<.001) and greater rates of children without health insurance (P<.001). Multivariate analyses showed that higher Rural-Urban Continuum codes (P<.001), Area Deprivation Index scores (P<.001), and percentage of patients without health insurance (P<.001) all independently required significantly greater travel distances to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. CONCLUSION: Pediatric orthopedic surgeons are not equally distributed in the United States, and many counties are not optimally served. Additional studies are needed to identify the relationship between travel distances and patient outcomes and how geographic inequalities can be minimized. [Orthopedics. 202x;4x(x):xx-xx.].

Incidental dural tears during pediatric posterior spinal fusions.

PURPOSE: To characterize the frequency of incidental dural tears in pediatric spine surgery, their treatment, complications, and results of long-term follow-up. METHODS: A retrospective review of all pediatric patients who underwent a posterior spinal fusion (PSF) between 2004-2019 at a tertiary children's hospital was conducted. Electronic medical records were reviewed for patient demographics, intra-operative data, presence of an incidental dural tear, repair method, and patient outcomes. RESULTS: 3043 PSFs were reviewed, with 99 dural tears identified in 94 patients (3.3% overall incidence). Mean follow-up was 35.7 months (range 0.1-142.5). When the cause of the dural tear was specified, 69% occurred during exposure, 5% during pedicle screw placement, 4% during osteotomy, 2% during removal of implants, and 2% during intra-thecal injection of morphine. The rate of dural tears during primary PSF was significantly lower than during revision PSF procedures (2.6% vs. 6.2%, p < 0.05). 86.9% of dural tears were repaired and/or sealed intraoperatively, while 13.1% had spontaneous resolution. Postoperative headaches developed in 13.1% of patients and resolved at a mean of 7.6 days. There was no difference in the incidence of headaches in patients that were ordered bedrest vs. no bedrest (p > 0.99). Postoperative infections occurred in 9.5% of patients and 24.1% patients were identified to have undergone a revision surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of intra-operative dural tears in pediatric spine surgery is 3.3%. Although complications associated with the dural tear occur, most resolve over time and there were no long-term sequelae in patients with 2 years of follow up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Risk Factors for Reoperation Following Single-Level Cervical Disc Arthroplasty as Utilized in a Representative Sample of United States Clinical Practice: A Retrospective PearlDiver Study.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Cohort. OBJECTIVES: Most data regarding cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) outcomes are from highly controlled clinical trials with strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. This study aimed to identify risk factors for CDA reoperation, in "real world" clinical practice using a national insurance claims database. METHODS: The PearlDiver database was queried for patients (2010-2020) who underwent a subsequent cervical procedure following a single-level CDA. Patients with less than 2 years follow-up were excluded. Primary outcome was to evaluate risk factors for reoperation. Secondary outcome was to evaluate the types of reoperations. Risk factors were compared using descriptive statistics. Multivariate regression analyses were used to ascertain the association among risk factors and reoperation. RESULTS: Of 14,202 patients who met inclusion criteria, 916 (6.5%) underwent reoperation. Patients undergoing reoperation were slightly older with higher Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) scores, however both were not risk factors for reoperation. Patients with diagnoses such as smoking, myelopathy, inflammatory disorders, spinal deformity, trauma, or a history of prior cervical surgery were at greater risk for reoperation. No association was found between the year of index surgery and reoperation risk. The most common reoperation procedure was cervical fusion. CONCLUSIONS: As billed for in the United States since 2010, CDA was associated with a 6.5% reoperation rate over a mean follow-up time of 5.3 years. Smoking, myelopathy, inflammatory disorders, spinal deformity, and a history of prior cervical surgery or trauma are risk factors for reoperation following CDA. Though patients who underwent a reoperation were older, age was not found to be an independent risk factor for a subsequent procedure.

Single-Level Anterolateral and Posterior Interbody Fusion Techniques are Associated with Equivalent Long-Term Lumbar Reoperations.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Cohort Study. OBJECTIVE: This study compares reoperation rates and complications following single-level ALIF/LLIF and TLIF/PLIF. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) are widely used for degenerative disc disease. Lumbar interbody fusions have high rates of reoperation primarily related to adjacent segment pathology and pseudarthrosis. METHODS: The PearlDiver database was queried for patients (2010-2021) who had single-level ALIF/LLIF or TLIF/PLIF with same-day, single-level posterior instrumentation. ALIF/LLIF were combined and similarly, TLIF/PLIF were combined, given how these operations are indistinguishable with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding. All patients were followed for ≥2 years and excluded if they had spinal traumas, fractures, infections, or neoplasms prior to surgery. The two cohorts, ALIF/LLIF and TLIF/PLIF, were matched 1:1 based on age, sex, Elixhauser-Comorbidity Index (ECI), smoking status, and diabetes. The primary outcome was the incidence of all-cause subsequent lumbar operations. Secondary outcomes included 90-day surgical complications. RESULTS: After 1:1 matching, each cohort contained 14,070 patients. All-cause subsequent lumbar operations were nearly identical at 5-year follow-up (9.4% ALIF/LLIF vs. 9.5% TLIF/PLIF, P=0.91) (Table 2). Survival analysis using all-cause subsequent lumbar operations as the endpoint showed an equivalent 10-year survival rate of 86.0% (95%CI: 85.2-86.8) (Figure 1). Within 90 days, TLIF/PLIF had more infections (1.3% vs. 1.7%, P=0.007) and dural injuries (0.2% vs. 0.4%, P=0.001). There was no difference in wound dehiscence, hardware complications, or medical complications (Table 3). CONCLUSION: As utilized in real-world clinical practice, single-level anterolateral versus posterior approaches for interbody fusion have no effect on long term reoperation rates.

Vertebral Artery Dissection in the Setting of Unstable Os Odontoideum: A Case Report.

CASE: A healthy 5-year-old boy presented with a gradual onset of headaches and acute global right-sided weakness over 10 days. The work-up revealed unstable os odontoideum leading to multiple posterior circulation infarcts with vertebral artery dissection. He underwent antiplatelet therapy, cervical collar immobilization, and delayed occiput to C2 posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation with iliac crest autograft. At 2-year follow-up, the patient had a solid fusion mass, appropriate cervical alignment, and was without neurologic sequelae. CONCLUSION: This case adds to a sparse body of literature in the management of vertebral artery dissection with vertebrobasilar insufficiency secondary to unstable os odontoideum.

New technique and case report: Robot-assisted intralaminar screw fixation of spondylolysis in an adolescent.

Introduction: Management of spondylolysis in adolescents is generally successful with conservative management. Uncommonly, surgical fixation is necessary for refractory cases. Direct repair with intralaminar screws is one commonly utilized technique. Recently, less invasive spinal procedures are becoming viable with the enabling of technologies, including robotics. Case description: A 14-year-old baseball player and surfer presented with low back pain, diagnosed by MRI as bony edema and stress fractures of the posterior spinal elements. After 18 months, the pain was unresponsive to rest, physical therapy, and bracing. There was no radicular pain or neurologic symptoms. Computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral, chronic nonhealing pars defects at L5. He underwent outpatient, robot-assisted percutaneous intralaminar fixation with hydroxyapatite-coated screws through a 2 cm skin incision. Outcome: On postoperative day 1, the patient reported relief of his preoperative pain and he was ambulating without difficulty. At 2 weeks follow-up, the patient was completely pain free and surfing. At 2 months follow-up, low-dose CT demonstrated partial incorporation of the hydroxyapatite-coated screws, and the patient returned to sports. At 6 months follow-up, the patient had no pain and was swinging his baseball bat with full force. Low-dose CT revealed complete healing of the defects with full incorporation of the hydroxyapatite-coated screws. Conclusions: A novel minimally invasive robotic percutaneous approach for direct spondylolysis repair using hydroxyapatite-coated screws is a potential surgical treatment option for non-healing pars defects in adolescent patients.

Medical Encounters and Treatment Outcomes in Ironman-Distance Triathlon.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the injury and illness characteristics, treatments, and outcomes at elite ultraendurance triathlon events. METHODS: We quantified participant demographics, injury types, treatments, and disposition for medical encounters at 27 Ironman-distance triathlon championships from 1989 to 2019. We then calculated the likelihood of concurrent medical complaints in each encounter. RESULTS: We analyzed 10,533 medical encounters among 49,530 race participants for a cumulative incidence of 221.9/1000 participants (95% confidence interval [CI] = 217.7-226.2). Younger (<35 yr; 259.3/1000, 95% CI = 251.6-267.2) and older athletes (70+ yr; 254.0/1000, 95% CI = 217.8-294.4) presented to the medical tent at higher rates than middle-age adults (36-69 yr; 180.1/1000, 95% CI = 175.4-185.0). Female athletes also presented at higher rates when compared with males (243.9/1000, 95% CI = 234.9-253.2 vs 198.0/1000, 95% CI = 193.4-202.6). The most common complaints were dehydration (438.7/1000, 95% CI = 426.2-451.6) and nausea (400.4/1000, 95% CI = 388.4-412.6). Intravenous fluid was the most common treatment (483/1000; 95% CI = 469.8-496.4). Of the athletes who received medical care, 116.7/1000 (95% CI = 110.1-123.4) did not finish the race, and 17.1/1000 (95% CI = 14.7-19.8) required hospital transport. Athletes rarely presented with an isolated medical condition unless their injury was dermatologic or musculoskeletal in nature. CONCLUSIONS: Ultraendurance triathlon events have high rates of medical encounters among female athletes, as well as both younger and older age categories. Gastrointestinal and exertional-related symptoms are among the most common complaints. Intravenous infusions were the most common treatment after basic medical care. Most athletes entering the medical tent finished the race, and a small percentage were dispatched to the hospital. A more thorough understanding of common medical occurrences, including concurrent presentations and treatments, will allow for improved care and optimal race management.