The top fifty most influential articles on hip fractures.

PURPOSE: Hip fractures are one of the most common disabling fractures in elderly people and peri-operative management has advanced considerably over the past decades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change of scientific focus by creating a top 50 list of the most influential papers on this topic. METHODS: The Clarivate Web of Science Search was used to identify the most cited articles. The used search phrase was [(hip OR pertrochanteric OR (femoral neck)) AND fracture AND (surgery OR treatment)]. The number of citations, citation density, study type, study design, published year, fracture type, country, evidence level and published journal were recorded. RESULTS: The top 50 articles were published between 1973 and 2014 and cited between 88 and 496 times. The mean citation density increased noticeably after the year 2000, representing the knowledge gain of the last 20 years. The topics surgical treatment (n = 19), risk factor assessment (n = 19), perioperative hemodynamic management (n = 7), additional treatment (n = 4) and general reviews (n = 1) were covered. Twenty-five articles were published from institutions in Europe, 24 from institutions in North America and one from an institution in Asia. CONCLUSION: While studies about surgical treatment options and risk factor assessment have been historically important, there was a rise of articles about additional treatment options for osteoporosis and the optimal postoperative care after the year 2005. The presented lists and map of citation classics give an overview of the most influential studies on hip fractures.

Association of damage to the coracohumeral ligament with anterosuperior rotator cuff degeneration revealed by anatomical dissection.

The coracohumeral ligament (CHL) is an important structure of the biceps pulley which also merges with the rotator cuff. Which role it actually plays in the pathogenesis of rotator cuff degeneration (RCD) and rotator cuff tears (RCT) is still a point of discussion. The hypothesis of this study was, that macroscopic injury to the anterosuperior part of the rotator cuff also includes parts of or the whole CHL. Forty fresh-frozen shoulders were dissected and examined, the morphology of the rotator cuff and the coracohumeral ligament were evaluated and existing lesions documented. 27.5% of the shoulder joints showed an anterosuperior full-thickness RCT. 57.5% of all examined shoulder girdles showed at least a partial rupture of the CHL. A highly significant correlation (p < 0.001, rho = 0.529) between the presence of rotator cuff tears and ruptures of the CHL was found. Cartilage damage within the anterosuperior section of the humeral head was observed in 20% cases. In rotator cuff degeneration and atraumatic rotator cuff tears of the elderly population, the pathomechanism of full-thickness RCT is based on repetitive anterosuperior glenoid impingement. This is especially supported by the identification of a higher frequency of CHL lesions compared to RCT reported in this study. No intact CHL was identified in shoulders with damaged rotator cuff tendons.

Patients with Prior Craniectomy or Craniotomy Have No Increased Risk of Acute Hemorrhage after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the risk of acute hemorrhagic complications in patients after either a decompressive craniectomy or a craniotomy sustaining a recurrent mild traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, we analyze whether there is a higher risk for acute hemorrhagic complications considering patients with anticoagulation compared with patients without anticoagulation in both groups. All patients with mild traumatic brain injuries after either decompressive craniectomy or craniotomy, treated between January 2005 and December 2020 at a single level 1 trauma center, were included in this retrospective analysis. Patients were screened for intracranial bleeding after mild traumatic brain injury with computed tomography. Additionally, the type of anticoagulation and its relationship concerning the clinical outcome were assessed. A total of 188 patients who had sustained a mild traumatic brain injury were included in the study. Overall, 22 patients (11.7%) presented intracranial lesions. A bony defect (decompressive craniectomy) was present in 31 patients (16.5%). In 157 patients (83.5%) who underwent decompressive craniectomy, the bony defect was closed during a second operation. There was no significant correlation between both groups on the occurrence of intracranial bleeding (p = 0.216). Furthermore, no difference was present between patients with and without anticoagulation (p = 0.794) concerning acute hemorrhagic complications after recurrent traumatic brain injury. Pre-existing bony defects after decompressive craniectomy showed no higher risk for acute hemorrhagic complications after recurrent mild traumatic brain injury compared with patients who primarily underwent craniotomy. Anticoagulation did not influence the occurrence of intracranial bleeding after mild traumatic brain injury in patients with decompressive craniectomy.

Quality and readability of online resources on chronic ankle instability.

BACKGROUND: Online resources on medical conditions often provide misleading or outdated information for patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of online patient information on ankle instability. METHODS: The terms "ankle instability", "ankle instability treatment" and "ankle laxity" were entered into the three largest internet search engines. The quality, accuracy and readability were evaluated using the EQIP36, a custom 25-item list and the Flesch-Kincaid-Score. RESULTS: The mean 25-item score of 102 included websites reached 10 ± 5, the mean EQIP36 score was 41 ± 11 and 96% of evaluated websites exceeded the recommended 8th-grade reading level for patient information. The quality was significantly higher with reading levels of college graduates (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Online resources on ankle instability are often inaccurate or at inappropriately high reading level. The quality and accuracy depend on the reading levels, with high reading levels providing more in-depth information. Foot and ankle surgeons should be aware of available online resources to direct patients to adequate websites. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

Anatomical Considerations of Intramedullary Humeral Nailing and Lengthening.

Intramedullary lengthening, in cases of extensive humeral shortening, offers the advantages of preventing external-fixator-associated problems. The humeral cavity, as the main parameter in nailing, however, has been neglected in recent literature. It was hypothesized that available implants might be too large and therefore increase the risk of intraoperative fractures. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the humeral canal and how it might affect the choice of implant and the surgical approach. Thirty humeri (15 female, 15 male) from clinical patients and anatomical specimens were studied. Specifically, the medullary cavity width (MCW), cortical thickness (CoT), and the course of the medullary canal were examined. The smallest MCW diameters were found at the distal third of the humeral shaft with mean diameters of 10.15 ± 1.96 mm. CoTs of female humeri were significantly smaller than those of male humeri (p < 0.001). The mean angles of the pro- and recurvatum were 4.01 ± 1.68° and 10.03 ± 2.25°, and the mean valgus bending was 3.37 ± 1.58°. Before implanting a straight lengthening nail into a doubly curved humerus, X-rays and, in selected cases, CT-scans should be performed. The unique size and course of the humeral canal favors an antegrade approach in cases of intramedullary lengthening.