Active Treatment of Pediatric Ganglia of the Wrist: What is the Risk of Recurrence?

BACKGROUND: Ganglion cysts are the most common soft tissue mass in the hand and wrist in both adults and children. More is known about wrist ganglia and their treatment outcomes in adults than in children. Current literature to guide the management of pediatric wrist ganglia is limited. The purpose of this study is to report on the rates of recurrence of pediatric wrist ganglia after active intervention-aspiration or surgical excision-at a single center, as well as to explore factors associated with recurrence in one of the largest samples to date of pediatric wrist ganglia. METHODS: In all, 205 pediatric patients with wrist ganglia from our institution with at least 2-year follow up were included. The primary outcome was the recurrence rate after treatment type (aspiration vs. surgery). Secondary outcomes were demographic factors (age, sex, etc.), cyst location (volar vs. dorsal), duration of cyst before intervention, and surgeon specialty training (hand vs. non-hand). RESULTS: Recurrence was seen in 58.4% (n=94) of patients undergoing their first aspiration.Recurrence was seen in 34% (n=97) of patients after the first surgery, but there was a significant difference in recurrence rate based on the surgeon's fellowship training. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, surgery does appear to offer a higher chance of definitive resolution of pediatric wrist ganglia. Differences in technique among surgeons should be explored as a possible factor to explain the range of recurrence rates described in the limited literature on this topic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-Retrospective Review.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Isolated Meniscal Repair Versus Partial Meniscectomy for Red-Red Zone, Vertical Meniscal Tears in the Young Adult.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of treating isolated red-red zone, vertical meniscal tears with either isolated meniscal repair (IMR) or partial meniscectomy (PM) in the young adult using conservative modeling. METHODS: A decision-analytic Markov disease progression model with a 40-year horizon was created simulating outcomes after IMR or PM for an isolated meniscal tear. Event probabilities, costs, and utilities were used for the index procedures, and the development of osteoarthritis (OA) and subsequent need for knee arthroplasty were calculated or selected from the published literature. Differences in cost, difference in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and the incremental cost effect ratio were calculated to determine which index procedure is most cost effective. RESULTS: Total direct costs from PM were modeled at $38,648, and the total direct costs of IMR were $23,948, resulting in a projected cost savings of $14,700 with IMR. There was a modeled gain in QALYs of 17 for PM and 21 for IMR, resulting in an increase in 4 QALYs for the IMR treatment group. This results in an incremental cost effect ratio of $3,935 per QALY, favoring IMR as the dominant procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Meniscal repair for isolated red-red zone, vertical meniscal tears was predicted to have lower direct costs and improve QALYs compared with partial meniscectomy over 40-year modeling, indicating isolated meniscal repair to be the cost-effective procedure in the treatment of an isolated meniscal tear in the young adult population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3: economic and decision analysis.

The "N+10 Rule" to Avoid Graft-Tunnel Mismatch in Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone ACL Reconstruction Using Independent Femoral Tunnel Drilling.

Background: Graft-tunnel mismatch (GTM) is a common problem in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) using bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) grafts. Hypothesis: Application of the "N+10 rule" in endoscopic ACLR with BPTB grafts will result in acceptable tibial tunnel length (TTL), minimizing GTM. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Endoscopic BPTB ACLR was conducted on the paired knees of 10 cadaveric specimens using 2 independent femoral tunnel drilling techniques-accessory anteromedial portal and flexible reamer. The graft bone blocks were trimmed to 10 × 20 mm, and the intertendinous distance (represented by "N") between the bone blocks was measured. The N+10 rule was used to set the angle of the ACL tibial tunnel guide to the appropriate number of degrees for drilling. The amount of excursion or recession of the tibial bone plug in relation to the anterior tibial cortical aperture was measured in both flexion and extension. A GTM threshold of ±7.5 mm was set based on prior studies. Results: The mean BPTB ACL intertendinous distance was 47.5 ± 5.5 mm. The mean measured intra-articular distance was 27.2 ± 3 mm. Using the N+10 rule, the mean total (flexion plus extension) GTM was 4.3 ± 3.2 mm (GTM in flexion, 4.9 ± 3.6 mm; GTM in extension, 3.8 ± 3.5 mm). In 18 of 20 (90%) cadaveric knees, the mean total GTM fell within the ±7.5-mm threshold. When comparing the actual measured TTL to the calculated TTL, there was a mean difference of 5.4 ± 3.9 mm. When comparing femoral tunnel drilling techniques, the total GTM for the accessory anteromedial portal technique was 2.1 ± 3.7 mm, while the total GTM for the flexible reamer technique was 3.6 ± 5.4 mm (P = .5). Conclusion: The N+10 rule resulted in an acceptable mean GTM in both flexion and extension. The mean difference between the measured versus calculated TTL using the N+10 rule was also acceptable. Clinical Relevance: The N+10 rule is a simple and effective intraoperative strategy for achieving desired TTL regardless of patient-specific factors to avoid excessive GTM in endoscopic BPTB ACLR using independent femoral tunnel drilling.

Vascular Complications in Sports Surgery: Diagnosis and Management.

Orthopedic sports surgery of the knee and shoulder is generally considered to be safe and effective. Vascular complications can occur during or after arthroscopy of either joint. A thorough understanding of anatomy, particularly when placing portals in non-routine locations, is extremely important. Prompt recognition of any vascular complication is of significant importance. This review will discuss the potential vascular complications for both knee and shoulder sports surgery, review the relevant anatomy, and discuss the treatment and expected outcome of each.

Single-Stage Treatment of Fracture-related Infections.

SUMMARY: Fracture-related infections (FRIs) remain a significant problem. Many approach FRI cases in a staged fashion, focusing on infection eradication initially and fracture union during subsequent procedures. The literature quotes high success rates with this strategy. However, associated patient morbidity and economic impact are noteworthy. A single-stage FRI treatment, using an antibiotic-coated locked intramedullary nail, also exists. This video details low-cost, antibiotic-coated locked intramedullary nail fabrication in the operating room alongside preliminary results using this technique for acute FRI and septic nonunion treatment.

Use of antibiotic resistance analysis for representativeness testing of multiwatershed libraries.

The use of antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) for microbial source tracking requires the generation of a library of isolates collected from known sources in the watershed. The size and composition of the library are critical in determining if it represents the diversity of patterns found in the watershed. This study was performed to determine the size that an ARA library needs to be to be representative of the watersheds for which it will be used and to determine if libraries from different watersheds can be merged to create multiwatershed libraries. Fecal samples from known human, domesticated, and wild animal sources were collected from six Virginia watersheds. From these samples, enterococci were isolated and tested by ARA. Based on cross-validation discriminant analysis, only the largest of the libraries (2,931 isolates) were found to be able to classify nonlibrary isolates as well as library isolates (i.e., were representative). Small libraries tended to have higher average rates of correct classification, but were much less able to correctly classify nonlibrary isolates. A merged multiwatershed library (6,587 isolates) was created and was found to be large enough to be representative of the isolates from the contributing watersheds. When isolates that were collected from the contributing watersheds approximately 1 year later were analyzed with the multiwatershed library, they were classified as well as the isolates in the library, suggesting that the resistance patterns are temporally stable for at least 1 year. The ability to obtain a representative, temporally stable library demonstrates that ARA can be used to identify sources of fecal pollution in natural waters.