Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Randomized Controlled Trials Infrequently Report on the Social Determinants of Health Factors of Their Patient Cohorts.

PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in orthopaedic sports medicine-related journals reporting on the social determinants of health (SDOH) of their patient cohorts, including factors receiving less attention, such as education level, employment status, insurance status, and socioeconomic status. METHODS: The PubMed/MEDLINE database was used to search for RCTs between 2020 and 2022 from 3 high-impact orthopaedic sports medicine-related journals: American Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, and Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. The following information was extracted from each article: age, sex/gender, body mass index, year published, corresponding author country, and self-reported SDOH factors (race, ethnicity, education level, employment status, insurance status, and socioeconomic status). RESULTS: A total of 189 articles were analyzed. Articles originated from 34 different countries, with the United States (n = 66) producing the greatest number of articles. Overall, age (n = 186; 98.4%) and sex/gender (n = 184; 97.4%) were the factors most commonly reported, followed by body mass index (n = 112; 59.3%), race (n = 17; 9.0%), ethnicity (n = 10; 5.3%), employment status (n = 9; 4.8%), insurance status (n = 7; 3.7%), and education level (n = 5; 2.6%). Socioeconomic status was not reported in any of the articles analyzed. Articles from the United States report on SDOH factors more frequently than international articles, most notably race (24.2% vs 0.8%, respectively) and ethnicity (15.2% and 0%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: RCTs from 3 high-impact orthopaedic sports medicine journals infrequently report on SDOH. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Better understanding patient SDOH factors in RCTs is important to help orthopaedic surgeons and other practitioners best apply study results to their patients, as well as help researchers and our field ensure that research is being done transparently with relevance to as many patients as possible.

Case-Based Understanding of the Role of the Scapula in Common Shoulder Pathologies.

Scapular dyskinesis is an extremely common component of shoulder pathology, especially in the overhead athlete; despite its prevalence, proper diagnosis and management of scapular disorders remains an enigma for many clinicians. An understanding of the contribution of the scapula to pathomechanics and clinical symptoms is necessary to optimize both surgical and nonsurgical treatment of shoulder disorders. Without correction of scapular dysfunction, even effective management of the pathoanatomy is unlikely to produce optimal results. It is important to examine the role of the scapula in common shoulder pathologies and elucidate a case-based treatment strategy for both surgical and nonsurgical shoulder disorders.

Periostin regulation and cartilage degradation early after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: The purpose of this study was to explore pathological processes during the first 4 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). SUBJECTS: Sixteen ACL-injured patients (8 females/8 males, mean age = 19.1, mean BMI = 28.6). METHODS: Arthrocentesis was performed 1 and 4 weeks after ACLR. Proteins in the synovial fluid were identified using nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS. Differentially up- or down-regulated proteins were identified and quantified, and a pathway analysis was performed. All identified proteins were mapped into a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and networks of PPIs with a combined score > 0.9 were then visualized. RESULTS: Seven pathways were upregulated after ACLR: PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, protein digestion and absorption, ameobiasis, and platelet activation. Network analyses identified 8 proteins that were differentially upregulated with strong PPI interactions (periostin and 7 collagen-related proteins). Increases in periostin moderately correlated with increases in a synovial fluid biomarker of type II cartilage degradation (ρ = 0.51, p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Pro-inflammatory pathways and periostin were upregulated after ACLR. Periostin demonstrated strong network connections with markers of collagen breakdown, and future work is needed to determine whether periostin may offer a biomarker of early cartilage degradation after ACLR and/or play an active role in early post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) progression.

Epidemiological analysis of pediatric baseball and softball concussions in United States emergency departments.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the epidemiology of concussions in pediatric baseball and softball players. We hypothesized that head-to-ball injuries would be the most common cause of concussions. METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was used to gather data. Concussions occurring during baseball and softball participation in pediatric patients (4-17 years old) from 2012 to 2021 was gathered. Concussion mechanisms were grouped into 5 categories: head-to-player, head-to-ball, head-to-surface (ground, walls, railings), head-to-bat, and unknown. Linear regression models were used to assess changes in yearly concussion rates over the study period. Results from these models were reported using parameter estimates and the estimated Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: A weighted total of 54,978 baseball and softball related concussion injuries were analyzed. The average weighted age of our cohort at the time of injury was 13.1 years, with 54.1% (n = 29,761) of concussions occurring in males. The national estimated incidence of concussion injuries decreased non-significantly over the study period (slope estimate = -311 concussions/year, r = -0.625, p-value = 0.054). The majority of weighted national estimate concussions were due to head-to-ball injuries (n = 34,650; 63.0%), followed by head-to-player (n = 8501; 15.5%), head-to-surface (n = 5347; 9.7%), and head-to-bat (n = 5089; 9.3%). On sub-analysis, individuals were grouped into 3 age brackets: 4-8, 9-13, and 14-17 years. The most common mechanism of concussions in children of all ages was head-to-ball. The incidence of head-to-player and head-to-surface injuries increased throughout each age group, while head-to-bat decreased. CONCLUSION: The incidence of concussions in pediatric baseball and softball athletes has been decreasing non-significantly over our 10-year study period. The most common mechanism of concussions in our study was head-to-ball injuries.

Epidemiological analysis of concussions in youth ice hockey players: A national emergency department database study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the epidemiology of concussions in youth ice hockey players. METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was used to gather data. Concussions occurring during ice hockey participation in youth patients (4-21 years old) from 2012 to 2021 was gathered. Concussion mechanisms were grouped into 7 categories: head-to-player, head-to-puck, head-to-ice, head-to-board/glass, head-to-stick, head-to-goal post, and unknown. Hospitalization rates were also tabulated. Linear regression models were used to assess changes in yearly concussion and hospitalization rates over the study period. Results from these models were reported using parameter estimates [with 95% confidence intervals (CI)] and the estimated Pearson correlation coefficient. Additionally, logistic regression was used to model the risk of hospitalization across the different cause categories. RESULTS: A total of 819 ice hockey related concussions were analyzed between 2012 and 2021. The average age of our cohort was 13.4 years, with 89.3% (n = 731) of concussions occurring in males. The incidence of head-to-ice, head-to-board/glass, head-to-player, and head-to-puck concussion mechanisms decreased significantly over the study period (slope estimate = -2.1 concussions/year [CI: (-3.9, -0.2)], r = -0.675, p = 0.032), (slope estimate = -2.7 concussions/year [CI: (-4.3, -1.2)], r = -0.816, p = 0.004), (slope estimate = -2.2 concussions/year [CI: (-3.4, -1.0)], r = -0.832, p = 0.003), and (slope estimate = -0.4 concussions/year [CI: (-0.62, -0.09)], r = -0.768, p = 0.016), respectively. Majority of patients were discharged from the emergency department (ED) to their home, as only 20 people (2.4%) were hospitalized over our study period. The majority of concussions were due to head-to-ice (n = 285, 34.8%), followed by head-to-board/glass (n = 217, 26.5%) and head-to-player (n = 207, 25.3%). The most common cause for hospitalizations due to concussions was head-to-board/glass (n = 7, 35%), followed by head-to-player (n = 6, 30%) and head-to-ice (n = 5, 25%). CONCLUSION: The most common mechanism of youth ice hockey concussions was head-to-ice in our 10-year study period, while head-to-board/glass was the most common cause of hospitalizations. IRB: This project did not require review by the institutional review board.

Patient-reported outcome scores following patellar instability surgery-high prevalence does not equal high responsiveness: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the utilization and responsiveness of common patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients undergoing surgery for patellar instability. METHODS: Using PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of studies reporting outcomes following surgical intervention for patellar instability was conducted using Pubmed, Cochrane, OVID Medline, and Google Scholar. Subgroup analysis of articles reporting at least two PROs with baseline and follow-up data were used to evaluate responsiveness of instruments using relative efficiency and effect size. RESULTS: From the search, 2,848 unique articles were found, of which 178 were included in final analysis (7,122 patients, mean age 22.6, 63.6% female). The most commonly used PRO was the Kujala score (79.2%), followed by the Lysholm (34.8%), and Tegner (30.9%). Seventy-nine articles were eligible for subgroup analysis. The Kujala had a higher relative efficiency than ten of the 14 instruments to which it was compared but had lower relative efficiency compared to the IKDC and Lysholm scores. The Banff Patella Instability Instrument (BPII) and the Norwich score, condition-specific tools, were unable to be fully assessed due to rarity of use and lack of comparisons. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis that the Kujala score is the most commonly used PRO for patellar instability, although other instruments offer greater efficiency was supported by our results. The IKDC and Lysholm scores had similar effect sizes but higher relative efficiencies than the Kujala, thus suggesting better responsiveness. This analysis adds useful information for surgeons on the effectiveness of the most common PRO's for evaluating patellofemoral instability outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

An Innovative Seven-year Physician Scientist Residency Training Program That Addresses the Shortage of Academic Surgeons.

Due to the declining number of scientifically trained physicians and increasing demand for high-quality literature, our institution pioneered a seven-year Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) to provide research-oriented residents the knowledge and skills for a successful academic career. The present study sought to identify orthopaedic surgeons with MD/PhD degrees, residency programs with dedicated research tracks, and to assess the effectiveness of the novel seven-year program in training prospective academic orthopaedic surgeons. Surgeons with MD/PhD degrees account for 2.3% of all 3,408 orthopaedic faculty positions in U.S. residency programs. During the last 23 years, our PSTP residents produced 752 peer-reviewed publications and received $349,354 from 23 resident-authored extramural grants. Eleven of our seven-year alumni practice orthopaedic surgery in an academic setting. The seven-year PSTP successfully develops clinically trained surgeon scientists with refined skills in basic science and clinical experimental design, grant proposals, scientific presentations, and manuscript preparation. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 31(3):144-149, 2022).

Tetracycline use in treating osteoarthritis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The purpose of the review was to synthesize the current literature regarding tetracyclines in the treatment of osteoarthritis. METHODS: Using multiple databases, a systematic review was performed with customized search terms crafted to identify studies examining doxycycline or minocycline in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Results were classified into basic science mechanistic studies, in vivo animal studies, and human clinical trials. A total of 1446 potentially relevant studies were reviewed, and after exclusion criteria were applied, 23 investigations were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: From 12 basic science mechanistic studies, we report on three main mechanisms by which tetracyclines may exert benefit in osteoarthritis progression: matrix metalloproteinase inhibition, immunomodulation, and nitric oxide synthase inhibition. Seven animal studies showed generally encouraging results. Four articles reported human clinical studies, showing mixed results in the treatment of osteoarthritis, potentially related to the choice of patient population, primary outcomes, and timing of treatment. CONCLUSION: Tetracyclines have the potential to benefit osteoarthritis patients via multiple mechanisms. Further study is warranted to examine the optimal dose and timing of tetracycline treatment in osteoarthritis.

Pitch break and performance metrics remain unchanged in pitchers who returned to the same level of play after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in Major League Baseball pitchers.

BACKGROUND: The ulnar collateral ligament is commonly injured in overhead-throwing athletes, particularly baseball pitchers. Pitch movement (break) is a critical aspect to pitching performance. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the changes in pitch velocity, pitch break, angle of break, and pitch performance metrics before and after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers. The secondary purpose was to determine changes in pitch performance metrics before and after UCLR. We hypothesized that pitch break and pitch performance metrics would be unchanged following UCLR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case-series study of pitchers who had undergone primary UCLR between 2008 and 2014. Velocity, horizontal movement (Hmov), and vertical movement (Vmov) of each pitch were collected from the PITCHf/x system for each pitcher 12-24 months before surgery, 12-24 months after surgery, and 24-36 months after surgery. Overall break was calculated by taking the Pythagorean sum of Hmov and Vmov. Angle of break was determined by taking the inverse tangent of Vmov divided by Hmov. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance was performed to determine differences in pitch velocity, movement, angle of movement, and performance metrics between preoperative and postoperative time frames. Performance metrics included balls, strikes, swings, fouls, swings and misses, ground balls, line drives, pop-ups, fly balls, and home runs. Covariates included age at surgery, time from MLB debut to surgery, innings pitched as a starter, innings pitched as a reliever, and total pitches thrown. RESULTS: In a cohort of 46 pitchers who underwent UCLR between 2008 and 2014, pitch velocity, movement, and angle were not significantly changed with respect to preoperative or postoperative time frames. In addition, postoperative time frames had clinically insignificant differences in pitch performance metrics. CONCLUSION: Pitch break and performance metrics are not significantly affected in pitchers who return after UCLR.

Bone xenotransplantation: A review of the history, orthopedic clinical literature, and a single-center case series.

BACKGROUND: One-half of all orthopedic surgeries require bone grafting for successful outcomes in fusions, reconstructive procedures, and the treatment of osseous defects resulting from trauma, tumor, infection, or congenital deformity. Autologous bone grafts are taken from the patient's own body and remain the "gold standard" graft choice but are limited in supply and impart significant patient morbidity. Xenograft bone is an attractive alternative from donors with controlled biology, in large supply and at a theoretically lower cost. Clinical results with xenograft bone for orthopedic applications have been mixed in the limited clinical trials published. METHODS: In the current review, we introduce fundamental principles of bone grafting, systematically review all orthopedic clinical studies reporting outcomes on patients transplanted with xenograft bone, and we present our own clinical results from patients grafted with bovine bone in foot and ankle reconstructive procedures. RESULTS: Thirty-one clinical studies were identified for review and the majority (47%) were from spine surgery literature. Favorable results were reported in 44% of studies while 47% of studies reported poor outcomes and discouraged use of xenograft bone products. In our own clinical series, xenograft failed to integrate with host bone in 58% of cases and persistent pain was reported in 83% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic review of clinical results reported after bone xenotransplantation for orthopaedic surgery applications. Current literature does not support the use of xenograft bone products and our institution's results are consistent with this conclusion. Our laboratory has reported promising pre-clinical results with a xenograft product derived from porcine cancellous bone, but additional testing is required before considering clinical translation.

Preoperative Predictors of Achieving Clinically Significant Athletic Functional Status After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement at Minimum 2-Year Follow-Up.

PURPOSE: To identify predictors of achieving clinically significant sport function in athletic patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS). METHODS: Data were analyzed for all patients who treated for FAIS between 2012 to 2016 and reported being athletes, including recreational and competitive athletes. All patients had a minimum of 2-year follow-up with patient-reported athletic function in the form of the Hip Outcome Score-Sport Specific (HOS-SS), visual analog score-pain, and patient satisfaction. Achieving clinically significant sports function was defined as either reaching the minimally clinical important difference (MCID) or the patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS) for HOS-SS at 2-year follow-up. An exploratory factor analysis was used to determine specific domains for the predictor variables and to reduce the redundancy in these variables. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of achieving clinically significant sports function [corrected]. RESULTS: Of 780 qualifying patients, 626 completed the 2-year minimum follow-up (80%), with a mean age and body mass index of 31.6 ± 11.9 years and 24.6 ± 8.6, respectively. A total of 500 patients (86.5%) achieved high functional status, with 77.9% achieving MCID HOS-SS and 68.7% achieving PASS HOS-SS. Logistic regression analysis identified increased the α angle (odds ratio [OR] 0.976; P = .027), preoperative pain duration (OR 0.729; P = .011), and body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.919; P = .018), as well as the presence of femoral chondral defects (OR 0.769; P = .013), as negative predictors for achieving MCID. Negative predictors for achieving PASS HOS-SS included the presence of a preoperative limp (OR 0.384; P = .013), anxiety or depression (OR 0.561; P = .041), and increased BMI (OR 0.945; P = .018) and preoperative pain duration (OR 0.987; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Several predictors of achieving clinically significant sport function performance exist, including a history of anxiety or depression, BMI, preoperative α angle, limp, femoral chondral damage, *and preoperative symptom duration. Our results suggest there are both modifiable and nonmodifiable preoperative factors that have the potential to predict achieving high athletic function after hip arthroscopy for FAIS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, Case Series.

Patients With Unilateral Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome Have Asymmetrical Hip Muscle Cross-Sectional Area and Compensatory Muscle Changes Associated With Preoperative Pain Level.

PURPOSE: To compare the symptomatic hip muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) in patients with unilateral femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) with the asymptomatic-side hip muscle CSA and to determine whether correlations exist between the hip muscle CSA and preoperative pain level, preoperative symptom duration, and postoperative function. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of magnetic resonance imaging data of patients who underwent hip arthroscopy from January 2012 through June 2015 for the treatment of unilateral FAIS and who had a minimum of 2 years' follow-up after hip arthroscopy for FAIS. A picture archiving and communication system workstation with an embedded region-of-interest tool was used to measure the muscle CSA of both the symptomatic and asymptomatic sides in FAIS patients. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to determine differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic hip muscle CSAs. Spearman rank correlations were used to determine relations between the symptomatic-side hip muscle CSA and preoperative pain level, preoperative symptom duration, and multiple validated patient-reported outcomes to quantify the level of function. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 34.22 ± 14.12 years, and 64% were women. Specific muscles of the symptomatic hip displaying significantly decreased CSAs compared with the asymptomatic hip included the gluteus maximus (P = .007), gluteus minimus (P = .022), and rectus femoris (P = .028). The tensor fascia lata (ρ = 0.358; P = .011), pectineus (ρ = 0.369, P = .008), adductor longus (ρ = 0.286, P = .044), and obturator externus (ρ = 0.339, P = .016) showed a moderate positive correlation with preoperative pain level on a visual analog scale in unilateral FAIS patients. No associations were found between the symptomatic-side hip muscle CSA in patients with unilateral FAIS and symptom duration or patient-reported function. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with unilateral FAIS have a significantly decreased muscle CSA in the symptomatic hip compared with the asymptomatic hip. The symptomatic-side hip muscle CSA was correlated with the preoperative pain level on a visual analog scale. The association between the muscle CSA and preoperative pain level may represent a compensatory change in muscle function around the hip joint in patients with unilateral FAIS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

Nutritional markers may identify patients with greater risk of re-admission after geriatric hip fractures.

PURPOSE: Osteoporotic hip fractures are increasing in prevalence with the growing elderly population. Morbidity and mortality remain high following osteoporotic hip fractures despite advances in medical and surgical treatments. The associated costs and medical burdens are increased with a re-admission following hip fracture treatment. This study sought to identify demographic and clinical values that may be a predictive model for 30-day re-admission risk following operative management of an isolated hip fracture. METHODS: Between January 1, 2013 and April 30, 2015 all patients admitted to a single academic medical centre for treatment of a hip fracture were reviewed. Candidate variables included standard demographics, common laboratory values, and markers of comorbid conditions and nutrition status. A 30-day, all-cause re-admission model was created utilizing multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 607 patients with hip fractures were identified and met the inclusion criteria; of those patients, 67 were re-admitted within 30 days. Univariate analysis indicates that the re-admission group had more comorbidities (p < 0.001) and lower albumin (p = 0.038) and prealbumin (p < 0.001). The final, reduced model contained 12 variables and incorporated four out of five nutritional makers with an internally, cross-validated C-statistic of 0.811 (95% CI: 0.754, 0.867). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that specific nutritional laboratory markers at the index admission may identify patients that have a greater risk of re-admission after hip fracture. This model identifies potentially modifiable risk factors and may allow orthogeriatricians to better educate patients and better treat post-operative nutritional status and care.

Cyclists Have Greater Chondromalacia Index Than Age-Matched Controls at the Time of Hip Arthroscopy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical symptoms and intraoperative pathology associated with hip pain in the cyclist compared with a matched hip arthroscopy surgical group. METHODS: In an institutional review board-approved study, we retrospectively reviewed a prospective database of 1,200 consecutive hip arthroscopy patients from 2008 to 2015. Adult patients were identified who reported cycling as a major component of their activity. Patients were age, gender, and body mass index matched to a control, noncycling group. Pain symptoms, preoperative examinations, radiographic and operative findings were compared. Primary outcome variables included the femoral and acetabular Outerbridge chondromalacia grade. Additional outcome measurements included the involved area and the chondromalacia index (CMI; the product of the Outerbridge chondromalacia grade and surface area [mm2 × severity]). RESULTS: A total of 167 noncyclists were matched to the cycling group (n = 16). Cyclists had significantly greater femoral head chondromalacia grade (2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5-2.5] v 1.4 [95% CI, 1.3-1.6], P = .043), femoral head chondromalacia area (242 mm2 [95% CI, 191-293 mm2] v 128 mm2 [95% CI, 113-141 mm2], P < .001), and femoral head CMI (486 [95% CI, 358-615] v 247 [95% CI, 208-286], P = .001) assessed intraoperatively. Hip pain in cyclists positively correlated with an increased acetabular center-edge angle (R = 0.261, P < .001) and an increased Tonnis grade (R = 0.305, P < .001). Cyclists were also more likely to have a coxalgic gait on physical examination (R = 0.250, P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Cyclists had a greater degree of femoral chondromalacia than a matched group of noncyclists. Cycling activity positively correlated with the presence of femoral chondromalacia with clinically significant gait alterations. These data support the hypothesis that cyclists with hip pain have more chondral pathology than a similar group of other patients with hip pain. Ultimately, cyclists with hip pain should be identified as higher risk for more advanced chondral damage. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, case-control study, therapeutic.

Arthroscopic Management of Hip Chondral Defects: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

PURPOSE: To critically evaluate the evidence for arthroscopic management of chondral defects in the hip through a systematic literature review. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed to identify all articles addressing the arthroscopic management of chondral defects about the hip. Case reports, open techniques, and those associated with osteonecrosis were excluded. Articles were assessed for sample size, location, severity, and size of chondral defects, and the surgical technique. Associated injuries, follow-up duration (months), and functional outcomes were recorded. Study cohorts were defined by a surgical technique (debridement v microfracture v autologous chondrocyte transplantation [ACT]). Statistical analysis was performed with a χ(2) test and analysis of variance with post hoc pairwise analysis for categorical and continuous data, respectively, with significance defined as P < .05. RESULTS: The literature search identified 269 articles, of which 12 clinical studies met inclusion criteria for this analysis. After pooling the data, there were 579 (64.7%) debridements, 279 (31.2%) microfracture, and 37 (4.1%) ACT performed. Patients were followed for an average of 27.1 months (range: 5 to 72 months). All lesions treated with either a microfracture or ACT were high grade (Outerbridge 3 to 4). However, lesion size was significantly larger in ACT-treated patients compared with those who underwent microfracture (357.3 ± 96.0 mm(2)v 149.5 ± 20.7 mm(2); P = .020). All cohorts showed significant improvement in functional outcomes after hip arthroscopy (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review showed that arthroscopic debridement, microfracture, and ACT are associated with equivalent improvement in clinical outcomes in patients with high-grade chondral defects in the hip in the short- and midterm follow-up. In addition, although there were no differences in patient characteristics and demographics based on the surgical technique, we confirmed the hypothesis that lesion size varied significantly between arthroscopic techniques, and that the decision to use one technique over another may be determined by the size of the defect. Therefore, lesion size is likely to influence the development of hip- and technique-specific indications, and may also represent a useful metric for success of surgical intervention. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, systematic review of Level III and IV studies.

Five-year mortality for patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo upper extremity amputation.

PURPOSE: To compare the 5-year survival rate of patients on dialysis requiring an upper extremity amputation with those who did not require such surgery and to analyze whether such an amputation was prognostic for mortality. METHODS: The medical records of 20 consecutive patients with end-stage renal disease who received upper extremity amputations were reviewed. Control patients (n = 40) were matched based on age, sex, and duration of dialysis treatment. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: The mean survival time after the index surgery for the surgical group was 4.95 years ± 0.90 years, and the mean survival for the control group was 8.40 years ± 0.61 years. The probability of death (the event) was statistically greater in the surgical group. The overall 5-year survival rates for the surgical and the nonsurgical groups were 35% (7 of 20) and 70% (28 of 40), respectively. Patients with diabetes in the surgical group had a significantly lower 5-year survival rate, a greater number of amputations, and a greater number of wound-healing failures. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-year survival rate from the index surgery of the surgical group was half that of the nonsurgical group. Increased mortality may be partially attributed to the poor vascular health of the patient. This analysis may help the hand surgeon to more effectively counsel patients with end-stage renal disease about the prognosis associated with an upper extremity amputation and, more importantly, supports the goal of timely intervention by the multidisciplinary team to optimize care planning and to improve surgical outcomes and quality of life. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic III.

Management of Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans: A Critical Analysis Review.

¼ Osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum is a localized compromise of bone that may lead to subchondral collapse with articular cartilage damage and loose body formation.¼ The etiology is multifactorial; proposed mechanisms include repetitive microtrauma, vascular insufficiency, and genetic predisposition.¼ Diagnosis is based on patient presentation, clinical examination, diagnostic imaging, and intraoperative findings.¼ Management is dependent on lesion characteristics, with stable lesions amenable to nonoperative treatment and unstable lesions managed with surgical intervention.¼ Adolescent athletes can expect a return to their preinjury level of activity or competition following indicated surgical intervention.

Gunshot-Induced Humeral Head Osteochondral Defect Treated with an Osteochondral Allograft: A Case Report.

CASE: A 25-year-old right-hand dominant male police officer presented to the emergency department with a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an osteochondral defect overlying the humeral head along the mid to lower aspect of the glenohumeral joint. A staged operation with shoulder arthroscopy followed by an osteochondral allograft (OCA) of the humeral head was performed. During his 6-month postoperative visit, he had returned to full work duty with no restrictions and reported that his pain was well controlled. CONCLUSION: Humeral head OCA transplantation may be an effective treatment option for traumatic osteochondral lesions of the glenohumeral joint.

Responsiveness of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures After Large Knee Articular Cartilage Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cartilage transplantation is commonly used to treat large (>4 cm2) articular cartilage defects of the knee. The 2 most common transplants are osteochondral allograft transplantation and autologous chondrocyte implantation. Several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been used to determine the efficacy of treatment, but it is unknown which measures are the most effective. PURPOSE: To report the multiple PROMs used after large knee articular cartilage transplantation surgery and to compare the responsiveness between them. STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of the PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science databases was performed. A total of 181 articles met inclusion criteria. Patient and study characteristics were extracted, including pre- and postoperative means for PROMs. From the articles that met inclusion criteria for responsiveness analysis (2+ PROMs reported, 1-year minimum follow-up, reported pre- and postoperative means and standard deviations; n = 131), the authors compared the responsiveness between PROM instruments using effect size and relative efficiency (RE) if a PROM could be compared with another in ≥10 articles. RESULTS: A total of 10,015 patients (10,093 knees; mean age, 34.8 years; mean body mass index, 26.1) were included in this study. The mean follow-up time was 58.3 months (range, 1.5-247.2 months), imaging findings were reported in 80 articles (44.2%), patient satisfaction was reported in 39 articles (21.5%), and range of motion was reported in 10 articles (5.5%). There were 58 unique PROM instruments identified, with the most used being the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score (n = 118; 65.2%), followed by Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Pain (n = 58; 32.0%), KOOS Sport and Recreation (n = 58; 32.0%), KOOS Quality of Life (n = 57; 31.5%), KOOS Activities of Daily Living (n = 57; 31.5%), and KOOS Symptoms (n = 57; 31.5%). Overall, IKDC was found to have the greatest effect size (1.68) and the best responsiveness of the other PROMs, which include KOOS Pain (RE, 1.38), KOOS Symptoms (RE, 3.06), KOOS Activities of Daily Living (RE, 1.65), KOOS Sport and Recreation (RE, 1.44), Lysholm (RE, 1.76), and Tegner (RE, 1.56). CONCLUSION: The IKDC is the most responsive PROM after large knee articular cartilage transplantation surgery. The IKDC score is recommended for assessing outcomes after cartilage transplantation surgery.

Return to Activity Following Isolated Ulnar Nerve Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Ulnar neuropathy is one of the more commonly diagnosed mononeuropathies; despite this, a definitive surgical treatment strategy has not been widely agreed upon. In this study, we systematically review the literature and assess return to play or activity outcomes in patients with neuritis or neuropathy undergoing in situ decompression, subcutaneous transposition, or submuscular transposition of the ulnar nerve. We hypothesized that ulnar nerve transposition or decompression in the absence of concomitant ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) pathology would have a high rate of return to activity. Relevant studies were generated from 1975 to 2023 using PubMed, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus. Articles reporting on return to play or activity outcomes following isolated ulnar nerve transposition or decompression for ulnar neuritis were included. Studies evaluating patients with concomitant UCL injury or revision surgery were excluded. A total of 12 studies met the inclusion criteria, ranging from 1977 to 2021. There were a total of 358 patients with a reported return to play or activity status across all studies with an average age of 27.2 years (range, 11-75). Successful return to play, activity, or work was reported in 303 patients (84.6%). Patients undergoing transposition, subcutaneous (n = 232) and submuscular (n = 20), had return rates of 87.9% and 95%, respectively. Patients undergoing in situ decompression (n = 106) had return rates of 75.5%. This systematic review found an 84.6% return to activity rate following ulnar nerve transposition or decompression in the absence of concomitant UCL pathology. Overall, transposition or decompression of the ulnar nerve provides a favorable return to activity rates and with appropriate indications and surgical technique will likely yield a successful return.