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Boos, Alexander M.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5241-9191

Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic

Citations 26

Reconstruction of the Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Using an Anatomic Technique With Suture Tape Augmentation to Allow for Expedited Return to Play in Throwing Athletes
Jurgensmeier, Kevin , Boos, Alexander M. , Clark, Sean C. , Hintz, Christian, Kang, Louis , Camp, Christopher L. , Jurgensmeier, Kevin , Kang, Louis S, Dines, Joshua S. , Boos, Alexander , Kang, Louis S , Hintz, Christian

The American Journal of Sports Medicine | November 14, 2025 | Volume: 53 | Issue: 14 | Pages: 3506-3514

10.1177/03635465251388114 Get It

Background: Injury to the medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) is a common setback for throwing athletes, often requiring reconstruction with 12 to 18 months of rehabilitation. The authors previously described a more anatomic technique with improved mechanical strength as compared with the docking technique, which may allow for an accelerated return to sport. Purpose: To evaluate return-to-sport rates, time to return to sport, and the effect on the functional performance of amateur and professional throwing athletes who underwent anatomic MUCL reconstruction with suture tape augmentation. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A retrospective case series was performed including baseball players who underwent anatomic MUCL reconstruction with suture tape augmentation by a single surgeon from 2018 to 2022. Inclusion criteria consisted of a minimum 2-year follow-up, participation in baseball, and utilization of autograft (palmaris longus or gracilis). Patients who underwent previous MUCL reconstruction were excluded from the study. All patients initially followed an accelerated rehabilitation protocol. Outcome measures were collected, including Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), and Conway-Jobe scores, as well as throwing metrics such as ball velocity and spin rate. Results: Thirty-four baseball players (mean ± SD age, 21 ± 3 years) underwent primary MUCL reconstruction. Time of final follow-up was 36.1 ± 10.3 months. Of these, 16 were professional athletes and 18 were amateur. All throwers returned to live gameplay at a mean 10.1 ± 2.0 months after reconstruction (professional, 10.6 ± 2.3; amateur, 9.7 ± 1.8). Furthermore, 97% (94% professional, 100% amateur) advanced through the accelerated postoperative protocol without issues, and 91% (88% professional, 94% amateur) returned to the same role and 85% (75% professional, 94% amateur) to the same level of play. Professional postinjury KJOC scores improved from 42.6 ± 16 to 87.5 ± 8.3 and SANE scores from 25.0 ± 11.2 to 95.6 ± 4.2. Amateur postinjury KJOC scores improved from 35.6 ± 10.7 to 90.9 ± 8.6 and SANE scores from 57.5 ± 16.9 to 95.2 ± 7.2. No significant difference was identified in preinjury versus postreconstruction throwing velocity, ball spin rate, or horizontal/vertical ball movement. The overall failure rate was 2.9%, with 1 professional pitcher requiring revision for graft rupture at 3 years postoperatively. Conclusion: Anatomic reconstruction of the MUCL with suture tape is a viable option for MUCL injuries, allowing an expedited return to sport at 10.1 ± 2.0 months (professional, 10.6 ± 2.3; amateur, 9.7 ± 1.8) in baseball players, with a low failure rate.
Current State of Baseball Interval Throwing Programs: A Systematic Review of Content, Structure, and Variability of Published Throwing Programs
Iyer, Sanathan, Simon, Karissa N. , Cherny, Chad E., Johnson, Andrew , Zajac, John M., Christoffer, Daniel J., Hellem, Aaron R., Finck, Adam N., Langhans, Mark T. , Boos, Alexander M. , Johnson, Andrew J, Camp, Christopher L. , Iyer, Sanathan, Johnson, Andrew J.

Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach | April 29, 2025 | Volume: 17 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 1214-1224

10.1177/19417381251333402 Get It

Context: There is need for an up-to-date comprehensive review of baseball interval throwing programs in the literature. Objective: To (1) understand the origin and basis of interval throwing programs; (2) evaluate the content of programs in the peer-reviewed literature including target audience, initiation criteria, throwing specifics, arm care, and performance evaluation metrics; (3) classify these variables as well defined, ambiguous, or missing; and (4) analyze variability in key aspects including starting criteria, length, progression, and completion criteria. Data Sources: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Reviews, Web of Science, and Scopus Study Selection: The full text of studies, in English, had to be available. Included studies had to contain a complete interval throwing program designed for baseball players. Study Design: Systematic review. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Data Extraction: Initial screening was conducted based on article title and abstract. Full text of the remaining articles was evaluated for fulfillment of inclusion criteria. Results: Nine studies initially met inclusion criteria. The programs’ comprehensiveness was poor, with a mean Interval Throwing Program Checklist score of 20 (range 14-23) on a scale of 0 to 30. There were a variety of components, including progressive long toss, weighted ball, and throwing mechanics exercises. The programs identified had significant heterogeneity in duration, intensity, progression, and focus. Overall, there was a significant lack of attempts at validation or formal study of efficacy for published throwing programs. Conclusion: Current published interval throwing programs are mostly variations of an original program published many years ago and were based on principles of progressive loading with pain as sign of injury that should be monitored carefully. However, these programs have minimal clinical validation and objective measures to quantify their effectiveness. This work identifies several limitations in the current literature and can serve as a foundation for future development of evidence-based interval throwing programs.
Long-term Comparative Outcomes of All-Inside Versus Inside-Out Repair of Bucket-Handle Meniscal Tears: A Cohort Study
Hevesi, Mario , Boos, Alexander M. , Levy, Bruce A. , Stuart, Michael J. , Krych, Aaron J. , Hevesi, Mario , Stuart, Michael J , Krych, Aaron J , Boos, Alexander , Lamba, Abhinav , Pan, Xuankang , Wang, Allen S.

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | December 19, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 12 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/23259671241296899 Get It

Background: Bucket-handle meniscal tears (BHMTs) are a common subtype of meniscal tears that represent a clinical challenge. Arthroscopic inside-out repair has been considered the gold standard in treatment; however, an all-inside approach has gained widespread popularity, with limited long-term evidence. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to (1) compare long-term clinical outcomes and rates of failure after surgical repair of BHMTs using the all-inside versus inside-out technique, and 2) identify risk factors for failure at long-term follow-up. It was hypothesized that clinical outcomes and rates of failure would be similar between the 2 techniques. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients who had undergone surgical repair of BHMTs between 2003 and 2013 at a single institution were identified. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed preoperatively and at the latest follow-up using the Tegner scale, International Knee Documentation Committee questionnaire, and visual analog scale pain at rest and with activity. A univariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify predictors for repair failure, defined as revision meniscal surgery and/or documented meniscal retear. Results: In total, 63 patients were included (37 with inside-out repair, 26 with all-inside repair). At a mean follow-up of 11.2 years, the survival rate for BHMT repair was 63% overall, 70% for all-inside repairs, and 60% for inside-out repairs ( P = .37). The mean time to failure was 2.6 years for all-inside repairs and 2.5 years for inside-out repairs ( P = .98). PROM scores were not significantly different between the 2 repair groups ( P > .22). Univariate Cox proportional hazards model for failure demonstrated that increasing age at surgery was associated with lower failure rates (hazard ratio, 0.91 change per 1-year increase in age; 95% CI, 0.84-0.98) and medial meniscus repair was associated with higher failure rates (hazard ratio, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.14-8.77). Conclusion: Long-term follow-up of BHMT repair demonstrated satisfactory clinical outcomes and failure rates. In appropriately selected patients, the all-inside technique did not compromise outcome as compared with the inside-out repair techniques. For both methods, older age was associated with lower failure rates and medial meniscus repair was associated with increased failure.
A Multicenter Analysis of 3 Decades of Hip Arthroscopy: Evolving Techniques and Growing Patient Volumes From 1988 to 2022
Conyer, Ryan T. , Cleary, Emmett J., Wang, Allen S. , Boos, Alex M., Crowe, Matthew M. , Krych, Aaron J. , Levy, Bruce A. , Hevesi, Mario , Boos, Alexander M. , Economopoulos, Kostas J. , Krych, Aaron J , Hevesi, Mario , Wang, Allen , Boos, Alexander

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | October 10, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 10 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/23259671241277793 Get It

Background: The number of hip arthroscopies performed in the United States has grown significantly over the past several decades, with evolving indications and emerging techniques. Purposes: To (1) examine the evolution of hip arthroscopy at 3 tertiary referral centers between 1988 and 2022 and (2) quantify trends in patient demographics and procedures performed. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of all patients undergoing hip arthroscopy at 3 academic centers between 1988 and 2022. Demographic data were collected using standardized forms and operative notes, and intraoperative images were manually reviewed for each patient to determine the specific procedures performed at the time of the hip arthroscopy. Surgical procedures were plotted over time to evaluate trends. Patients were divided into 3 time periods for comparison: early hip arthroscopy from 1988 to 2008, 2009 (the time of the first labral repair in our cohort) to 2015, and 2016 to 2022. Results: A total of 3000 patients (age, 35.7 ± 13.8 years; age range, 10-89 years; female sex, 2109 (70.3%); body mass index, 27.4 ± 6.3 kg/m 2 ) underwent arthroscopic hip procedures between 1988 and 2022. The mean number of cases increased from a mean of 3.2 per year in 1988-2008 to 285.9 per year in 2016-2022 ( P < .001). Labral treatment at the time of primary hip arthroscopy evolved from 100% debridement and 0% repair in 1988-2008 to 5.0% debridement, 94.0% repair, and 1.0% labral reconstruction in 2016-2022 ( P < .001). Cam resection increased from 4.1% in 1988-2008 to 86.9% in 2016-2022 ( P < .001). By 2022, 45 out of 325 cases (13.8%) were revisions. The rate of capsular repair at the time of primary hip arthroscopy increased from 0.0% in 1988-2008 up to 81.0% in 2016-2022. Conclusion: There has been a significant growth of hip arthroscopy volumes as well as a significant transition from use as a tool for diagnosis and labral debridement to procedures restoring native anatomy including labral repair, cam resection, capsular repair, periacetabular osteotomy, and gluteal repair.
Paper 21: Anatomic Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction with Internal Brace Augmentation in Throwing Athletes
Jurgensmeier, Kevin , Boos, Alex, Hintz, Christian, Dines, Joshua, Jurgensmeier, Kevin , Camp, Christopher L. , Boos, Alexander M. , Hintz, Christian

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | October 9, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 7_suppl2 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/2325967124s00034 Get It

Objectives: Injury to the Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament (MUCL) is a common setback experienced by many throwing athletes often requiring reconstruction with 12-18 months of rehabilitation. Current reconstructive techniques fail to anatomically restore the MUCL which may contribute to the prolonged course of rehabilitation. In recent years, we described an anatomic MUCL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation which demonstrated improved biomechanical strength when compared to the docking technique in cadaveric specimens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the postoperative course of both amateur and professional throwing athletes that underwent anatomic MUCL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation. We hypothesized that throwers would return to the same level of play and that return to play (RTP) would be a shorter duration compared to current reported outcomes. Methods: In this surgical technique, the native MUCL is formally repaired. The graft and a suture tape are folded over a suspensory loop and secured in a socket of the medial epicondyle of the humerus to maximize tendon to bone contact. On the ulnar side, the graft and internal brace are secured proximally by two suture anchors on either side of the sublime tubercle and further secured across the sublime tubercle ridge distally to re-create the anatomic triangular insertion of the native ligament. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon. Patient reported outcomes in addition to date of RTP, level of play, and functional outcomes were retrospectively gathered. All patients initially followed an Accelerated Rehabilitation Protocol and were converted to a Standard Paced protocol if setbacks were encountered. Results: A total of 26 baseball players underwent primary (n=23) or revision (n=3) MUCL reconstruction with the Anatomic Technique. Of these, 15 were professional and 11 were amateur athletes. 92% of throwers returned to play at a mean of 9.9 months following reconstruction. 89% were able to advance through the accelerated postoperative protocol without issues and 85% returned to the same role and level of play. Post injury KJOC scores improved from 41 to 86.9 and SANE scores improved from 32.5 to 95.5. No significant difference was identified in pre-injury versus post-reconstruction throwing velocity, ball spin rate, or horizontal/vertical ball movement. Conclusions: Anatomic reconstruction of the MUCL with internal bracing is a viable option for MUCL injuries. Advantages include increased tendon-bone contact of the reconstruction, multiple fixation points, and anatomic restoration of the MUCL. This technique allowed an expedited return to sport for these baseball athletes.
Pitch-Tracking Metrics as a Predictor of Future Shoulder and Elbow Injuries in Major League Baseball Pitchers: A Machine-Learning and Game-Theory Based Analysis
Oeding, Jacob F. , Boos, Alexander M. , Kalk, Josh R., Sorenson, Dane, Verhooven, F. Martijn, Camp, Christopher L. , Boos, Alexander , Oeding, Jacob F , Moatshe, Gilbert

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | August 30, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 8 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/23259671241264260 Get It

Background: Understanding interactions between multiple risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers is important to identify potential avenues by which risk can be reduced while minimizing impact on player performance. Purpose: To apply a novel game theory–based approach to develop a machine-learning model predictive of next-season shoulder and elbow injuries in MLB pitchers and use this model to understand interdependencies and interaction effects between the most important risk factors. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Pitcher demographics, workload measures, pitch-tracking metrics, and injury data between 2017 and 2022 were used to construct a database of MLB pitcher-years, where each item in the database corresponded to a pitcher's information and metrics for that year. An extreme gradient boosting machine-learning model was trained to predict next-season shoulder and elbow injuries utilizing Shapley additive explanation values to quantify feature importance as well as interdependencies and interaction effects between predictive variables. Results: A total of 3808 pitcher-years were included in this analysis; 606 (15.9%) of these involved a shoulder or elbow injury resulting in placement on the MLB injured list. Of the >65 candidate features (including workload, demographic, and pitch-tracking metrics), the most important contributors to predicting shoulder/elbow injury were increased: pitch velocity (all pitch types), utilization of sliders (SLs), fastball (FB) spin rate, FB horizontal movement, and player age. The strongest game theory interaction effects were that higher FB velocity did not alter a younger pitcher's predicted risk of shoulder/elbow injury versus older pitchers, risk of shoulder/elbow injury increased with the number of high-velocity pitches thrown (regardless of pitch type and in an additive fashion), and FB velocity <95 mph (<152.9 kph) demonstrated strong negative interaction effects with higher SL percentage, suggesting that the overall predicted risk of injury for pitchers throwing a high number of SLs could be attenuated by lower FB velocity. Conclusion: Pitch-tracking metrics were substantially more predictive of future injury than player demographics and workload metrics. There were many significant game theory interdependencies of injury risk. Notably, the increased risk of injury that was conferred by throwing with a high velocity was even further magnified if the pitchers were also older, threw a high percentage of SLs, and/or threw a greater number of pitches.
Poster 247: Comparative Outcomes of Radial and Bucket-Handle Meniscal Tear Repair at Mean 10 Years: A Propensity-Matched Analysis
Hevesi, Mario, Simon, Karissa, Levy, Bruce A. , Stuart, Michael D. , Meta, Fabien , Krych, Aaron J. , Lamba, Abhinav , Hevesi, Mario , Wang, Allen S. , Boos, Alexander M. , Clark, Sean C. , Camp, Christopher L.

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | August 15, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 7_suppl2 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/2325967124s00216 Get It

Objectives: Radial tears of the meniscus are increasingly treated with repair instead of partial meniscectomy, with satisfactory short-term clinical outcomes. There remains a paucity of mid- and long-term outcomes data for this preservation technique. The purpose of this study was to 1) evaluate the mid- to long-term clinical outcomes and reoperation rate of radial meniscal repair versus bucket-handle meniscal repair and 2) evaluate the outcomes of both surgeries overtime. We hypothesized that radial repair would provide similar outcomes and reoperation rates to that of bucket-handle meniscal repair in this propensity-matched cohort. Methods: A previously identified cohort of radial meniscal tears without concurrent root injuries undergoing surgical repair at a single institution between 2011 and 2015 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria was patients undergoing repair of full-thickness radial tears. Exclusion criteria were patients who had 1) not consented for research follow-up, 2) <2 year of follow-up, 3) high-grade (Outerbridge grade 3 or 4) chondromalacia, 4) knee dislocations or combined anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament injuries, 5) repair of posterior meniscal root tears, and 6) repair of partial radial tears. Propensity matching was performed based on age at surgery, sex, laterality, body mass index (BMI), and concomitant anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) using a comparison pool of 70 bucket-handle meniscal repairs (BHMR). Reoperation-free survival rates, Tegner Activity Score, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores were analyzed. Results: Twenty-four patients (18 males, 6 females, age 22.8 ± 11.9 years, BMI 26.5 ± 5.8) with radial meniscal repair were included in this study. Eighteen of these patients were successfully propensity matched to 18 bucket-handle meniscal tears for an overall mean follow-up of 10.2 ± 1.7 years (range, 7.3-13.5) (Table 1). The 24 radial tear repairs demonstrated significant and durable postoperative improvements at mean 10.2 years across VAS at rest (3.0 ± 2.5 vs 0.5 ± 1.0, p < 0.001), VAS for pain at use (5.8 ± 2.9 vs 1.4 ± 1.9, p < 0.001) Tegner (2.6 ± 1.4 vs 6.8 ± 2.0, p < 0.001) and IKDC (39.8 ± 12.3 vs 84.1 ± 16.5, p < 0.001) (Table 1). Of patients not undergoing reoperation (19), 100% reported being “Satisfied” 4/19 (21%) or “Very Satisfied” 15/19 (79%). When the 18 radial tear repairs were compared to the 18 BHMT repairs, there was no significant difference across VAS for pain at rest (0.6 ± 1.2 vs 0.3 ± 0.7, p = 0.48), VAS for pain at use (1.6 ± 2.1 vs 1.1 ± 1.3, p = 0.48) Tegner (6.9 ± 2.2 vs 6.4 ± 2.1, p = 0.51) and IKDC (83.4 ± 17.4 vs 82.1 ± 14.1, p = 0.83) (Table 2). Importantly, survival without reoperation rates were not statistically different between the 2 groups at 10-year follow-up (14/18 (78%) vs 16/18 (89%), p = 0.37) (Figure 1). There was no significant difference between clinical outcomes (Tegner and IKDC) at final follow-up in the radial repair group as compared to the 4-year mid-term outcomes (p = 0.58 and 0.19 respectively). For the BHMR group, Tegner scores were not significantly different (p = 0.60) compared with their 4-year timepoint; however, IKDC scores at the final timepoint were significantly lower 93.4 ± 3.4 vs 82.1 ± 14.1 (p = 0.01). Notably, both the radial repair and bucket-handle repairs groups reported final follow-up Tegner scores that were not significantly different from their preinjury Tegner scores (p = 0.70 for the radial group and p = 0.62 for the bucket-handle group). Conclusions: At mean 10-year follow-up, significant clinical improvements and high rates of satisfaction were observed for radial meniscal tear repair. When propensity matched, radial and BHMR demonstrated durable improvements in postoperative VAS for pain, IKDC, and Tegner scores, as well as similar, acceptable reoperation rates. [Figure: see text]
Poster 231: Isolated Medial Meniscus Root Tears: A Multicenter Analysis of Prognostic Variables for Achieving Patient Acceptable Symptomatic State after Repair
Crowe, Matthew M. , Meta, Fabien , Simon, Karissa N. , Hevesi, Mario , Boos, Alexander M. , Wang, Allen S. , Economopoulos, Kostas J. , Clark, Sean C. , Stuart, Michael J. , Krych, Aaron J.

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | August 15, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 7_suppl2 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/2325967124s00200 Get It

Objectives: Medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) render the meniscus essentially non-functional, resulting in increased peak contact pressures, reduced forced dissipation, and increased risk of early osteoarthritis. Transtibial root repair has shown promise at restoring meniscus function and improving clinical outcomes; however, a paucity of literature exists evaluating the prognostic clinical and radiographic factors for poor outcomes following isolated meniscus root repair. The purpose of this study was to 1) describe the patient reported clinical outcomes after isolated MMPRT repair at minimum 2-year follow-up, 2) determine the retear and conversion to arthroplasty rates, and 3) identify prognostic factors for clinical outcomes and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) achievement. Methods: Isolated MMPRT repairs from 2010-2020 at three institutions in Rochester, MN; Jacksonville, FL; and Phoenix, AZ were followed prospectively for postoperative Tegner Activity Scale, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, IKDC, Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), subjective improvement and knee preference, and subsequent surgeries at minimum 2-year follow up. PASS for IKDC was set at 69. Demographics, injury characteristics, and surgical details were collected. Results: Eighty-four patients were included in this study (age: 49.7 ± 11.0 years [range: 13-76]; sex: 75.0% female; BMI: 31.6 ± 6.9 kg/m 2 [MH1] ). Forty-five patients (53.6%) had BMI >30 kg/m 2 , and 14 patients (16.7%) reported a history of active smoking (Table 1). Mean medial compartment Outerbridge grade was 2.0 ± 1.1, with 73.8% of patients having grade ≥2 changes. Mean preinjury Tegner score, preoperative VAS at rest, and preoperative VAS with use were 4.6 ± 2.4, 3.6 ± 2.7, and 6.5 ± 2.5, respectively. At final follow-up (mean 3.9 ± 2.0 years), mean Tegner score was 4.3 ± 1.8, mean VAS at rest was 1.2 ± 2.0, and mean VAS with use was 2.3 ± 2.2. There was no significant difference in preinjury vs. postoperative Tegner scores (p = 0.208), and preinjury Tegner was significantly positively correlated with postoperative Tegner (p < 0.001). Significant (p < 0.001) postoperative improvements in both VAS at rest and with use were observed. Mean postoperative IKDC score was 73.3 ± 17.0, and mean FJS was 59.6 ± 27.9 at final follow-up. When asked to rate their knee at final follow-up compared to before surgery on a scale from 0-5 (0 = “significantly worse”, 1 = “mildly worse”, 3 = “unchanged”, 4 = “mildly improved”, 5 = “significantly improved”), the mean score 4.6 ± 0.8. Forty-one patients (74.5%) reported significant improvement, 8 (14.5%) reported mild improvement, 3 (5.5%) reported no change, and 3 (5.5%) reported mild worsening. No patients reported significant worsening. When asked which knee they preferred, 13 patients (26.0%) reported preferring their operated knee, compared to 18 (36.0%) who preferred their nonoperated knee. The remaining 19 patients (38.0%) had no preference for one knee over the other. A summary of all patient reported outcomes is reported in Table 2. At the time of final follow-up, 16 (19.0%) of patients had reached a clinical endpoint. Twenty-nine patients (34.5%) underwent postoperative MRIs at an average of 1.5 ± 1.7 years (range: 0.3-5.9 years) after surgery[MH1] . Twelve of the MRIs (41.4%) were ordered for evaluation of continued pain, while 7 (24.1%) were ordered for new pain or injury, and 10 (34.5%) were ordered for research purposes. Five patients (6.0%) had MRI-confirmed retears of the MMPRT repair at an average of 1.1 ± 1.3 years (range: 0.3-3.4) after surgery[HMMP2] , one of which was in an asymptomatic patient who received a follow-up MRI for research purposes. No patients underwent revision MMPRT repair surgery, and 7 patients (8.3%) progressed to arthroplasty (6 TKA, 1 UKA) at an average of 3.4 ± 4.3 years (range 0.6-12.6), one of whom also sustained a root retear. Therefore, the surgical failure was noted in 11 patients, corresponding to a surgical failure rate of 13.1% in this cohort. Of note, three of the five patients with MRI-confirmed retears had not received any further surgical intervention[MH3] [BA(M4] at the time of final follow-up 2.7, 3.8, and 8.5 years after surgery. Additionally, there were six non-MMPRT revision, non-arthroplasty subsequent surgeries in five patients, and there were three patients (3.6%) who sustained new medial meniscus tears 2.8-, 3.6-, and 5.9-years postoperatively, respectively. A concise summary of clinical endpoints can be found in Table 3 and Table 4. Significantly more females experienced surgical failures than males (17.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.040), and significantly more patients with medial compartment Outerbridge grades ≥2 experienced surgical failure than those with grades <2 (17.7% vs. 0%, p = 0.034). Additionally, patients who failed did have significantly higher mean KL grades than those who did not (1.4 ± 0.9 vs. 0.7 ± 0.7, p = 0.012). There were no other significant differences in the demographic or pathologic characteristics of patients who experienced surgical failure and those who did not. Of note, 37% of patients failed to achieve IKDC PASS, with smoking status associated with a 15-point reduction in IKDC (p=0.010) Conclusions: Patients undergoing transtibial root repair demonstrate restoration of pre-injury activity levels, significant clinical improvements in pain and function, and low surgical failure rates at minimum 2-year follow-up, with 89% of patients reporting subjective improvement after surgery. However, only 63% of patients were able to achieve PASS thresholds, suggesting that while effective, additional research on root repair technical and clinical optimization is warranted.
Poster 168: Early Surgery Provides Superior Cost-Effectiveness When Compared to Nonoperative Management for Partial Tears of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in Baseball Pitchers
Jurgensmeier, Kevin , Okoroha, Kelechi R. , Jurgensmeier, Kevin , Oeding, Jacob F. , Boos, Alexander M. , Krych, Aaron J. , Camp, Christopher L.

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | August 15, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 7_suppl2 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/2325967124s00137 Get It

Objectives: Nonoperative management vs. early reconstruction for partial tears of the medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) remains controversial, with the most common treatment options for partial tears consisting of rest, rehab, platelet rich plasma (PRP), and/or surgical intervention. However, whether the improved outcomes reported for treatments such as MUCL reconstruction (UCLR) or nonoperative management with a series of PRP injections justifies their increased upfront costs remains unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of an initial trial of physical therapy alone, an initial trial of physical therapy plus a series of PRP injections, and early UCLR to determine the preferred cost-effective treatment strategy for baseball pitchers with partial tears of the MUCL. Methods: A Markov Chain Monte Carlo probabilistic model was developed to evaluate the outcomes and costs of 1,000 simulated pitchers undergoing nonoperative management with and without PRP vs. early UCLR for partial MUCL tears. Utility values, RTP rates, and transition probabilities were derived from the published literature. Costs were determined based on the typical patient undergoing each treatment strategy at our institution. Outcome measures included costs, acquired playing-years (PYs), and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results: Mean total costs resulting from nonoperative management without PRP, nonoperative management with PRP, and early UCLR were $22,520, $24,800, and $43,992, respectively. On average, early UCLR produced an additional 4.0 PYs over the 10-year time horizon relative to nonoperative management, resulting in an ICER of $5,395/PY, which falls well below the $50,000 willingness-to-pay threshold (WTP). Overall, early UCLR was determined the preferred cost-effective strategy in 77.5% of pitchers included in the microsimulation model, with nonoperative management with PRP determined the preferred strategy in 15% of pitchers and nonoperative management alone in 7.5% of pitchers. Conclusions: Based on Monte Carlo microsimulation and probabilistic sensitivity analysis, early UCLR was demonstrated to be more cost-effective than an initial trial of nonoperative management for partial tears of the MUCL for the majority of high-level baseball pitchers. It is important to note that this model does not consider the unique experiences, goals, situations, career trajectory, and pitching horizons of individual patients, and thus a shared decision-making discussion should be conducted regarding optimal initial treatment for partial MUCL tears. This is particularly true as many athletes can successfully be treated non-operatively, which generally results in a quicker return to play when successful compared to surgery.
Poster 119: Outcomes of Shoulder Instability Surgery in Competitive Wrestlers: Outcomes, Reoperations, and Return to Play at 5 years Mean Follow Up
Okoroha, Kelechi R. , Meta, Fabien , Camp, Christopher L. , Marigi, Erick M. , Lamba, Abhinav , Boos, Alexander M. , Wang, Allen S. , Barlow, Jonathan D. , Krych, Aaron J.

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine | August 15, 2024 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 7_suppl2 | Pages: No page available

10.1177/2325967124s00088 Get It

Objectives: Wrestling is a physically demanding sport with young athletes prone to traumatic shoulder instability (SI). However, there is a paucity of data evaluating the results of shoulder instability surgery (SIS) in this cohort of athletes. The purpose of this study is to assess reoperation rates, patient-reported outcomes (PRO), and return to wrestling (RTW) following SIS in a cohort of competitive wrestlers. Methods: All competitive wrestlers with a history of SI and subsequent surgery at a single institution between 1996 and 2020 were identified. All directions of SI (anterior SI [ASI], posterior SI [PSI], and traumatic multidirectional SI [TMDI]) were analyzed. Exclusion criteria included revision SIS and less than 2 years of clinical follow-up. Patients were contacted for determination of reinjury rates, return to wrestling (RTW), and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability index (WOSI) scores. Results: Ultimately, 104 wrestlers were included at a mean follow-up of 5.2 years (range, 2.0 – 22.0). Fifty-eight (55.8%) wrestlers presented for evaluation after a single SI event while 46 (44.2%) sustained multiple events prior to presentation. ASI was the most common direction (n = 79; 76.0%) followed by PSI (n = 14; 13.4%), and TMDI (n = 11; 10.6%). Surgical treatment was most commonly an arthroscopic soft tissue stabilization (n = 88; 84.6%), followed by an open soft tissue repair (n = 13; 12.5%) and open bony augmentation (n = 3; 2.9%) (Table 1). RTW occurred in 57.3% of wrestlers at a mean of 9.8 ± 9.6 months. Recurrent instability was the most common complication in 18 (17.3%) wrestlers. Revision SIS was performed in 15 (14.6%) wrestlers (Table 2). Across the entire cohort, Kaplan-Meier survivorship free from recurrent instability (Figure 1) and revision surgery (Figure 2) was 91.4% and 98.1% at 1 year, 90.4% and 92.5% at 2 years, 71.9% and 70.7% at 5 years, and 71.9% and 66.5% at 10 years, respectively. Pre-operative recurrent instability was an independent risk factor for post-operative recurrent instability (Hazard ratio [HR], 3.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 – 11.03; P = .012). Conclusions: Anterior shoulder instability was the most common direction among competitive wrestlers presenting for SIS. Wrestlers with multiple dislocations prior to initial clinical presentation were 3.8 times more likely to experience post-operative recurrent instability.