Clark, Sean C.

Abstract Introduction: Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is a complex procedure historically requiring inpatient stay. There is increased emphasis for these to be performed on an outpatient basis by insurance companies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the proportion of various surgical listing classifications (outpatient, outpatient-overnight, inpatient), the incidence of subsequent denial/request for additional documentation for approval of inpatient stay, and to characterize the average length of stay (LOS) following PAO. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify all PAOs, performed by four participating surgeons, at a single academic institution over a two-year period. The initial listing status as an outpatient-overnight or inpatient procedure was identified. Whether a preoperative peer review was required for approval of inpatient listings as well as if additional documentation was necessary to convert outpatient-overnight listings to inpatient stays were also recorded. Results: A total of 140 PAOs amongst 117 patients were performed with 25 (17.9%) initially listed as an inpatient stay and 115 (82.1%) listed as outpatient-overnight. Of the 25 PAOs listed as inpatient, 2 (8.0%) required a preoperative peer review process to justify or clarify listing status. The average LOS was 1.9 ± 1.4 days with 55.7% (78/140) of PAOs staying two or more nights in the hospital. Only 6 PAOs (4.3%) went home the same day as surgery. Of the 115 PAOs listed as an outpatient-overnight, 53 (46.1%) converted to an inpatient stay. Conclusion: Over half of PAOs performed required inpatient stay beyond outpatient-overnight status. Preoperative peer-to-peer review for inpatient stay approval was modestly frequent (8% of inpatient listings), and all conversions to inpatient required additional service documentation to support status conversion. Understanding trends in postoperative hospitalizations and LOS might allow for better informed partnerships between surgeons and insurance companies creating more efficient pre-authorizations, billing practices, and expected patterns of patient care and discharge.

Abstract Background: Osteochondral allograft and autograft transplantation for femoral head defects have emerged as promising treatments for concomitant cartilage and subchondral bone injuries in young patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients who underwent osteochondral allograft or autograft transplantation for femoral head defects and access any risk factors that may lead to conversion to THA. Methods: All patients who underwent osteochondral allograft or autograft transplantation for femoral head defects were analyzed. All patients had symptomatic femoral head osteochondral defects identifiable on advanced imaging such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Clinical outcomes were assessed at final follow-up with the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Hip Outcome Score – Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL), Hip Outcome Score – Sport-Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS), and International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12). Additionally, patients were assessed radiographically preoperatively and at a final postoperative visit using anterior-posterior and lateral radiographs for osteoarthritis using Tönnis grading. Results: A total of 27 patients were included in this study (19 osteochondral allograft transplantation, 8 osteochondral autograft transplantation). The overall mean follow-up was 4.7 years. The average mHHS, HOS-ADL, HOS-SSS, and iHOT-12 for the allograft cohort were 86.7, 92.8, 81.4, and 79.0, respectively, while for the autograft cohort it was 87.6, 92.7, 83.1, and 82.0, respectively. For the allograft cohort, there were a total of 5 reoperations (26.3%) consisting of 4 THA at a mean of 1.9 years and 1 trochanteric osteotomy nonunion at 0.7 year. For the remaining allograft patients who did not undergo treatment failure, only one (6.7%) had radiographic osteoarthritis progression. None of the patients in the autograft cohort underwent THA. Overall, conversion to THA was 14.8%. Conclusion: Osteochondral allograft and autograft transplantation for femoral head defects demonstrated overall favorable clinical outcomes and conversion to THA at mean 5-year follow-up and should be considered for patients with focal femoral head defects.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures and one of the most well studied. Despite extensive research dedicated to ACLR, there is limited understanding of how chronic inflammatory systemic diseases (CIDs) such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus affect outcomes. Purpose: To compare the outcomes of ACLR in cohorts of patients with and without CID. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A retrospective query of a regional data set was conducted for all patients who underwent ACLR from 1990 to 2021 for traumatic ACL rupture. All patients with CID were identified and propensity matched to non-CID controls. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were identified through retrospective chart review, and patients were contacted for subjective outcomes. Results: A total of 30 patients with ACLR and a diagnosis of CID were identified. These patients were propensity matched to 120 non-CID controls. Baseline demographic and surgical characteristics demonstrated no statistical differences. Follow-up duration was similar between the CID and non-CID groups (mean, 14.6 vs 14.2 years; P = .868). The CID cohort had a higher arthrofibrosis rate (16.7% vs 4.3%; P = .031), higher osteoarthritis rate (33.3% vs 16.7%; P = .041), higher total knee arthroplasty (TKA) rate (16.7% vs 3.3%; P = .016), and earlier time to TKA (14.7 vs 23.5 years; P = .032). Knee range of motion, infection rate, retear rate, time to retear, and time to osteoarthritis were not statistically different between the cohorts. The CID cohort had higher visual analog scale pain scores (mean, 2.00 vs 1.20; P = .043) but slightly higher satisfaction (mean, 3.92 vs 3.39; P = .043). There were no differences in preinjury Tegner, postoperative Tegner, change in Tegner, or IKDC score. In a univariate Cox regression model, the CID cohort had a retear hazard ratio of 1.43 (95% CI, 0.46-4.51; P = .537). Kaplan-Meier survival revealed no significant differences in retear-free survival between the CID and non-CID cohorts at 25 years (85.7% vs 87.3%; P = .53). The CID cohort had a TKA hazard ratio of 3.94 (95% CI, 1.05-14.8; P = .042). Kaplan-Meier survival demonstrated significantly decreased TKA-free survival at 25 years in the CID cohort (64.9% vs 91.2%; P = .029). Conclusion: CID increases the incidence of arthrofibrosis, osteoarthritis, and TKA in those undergoing ACLR. Patients with CID also undergo TKA significantly sooner than non-CID counterparts. Notably, the majority of patient-reported outcome measures are no worse in patients who have a CID diagnosis. Thus, ACLR constructs themselves may not necessarily fare worse in patients with CID. Nonetheless, these patients need to be cautiously counseled on the clinical outlook after their ACLR.

ABSTRACTPurposeDouble‐level osteotomies (DLOs) have shown promising results for knee joint preservation, however, most ultimately progress in terms of degenerative disease resulting in conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the time to TKA conversion, long‐term clinical outcomes and revision rates of patients who have undergone TKA after prior ipsilateral DLO.MethodsPatients who underwent simultaneous or staged DLO and subsequently underwent conversion to TKA at a single academic institution from 1997 to 2022 were evaluated. The type of osteotomy performed (opening‐ vs. closing‐wedge), osteotomy hardware fixation, when and if osteotomy hardware was removed, implanted TKA components and revision rates were recorded. Postoperative outcomes, including Forgotten Joint Score‐12 (FJS‐12), Tegner Activity Scale score and subjective knee preference were also obtained.ResultsA total of 22 patients (24 knees) underwent TKA following DLO and were followed for an average of 26.1 ± 7.7 years. The average time from DLO to TKA conversion was 14.1 ± 6.5 years, with 70.8% of knees converting to TKA more than 10 years after DLO. The mean follow‐up after conversion to TKA was 12.0 ± 7.7 years. Only 12.5% of patients received a varus‐valgus or hinged‐constrained TKA. At the final follow‐up, the mean FJS‐12 was 75.8 ± 23.1, while the mean Tegner Activity Scale score was 2.5 ± 1.1. Seventy‐seven percent of patients had no subjective knee preference or preferred their DLO‐TKA knee. Only two knees (7.4%) underwent subsequent revision after index arthroplasty at a mean of 9.3 years postoperatively.ConclusionsA majority of DLOs (70.8%) converted to TKA after more than a decade. Subsequent TKA function was favorable as most patients had either no subjective knee preference or preferred their DLO‐TKA knee. This study demonstrates both long‐term joint preservation and uncompromised TKA function after prior DLO.Level of EvidenceLevel IV.

AimsDistal femoral osteotomies (DFOs) are commonly used for the correction of valgus deformities and lateral compartment osteoarthritis. However, the impact of a DFO on subsequent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) function remains a subject of debate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a unilateral DFO on subsequent TKA function in patients with bilateral TKAs, using the contralateral knee as a self-matched control group.MethodsThe inclusion criteria consisted of patients who underwent simultaneous or staged bilateral TKA after prior unilateral DFO between 1972 and 2023. The type of osteotomy performed, osteotomy hardware fixation, implanted TKA components, and revision rates were recorded. Postoperative outcomes including the Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12), Tegner Activity Scale score, and subjective knee preference were also obtained at final follow-up.ResultsA total of 21 patients underwent bilateral TKA following unilateral DFO and were followed for a mean of 31.5 years (SD 11.1; 20.2 to 74.2) after DFO. The mean time from DFO to TKA conversion was 13.1 years (SD 9.7) with 13 (61.9%) of DFO knees converting to TKA more than ten years after DFO. There was no difference in arthroplasty implant systems employed in both the DFO-TKA and TKA-only knees (p > 0.999). At final follow-up, the mean FJS-12 of the DFO-TKA knee was 62.7 (SD 36.6), while for the TKA-only knee it was 65.6 (SD 34.7) (p = 0.328). In all, 80% of patients had no subjective knee preference or preferred their DFO-TKA knee. Three DFO-TKA knees and two TKA-only knees underwent subsequent revision following index arthroplasty at a mean of 12.8 years (SD 6.9) and 8.5 years (SD 3.8), respectively (p > 0.999).ConclusionIn this self-matched study, DFOs did not affect subsequent TKA function as clinical outcomes, subjective knee preference, and revision rates were similar in both the DFO-TKA and TKA-only knees at mean 32-year follow-up.Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2024;5(11):1013–1019.

Background There is a paucity of literature analyzing data for return to sport (RTS) and return to work (RTW) in the setting of direct anterior approach (DAA) total hip arthroplasty (THA). Objective The aims of this systematic review are to identify existing literature and to aggregate rates of RTS/RTW following DAA THA in a meta-analysis. Methods A query of major databases yielded 1819 initial studies. A random-effects model approach was implemented for meta-analysis. Moderator effects were assessed with respect to patient demographics and functional outcomes. Results Five studies reporting RTS after DAA THA were identified, representing a total of 204 patients with a mean age of 60.2±7.5 years and mean follow up of 31.8±9.5 months. Pooled rate of RTS was 76%(95% confidence interval [CI], 63%-86%;range 58%-100%). Pooled rate of return to the same sport was 77%(95%CI, 64%-86%;range of 62%-100%). Pooled rate of RTS to the same intensity was 58%(95%CI, 48%-68%;range of 41%-68%). Meta-regression demonstrated no significant correlations between independent variables and RTS characteristics. Three studies reported RTW rates. Rates of RTW within 3-months were 30%, 45%, and 60%. One study reported rate of RTW of 79% at 6-months and 87% at 12-months. One study demonstrated a mean time to RTW of 38±24.8 days. Conclusion Pooled rate of RTS is satisfactory following DAA THA and are comparable to rates of RTS aggregated without delineating surgical approach. Data supporting RTW rates following DAA THA limited, and thus more primary studies are needed to establish if this approach confers an advantage of faster RTS/RTW.

Abstract Osteochondromas are benign bone tumors that result in an osseous projection along with a hyaline cartilage cap that most commonly form around the knee. Typically, they are asymptomatic, however with continued growth, symptoms may arise such as pain, mechanical symptoms, or neurovascular compression due to contact with neighboring structures resulting in the need for surgical management. The presented arthroscopic technique described herein is a safe, effective, and reproducible method for excision of benign, metaphyseal, distal femoral osteochondromas. Technique Video video See video under supplementary data.

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]

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.

Objectives: Hip arthroscopy is rapidly advancing, with literature increasingly reporting positive outcomes at short- and mid-term follow-up; however, available long-term data remains limited. The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term outcomes of primary hip arthroscopy at minimum 10-year follow-up at two academic centers by describing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and determining reoperation, revision, and total hip arthroplasty (THA) rates. Methods: Primary hip arthroscopies performed between January 1988 and April 2013 at 2 academic centers were evaluated for postoperative PROs including Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Tegner Activity Scale score, Hip Outcome Score Activities of Daily Living and Sport Scale (HOS-ADL/HOS-SS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS), 12-item International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), surgery satisfaction, function, and reoperations. Results: Two-hundred ninety-four primary hip arthroscopies with a mean age of 40±14 years; 66% female; and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 27±6 kg/m 2 were followed for mean 12±3 years (range: 10-24). Labral debridement and repair were performed in 41% and 59% of patients, respectively. All patients underwent interportal capsulotomy and 2% underwent T-capsulotomy. Eleven percent of patients underwent capsular repair. At final follow-up, patients reported mean VAS at rest of 2±2, with use of 3±3, iHOT-12 of 68±27, NAHS of 81±18, mHHS of 79±17, HOS-ADL of 82±19, and HOS-SS of 74±25. Mean surgical satisfaction was 8.4±2.4 (Table 1). Sixty-five hips (23%) underwent THA and 33 (11%) underwent revision arthroscopy (Table 2). Risk factors for THA included older age (p<0.001), higher BMI (p<0.001), lower lateral center-edge angle (p=0.039), larger alpha angle (p=0.001), higher Tönnis grade (p=0.011), labral debridement (p=0.004), and capsular nonrepair (p=0.030). Patients undergoing combined labral and capsular repair demonstrated a THA conversion rate of 3% compared to 31% for patients undergoing combined labral debridement and capsular nonrepair (p=0.006) (Table 3). Labral repair trended towards increased 10-year THA-free survival (84% vs. 77%, p=0.085) while capsular repair demonstrated significantly increased 10-year THA-free survival (97% vs 79%, p=0.032) (Figure 1). Conclusions: At minimum 10-year follow-up, patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy demonstrated high rates of satisfaction and acceptable outcome scores. In total, 11% of patients underwent revision hip arthroscopic surgery with a THA conversion rate of 23%. Conversion to THA was associated with patient factors including older age and higher Tönnis grade as well as potentially modifiable surgical factors including labral debridement and capsular nonrepair.