Shaughnessy, William J.

Background: Secondary shoulder deformities are the most frequent sequelae of upper trunk-type brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI). Coracoid process dysplasia was recently described as being associated with glenoid retroversion and was recognized to block successful humeral head relocation. There are little to no reports on coracoid process deformity causing anterior shoulder pain. Our hypothesis is that coracoid process impingement causes anterior shoulder pain in BPBI, which is relieved by coracoid excision. This study presents the short-term results of this new technique in BPBI patients. Methods: A retrospective review identified BPBI patients who underwent coracoid excision from 2000 to 2022. Indications for this procedure include BPBI patients with anterior shoulder pain limiting the range of motion, localized tenderness over a prominent coracoid process, a dysplastic coracoid process seen on imaging, and persistent pain despite activity modification, medication, and therapy. Patient characteristics, preoperative shoulder pain score, range of motion, degree of glenohumeral subluxation, patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) scores for pain interference, and physical and upper extremity function were collected from chart review. Postoperative pain scores, range of motion, and PROMIS scores were collected at an average of 1 year after excision. Results: Five upper trunk BPBI patients, ages 10 to 25 years old, with anterior shoulder pain underwent coracoid excision. All had statistically significant pain relief from 6.5–8.5/10 before to 0–3/10 after the procedure. Forward flexion and external rotation improved by an average of 18 degrees. The pain interference score decreased by 25%. There was a 33% improvement in physical function scores and a 31% increase in upper extremity function scores. No complications or recurrence were observed at 7.5 months to 1 year and 7 months after surgery. Conclusions: Coracoid excision is a simple procedure that can relieve localized shoulder pain caused by coracoid impingement in adolescent/adult BPBI. Continued follow-up of all patients will be undertaken to determine long-term recurrence rates and complications. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Background/Objectives: The burden of scoliosis care extends beyond treatment costs and includes missed school for patients and lost income for parents. Chronic absenteeism, defined as more than 18 days of missed school, can have a significant impact on a child’s educational progression, but missed school and work due to scoliosis treatment are not well quantified in the literature. This study investigates absenteeism among scoliosis patients and their caregivers. Methods: We conducted a retrospective comparative study of survey results based on surgery timing and surgery type. Patients and caregivers presenting for clinic visits for scoliosis treatment at a single large tertiary care center from 2014 to 2022 were queried. Results: We collected 2772 surveys from 1104 unique patients. Of these, 223 surveys from 132 patients were within one year of surgery: 140 post-fusion surveys, 71 post-nonfusion surveys, and 11 post-halo/multistage surgery surveys. A total of 2280 surveys were from 1022 nonoperatively treated patients. School absenteeism was significantly higher for surgeries during the school year compared to summer in both the fusion and nonfusion groups, though work absenteeism showed no significant differences. Halo/multistage surgery patients had the highest rates of absenteeism. Conclusions: This study highlights the impacts of scoliosis surgery timing and type on absenteeism among patients and their caregivers. Surgery during summer breaks reduces school absenteeism and academic disruption. Halo/multistage surgery patients face the greatest risk of chronic absenteeism from school, indicating a need for targeted interventions. Optimized surgical timing and planning can help families navigate the educational and financial challenges of scoliosis treatment.

Objective: Lateral condyle fractures are the second most common pediatric elbow fracture after supracondylar humeral fractures. Early complications are frequent which can lead to development of long-term problems. Current literature has evaluated short-term outcomes, but few studies have investigated long-term outcomes into adulthood. Our hypothesis is that the majority of pediatric patients with a lateral condyle fracture will have minimal complications and few surgeries as they age. Methods: A population-based database was used to identify patients who sustained a lateral condyle fracture before the age of 18 between 1966 and 2012. Electronic medical records from all treatment centers in the county were reviewed for clinical and radiographic data. Analysis was performed to determine incidence and long term outcomes based on fracture type and treatment. Results: From 1966 to 2012, 227 pediatric lateral condyle fractures were identified. One hundred seventy-seven fractures (78%) had at least 10 year clinical follow up. Incidence was found to be 13.97 per 100,000. We identified 80 (45%) Weiss type 1, 61 (34%) type 2, and 37 (21%) type 3 fractures. The overall complication rate was 17%, of which 47% were identified >10 years from injury. There was no significant difference in complication rates based on fracture type (P = 0.18) or treatment type (P = 0.55). The most common complication was malunion (n = 15), followed by fishtail deformity (n = 4), stiffness (n = 3), lateral epicondylitis (n = 3), nonunion (n = 2), osteoarthritis (n = 2), and tardy ulnar nerve palsy (n = 1). Five patients underwent revision surgery for nonunion, cubitus valgus, malunion with loose bodies, capitellar osteochondral dessicans with malalignment, and ulnar nerve palsy. Conclusions: This population-based study estimated the overall incidence of pediatric lateral condyle fractures to be 14 per 100,000. Displaced fractures had a higher incidence than undisplaced fractures. Complications beyond 10 years are rare, but the need for future revision surgery is possible, therefore, proper patient and family education is necessary at the time of injury. This is the largest study with the longest follow-up for pediatric lateral condyle fractures. Complications were rare but resulted in a 17% complication rate and a 3% reoperation rate at a minimum. Level of Evidence: Level III.

Surgical treatment for Legg–Calve–Perthes disease (LCPD) is recommended for older children with moderate to severe disease. We sought to determine whether double osteotomies lead to improved radiologic outcomes compared to reported non-operative outcomes. Patients older than 6 years of age diagnosed with LCPD lateral pillar B or C who were treated with pelvic and femoral osteotomies were included. Radiologic outcomes and leg-length discrepancies were assessed using the Stulberg classification and were compared with the current literature. Fifteen hips in fourteen patients were treated with double osteotomy for LCPD, and seven had lateral pillar C disease (47%). The mean age at surgery was 8.6 years (range, 7.2–10.4) and the mean age at follow-up was 20.2 years (range, 14.2–35.6). At a mean 11.6-year follow-up (range: 6.3–25.2), double osteotomy resulted in 40% of patients having Stulberg I/II scores, 27% having Stulberg III scores, and 33% having Stulberg IV/V scores. The mean leg-length discrepancy was 1.4 cm in lateral pillar C patients compared to 0.8 cm in lateral pillar B patients. Four patients underwent additional surgeries, including two who required total hip arthroplasty. Double osteotomy as an alternative surgical procedure for the treatment of LCPD did not show improved outcomes when compared to historic non-operative cohorts.

Background: The Green-Anderson (GA) leg-length data remain the gold standard for the age-based assessment of leg lengths in children despite their methodologic weaknesses. We aimed to summarize current growth trends among a cross-sectional cohort of modern U.S. children using quantile regression methods and to compare the median femoral and tibial lengths of the modern U.S. children with those of the GA cohort. Methods: A retrospective review of scanograms and upright slot-scanning radiographs obtained in otherwise healthy children between 2008 and 2020 was completed. A search of a radiology registry revealed 3,508 unique patients between the ages of 2 and 18 years for whom a standard-of-care scanogram or slot-scanning radiograph had been made. All patients with systemic illness, genetic conditions, or generalized diseases that may affect height were excluded. Measurements from a single leg at a single time point per subject were included, and the latest available time point was used for children who had multiple scanograms made. Quantile regression analysis was used to fit the lengths of the tibia and femur and overall leg length separately for male patients and female patients. Results: Seven hundred patients (328 female and 372 male) met the inclusion criteria. On average, the reported 50th percentile tibial lengths from the GA study at each time point were shorter than the lengths in this study by 2.2 cm (range, 1.4 to 3.3 cm) for boys and 2 cm (range, 1.1 to 3.1 cm) for girls. The reported 50th percentile femoral lengths from the GA study at each time point were shorter than the lengths in this study by 1.8 cm (range, 1.1 to 2.5 cm) for boys and 1.7 cm (range, 0.8 to 2.3 cm) shorter for girls. Conclusions: This study developed new growth charts for femoral and tibial lengths in a modern U.S. population of children. The new femoral and tibial lengths at nearly all time points are 1 to 3 cm longer than traditional GA data. The use of GA data for epiphysiodesis could result in underestimation of expected childhood growth. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level IV . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Long-term outcomes of surgical treatment for pediatric developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) are not well defined. The purpose of this study was to report long-term radiographic and clinical outcomes, survivorship free of total hip arthroplasty (THA), and predictors of subsequent THA following childhood treatment of DDH. This study was a single-institution retrospective review of hips treated for DDH with closed or open reduction at a minimum 10-year follow-up. 107 patients (119 hips) were included with a mean patient age of 3.3 years at childhood treatment. At mean 30.5 years follow-up, 24 hips had undergone THA (20%). Mean patient age at time of THA was 33.5 years. None of the hips treated with closed reduction alone required THA, whereas 8 hips treated with open reduction (25%) underwent THA. Hips with patient age > 4 years at the time of treatment had lower survivorship at 35 years follow-up (50% vs. 85%; p < 0.001). Additionally, femoral osteotomy (OR 2.0, p < 0.001), and previous treatment elsewhere (27% vs. 16%; p < 0.01) were associated with subsequent THA. Early referral and appropriate intervention may prove important, as age and prior treatment were predictive of subsequent THA.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare pediatric hip aspiration in the operating room under general anesthesia or via bedside aspiration under moderate sedation and delineate the anesthetic time required. Methods: A database query conducted at two academic institutions identified all patients under the age of 17 who underwent hip aspiration between 2000 and 2017. At one institution, aspiration was performed in the operating room under general anesthesia. Patients were kept anesthetized until cell count was complete. At the second institution, aspiration was performed in the emergency room at bedside under sedation. The medical record was reviewed for demographic data, hip aspiration results, diagnoses, treatment, and anesthesia time. Results: A total of 233 patients (233 hips) with a mean age of 7.2 years were identified. Seventy-five patients underwent aspiration in the operating room, and 158 patients underwent bedside aspiration. Patients with a negative aspiration averaged 87 min under anesthesia when performed in the operating room and 29 min under sedation when performed at bedside. Patients with a negative aspiration performed in the operating room after 5 pm averaged 99 min under anesthesia, and 73 min under anesthesia when performed between 7 am and 5 pm (p < 0.01). Seventy-eight (49%) patients who underwent bedside aspiration did not require operative intervention and therefore avoided general anesthesia. Conclusion: Pediatric hip aspiration performed in the operating room results in prolonged anesthesia times while synovial fluid is transported and processed. Anesthesia times are significantly longer after 5 pm. Bedside aspiration resulted in significantly less anesthesia exposure, with half of patients undergoing bedside aspiration avoiding general anesthesia altogether. Level of evidence: Level III.

» The incidence of brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI) in the United States is declining and now occurs in <1 per 1,000 births. » The gold standard for predicting the need for early intervention remains serial examination. » Early treatment of BPBI with reconstructive surgery requires the ability to perform both interposition nerve grafting and nerve transfers. » Given the heterogeneity of lesions, the evidence is largely limited to retrospective comparative studies and case series.

Background: Limb salvage of the proximal tibia can be difficult due to the growth potential of and functional demands of the pediatric patients. Multiple reconstruction techniques exist, however, the ideal form of reconstruction is yet to be elucidated. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate outcomes in patients with an intercalary resection of the proximal tibia reconstructed with an allograft with or without a free vascularized fibula flap (FVF). Methods: Seventeen pediatric patients (9 males, 8 females) underwent lower extremity limb salvage with the use of intercalary cadaveric allograft at a mean age of 12±4 years. The most common diagnoses were osteosarcoma (n=6) and Ewing sarcoma (n=6). Patients were reconstructed with an allograft alone (n=6) or supplemented with an FVF (n=11). Results: All surviving patients had at least 2 years of clinical follow-up, with the mean follow-up of 12±7 years. The mean time to union of the allograft was 11±4 months, with 6 patients requiring additional bone grafting. There was no difference in the need for an additional bone graft (odds ratio=1.14, P=1.0) between patients with an FVF and those without. Four patients underwent an amputation, all with an allograft alone, due to disease recurrence (n=2) and due to infection (n=2). As such, there was a higher 10-year overall limb-salvage rate when the allograft was combined with an FVF compared with an allograft alone (100% vs. 33%, P=0.001). At last follow-up, the mean Mankin and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society rating was 86%, with a higher mean score in patients reconstructed with an FVF (94% vs. 70%, P=0.002). Conclusion: Use of an intercalary allograft supplemented with an FVF to reconstruct the proximal tibia provides a durable means of reconstruction with an excellent functional outcome following oncologic proximal tibia resection in a pediatric population. Level of Evidence: Level III—therapeutic level.