Citations

Background: Little is known about the natural history of a surgically treated symptomatic lateral discoid meniscus. The goals of this study were to describe the rate and factors associated with recurrent lateral meniscal tears and progression to symptomatic lateral compartment osteoarthritis (OA) in patients surgically treated for a symptomatic lateral discoid meniscus. Hypothesis: Patients with surgically treated lateral discoid meniscus have a high incidence of meniscal retear and progression to lateral compartment OA. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A large geographic database was reviewed to identify and confirm patients presenting with symptomatic lateral discoid meniscus between 1998 and 2015. Charts were reviewed to document treatment and outcomes at a minimum clinical follow-up of 2 years. Results: A total of 59 patients (27 females, 32 males) with a mean age of 25.7 years (range, 4.0-66.0 years) underwent surgical management of a discoid lateral meniscus and were evaluated for a mean of 5.6 years (range, 2.0-23.7 years). Of these, 48 (82%) patients underwent partial lateral meniscectomy, with 24 patients undergoing concurrent saucerization. Eleven (18%) underwent meniscal repair. Tear-free survival following surgery was 41% at 8 years. Progression to symptomatic lateral compartment OA was 50% at 8 years. Young age (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99; P = .01) and open growth plates (hazard ratio, 3.19; 95% CI, 1.15-8.88; P = .03) were associated with increased incidence of postoperative retear. Older age at diagnosis and body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 were associated with increased risk of progression to lateral compartment OA on final radiographs. Conclusion: Patients with a surgically treated lateral discoid meniscal tear had a high rate of recurrent meniscal tear (59% at 8 years). Approximately 50% of surgically treated patients developed symptomatic lateral compartment OA at 8 years from diagnosis.

Background: The training process and practice of orthopaedic surgery is demanding and arduous. Accordingly, grit, self-control, and conscientiousness are desirable qualities in orthopaedic surgeons. Some established orthopaedists have expressed concern that the future generation of surgeons may not possess the same level of grit as their predecessors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate levels of grit among attending orthopaedic surgeons, identify predictors of grit in orthopaedic surgeons, and compare grit scores between attending surgeons and orthopaedic residency applicants. We hypothesized that applicants would demonstrate lower grit and self-control scores but greater conscientiousness scores than attending surgeons. Methods: A total of 2,342 attending orthopaedic surgeons and 895 orthopaedic residency applicants from the 2016-2017 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) were given surveys that quantified their grit, self-control, and conscientiousness. Demographic and career information also was collected. Results: Assessments were completed by 655 (28%) of 2,342 practicing orthopaedic surgeons and 455 (50.8%) of 895 orthopaedic residency applicants. The residency applicants demonstrated higher mean grit scores (4.12 of 5.0) than the attending orthopaedic surgeons (4.03) (p < 0.01). These average scores placed applicants and attending surgeons at the 70th and 65th percentile, respectively, when compared with the general population. There were no differences in self-control (p = 0.68) or conscientiousness (p = 0.93) between the 2 groups. Attending surgeons with more publications had increased grit (p < 0.01), self-control (p = 0.04), and conscientiousness (p = 0.01) scores. Attending surgeons who had been inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society as medical students demonstrated greater conscientiousness scores than those who were not members (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Orthopaedic residency applicants were at least as gritty, consistent in their interest, persevering in their efforts, and ambitious as currently practicing orthopaedic surgeons. Although these results may be encouraging and diverge from some preconceived perceptions of “millennials,” it is unclear if they will be predictive of career success in the next generation of orthopaedists.

Background: In recent years, understanding of the anatomy of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) has evolved, demonstrating that the insertional footprint of the UCL on the ulna is more elongated and distally tapered than previously described. Current UCL reconstruction configurations do not typically re-create this native anatomy, which may represent a potential area for improvement. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purposes of this study were (1) to describe a novel anatomic UCL reconstruction technique designed to better replicate the native UCL anatomy and (2) to biomechanically compare this with the docking technique. The hypothesis was that the ultimate load to failure for the anatomic technique would not be inferior to the docking technique. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 16 fresh-frozen cadaveric upper extremities (8 matched pairs) were utilized. One elbow in each pair was randomized to receive UCL reconstruction via the docking technique or the novel anatomic UCL reconstruction technique with palmaris tendon autograft. Following reconstruction, biomechanical testing was performed by applying valgus rotational torque at a constant rate of 5 deg/s until ultimate mechanical failure of the construct occurred. Maximal torque (N·m), rotation stiffness (N·m/deg), and mode/location of failure were recorded for each specimen. Results: The mean ultimate load to failure for elbows in the docking technique group was 23.8 ± 6.1 N·m, as compared with 31.9 ± 8.4 N·m in the anatomic technique group ( P = .045). Mean rotational stiffness was 1.9 ± 0.7 versus 2.3 ± 0.9 N·m/deg for the docking and anatomic groups, respectively ( P = .338). The most common mode of failure was suture pullout from the graft, which occurred in all 8 (100%) docking technique specimens and 7 of 8 (88%) specimens that underwent the anatomic UCL reconstruction technique. Conclusion: Ultimately, the anatomic UCL reconstruction technique demonstrated superior strength and resistance to valgus torque when compared with the docking technique, and this was comparable with that of the native UCL from prior studies. Increased initial strength may allow for earlier initiation of throwing postoperatively and potentially shorten return-to-play times. Clinical Relevance: Current UCL reconstruction techniques do not accurately reproduce the UCL insertional anatomy on the ulna. The novel anatomic technique described may result in more natural joint kinematics. This study demonstrated load-to-failure rates that are significantly higher than with the docking technique and consistent with the native ligament, as reported from previous studies. These findings may serve as a foundation for future clinical study and optimization of this technique.

Abstract Although anterior shoulder instability is most commonly treated with arthroscopic fixation, open labral repair with capsular shift may be best for select patients and in cases of revision stabilization without significant bone loss. The technique described in this article uses the deltopectoral interval; it involves careful dissection of the subscapularis from the anterior capsule, repair of the Bankart lesion, and a lateral and superior capsular shift using all‐suture anchors in the humeral head. Advantages of this technique include meticulous control of anchor placement and the ability to provide additional stability via a lateral and superiorly directed capsular shift. This operation can be performed in a reliable, efficient, and reproducible manner. Technique Video video See video under supplementary data.

Objective: To generate a summative report on the most commonly diagnosed illnesses in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) athletes with specific attention to their impact based on time out of play. Design: Retrospective analysis. Setting: Injury and illness data from the MLB Health and Injury Tracking System. Participants: All MLB and MiLB athletes active between 2011 and 2016. Assessment of Risk Factors: Illnesses were defined as atraumatic medical diagnoses that occurred during the MLB or MiLB season and resulted in at least 1 day out of play. Main Outcome Measures: Incidence of illness diagnoses and resulting time out play. Results: Eight thousand eight hundred thirty-four illnesses were reported, representing 14.7% of all diagnoses resulting in time out of play. Total days missed (DM) due to illness were 39 614, with a mean of 4.6 (SD 9.9 days) and median 2 DM per diagnosis. The annual incidence of illness per season was 20.3 per 100 athletes. The most common diagnosis was nonspecific viral illness (15.3%), followed by gastroenteritis (13.6%), other gastrointestinal illness (8.3%), influenza (7.0%), and upper respiratory infection (6.2%). Appendicitis (15.2%) and Epstein–Barr virus/cytomegalovirus (9.1%) were the most common season-ending diagnoses. Conclusions: Illnesses represent a significant cause of time out of play in MLB and MiLB. Prevention efforts should focus on limiting the spread of communicable viral, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disease among players, as the majority of diagnoses fell into these categories. This work may be used to guide future research into illness treatment and prevention in professional baseball.

Objective The purpose of this systematic review is to determine (1) current reported treatment options for isolated tibial plateau (TP) cartilage lesions, (2) patient reported outcomes following various treatments, and (3) complication rate and survivorship following various treatments. Design A literature search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and CINAHL was conducted adhering to PRISMA guidelines. Patients were included if they had TP cartilage lesions treated with surgery. Lesion characteristics, surgical procedure details, patient reported outcomes, complication, and failure rates were collected. Results Thirteen studies yielded 205 knees with TP cartilage lesions treated surgically. Ages ranged from 12 to 77 years. Surgical techniques included 138 treated with osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA), 37 treated with osteochondral autograft transfer system (OATS), 11 treated with microfracture, 11 treated with an osteochondral scaffold, and 8 treated with autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). The patient-reported outcome measures were heterogeneous, but all reported improvements with the notable exception of one study evaluating microfracture. The rate of complications ranged from 0% to 4.6%. Failure rate ranged from 22% to 46% for OCA and 0% to 16% for OATS. No failures were reported for the additional techniques. Conclusions Various surgical techniques have been utilized for the treatment of TP cartilage lesions. Patient-reported outcome measures were heterogeneous, but improvements were reported following all surgical treatments except for microfracture, which resulted in decreased scores at mid-term follow-up. The complication rate was low for all techniques described. However, the failure rate was higher following unicondylar OCA for salvage treatment of posttraumatic deformities.

Objective The purpose of this systematic review was to determine (1) treatment options for bipolar cartilage lesions of the knee, (2) patient-reported outcomes following various surgical treatments, and (3) complication and failure rates following surgery. Design A literature search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and CINHAL was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Patients were included if they had bipolar cartilage lesions of the knee treated surgically. Lesion characteristics, surgical technique, patient-reported outcomes, complication rates, failure rates, and survivorship were recorded. Results Fourteen studies yielded 301 knees treated surgically. Patient age ranged from 15 to 74 years. Surgical techniques included 138 autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), 156 osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA), and 7 osteochondral autograft transfer system (OATS). Seven studies reported a concomitant procedure rate that ranged from 0% to 88%. Eight studies reported that both reciprocal lesions received surgical treatment, while 6 studies did not specify. Lesion size ranged from 1 to 41 cm 2 . All reported postoperative improvements in patient-reported outcomes, but the measures were very heterogeneous. There were no major complications and the rate of minor complications ranged from 0% to 50%. Survivorship ranged from 40% to 100% for OCA, 76% to 95% for ACI, and 100% for the 1 study evaluating OATS. Conclusions Bipolar cartilage lesions of the knee typically involve a large surface area and are most commonly treated with ACI or OCA, while OATS may be an option for smaller lesions. Improvements in mid-term patient-reported outcomes were reported for all surgical procedures and they can be performed safely with a low rate of major complications.

Purpose To (1) define the rate of delayed surgery, between 1 and 10 years after injury, in a population‐based study of patients with posterior shoulder instability (PSI), (2) evaluate predictive factors associated with delayed repair, and (3) identify differences between the nonoperative and operative groups at long‐term follow‐up. Methods A population‐based retrospectively reviewed study of all patients with PSI from January 1, 1994, to December 31, 2015, was performed. Inclusion required a clinical diagnosis of PSI combined with supporting imaging. Complete medical records were reviewed for 2,091 potential cases. Kaplan‐Meier estimates were used to calculate survival. Landmark survival analysis was performed to identify predictors of conversion to surgery. Results The study included 143 patients with PSI, 79 of whom were managed nonoperatively for at least 1 year after diagnosis. After the first year, survival free of surgery was 78.3% at 1 year, 63.1% at 5 years, and 51.5% at 10 years. There was a trend toward increased surgery in patients with a body mass index > 35 ( P = .10; hazard ratio = 2.32; confidence interval, 0.8‐6.8). Nonthrowing athletes (including contact/weight‐lifting athletes) showed a trend toward an increased risk for surgery ( P = . 07). Patients who underwent surgery were significantly more likely to have progression in arthritis ( P = . 02; hazard ratio = 4.0; confidence interval, 1.2‐13.2). Conclusions Nonoperative management was performed for at least 1 year in over half of patients diagnosed with PSI. Overall, long‐term follow‐up demonstrates that 46% of these patients converted to surgery between 1 and 10 years after initial diagnosis. Ultimately, 70% of patients diagnosed with PSI go on to surgical intervention. Patients who underwent surgery at any time point were at an increased risk of radiographic progression of arthritis at a minimum of 5 years of follow‐up. Level of Evidence Level III, cohort study.

Background: During rehabilitation throwing programs, baseball players are commonly asked to throw at reduced levels of effort (ie, 50% effort, 75% effort, etc) to moderate stress to healing tissues. It is currently unknown how changes in players’ perceived exertion compares with changes in actual exertion during structured long-toss programs. Purpose: To determine whether decreased effort correlates with decreased throwing metrics, whether metrics decrease proportionally with reductions in perceived effort, and to quantify intrathrower variability. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Sixty male high school and collegiate baseball pitchers participated in a structured throwing program. A motusBASEBALL sleeve was worn by all players, which measured elbow varus torque, arm velocity, arm slot, and shoulder rotation. Ball velocity was measured with a radar gun. Each pitcher threw 5 throws a distance of 120 ft with 3 efforts: maximum effort, 75% effort, and 50% effort. Throwing metrics were compared among the 3 levels of effort to see if each 25% decrease resulted in proportional decreases in elbow varus torque and ball velocity. Intrathrower variability was determined for each throwing metric at each degree of effort. Results: All throwing metrics decreased as players decreased their perceived effort ( P < .001). However, these observed decreases were much smaller in magnitude than the decreases in perceived effort. During the 75% effort throws, elbow varus torque was only reduced to 93% of maximum and velocity dropped to 86% of maximum. Similarly, for the 50% effort throws, elbow varus torque remained 87% of max effort torque, while velocity remained 78% of max. Intrathrower reliability was considered excellent for most metrics (intraclass correlation coefficient, >0.75). Conclusion: For every 25% decrease in perceived effort, elbow varus torque only decreased 7% and velocity only decreased 11%. Thus, when players throw at what they perceive to be reduced effort, their actual throwing metrics do not decrease at the same rate as their perceived exertion. Clinical Relevance: Measured effort decreased with decreasing perceived effort, but these were not proportional. This has significant implications for physical therapists, physicians, trainers, coaches, and athletes to understand and monitor elbow stress during the rehabilitation process.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most frequent orthopaedic injuries and reasons for time loss in sports and carries significant implications, including posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Instability associated with ACL injury has been linked to the development of secondary meniscal tears (defined as tears that develop after the initial ACL injury). To date, no study has examined secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and their effect on OA and arthroplasty risk. Purpose: To describe the rates and natural history of secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and to determine the effect of meniscal tear treatment on the development of OA and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A geographic database of >500,000 patients was reviewed to identify patients with primary ACL injuries between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2005. Information was collected with regard to ACL injury treatment, rates/characteristics of the secondary meniscal tears, and outcomes, including development of OA and conversion to TKA. Kaplan-Meier and adjusted multivariate survival analyses were performed to test for the effect of meniscal treatment on survivorship free of OA and TKA. Results: Of 1398 primary ACL injuries, the overall rate of secondary meniscal tears was 16%. Significantly lower rates of secondary meniscal tears were noted among patients undergoing acute ACL reconstruction within 6 months (7%) as compared with patients with delayed ACL reconstruction (33%, P < .01) and nonoperative ACL management (19%, P < .01). Of the 235 secondary meniscal tears identified (196 patients), 11.5% underwent repair, 73% partial meniscectomy, and 16% were treated nonoperatively. Tears were most often medial in location (77%) and complex in morphology (56% of medial tears, 54% of lateral tears). At the time of final follow-up, no patient undergoing repair of a secondary meniscal tear (0%) underwent TKA, as opposed to 10.9% undergoing meniscectomy and 6.1% receiving nonoperative treatment ( P = .28). Conclusion: Secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury are most common among patients undergoing delayed surgical or nonoperative treatment of their primary ACL injuries. Secondary tears often present as complex tears of the medial meniscus and result in high rates of partial meniscectomy.