Talus Visualization in Ankle Fractures: How Much Are We Really Seeing?

Background: Despite appropriate care, a subset of patients with ankle fractures has persistent pain. This condition may be associated with intra-articular pathology, which is present up to 65% of the time. Purpose: To quantify how much of the talus is visible through an open approach to a standard supination external rotation bimalleolar ankle fracture as a percentage of the entire weightbearing surface of the talus. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Standard ankle approaches to lateral and medial malleolar fractures were performed in 4 cadaveric ankles from 2 cadavers. Osteotomies were made to simulate a supination external rotation bimalleolar ankle fracture based on the Lauge-Hansen classification. The visible segments of talar cartilage were removed. The tali were then exhumed, and the entire weightbearing superior portion of the talus was assessed and compared with the amount of cartilage removed by an open approach. The mean of the data points as well as the 95% confidence interval were calculated. Results: Four ankle specimens from 2 cadavers were used for these measurements. The mean surface area of the talus was 14.0 cm2 (95% CI, 13.3-14.7 cm2), while the mean area visible via an open approach was 2.1 cm2 (95% CI, 0.5-3.6 cm2). The mean proportion of the talus visualized via an open approach was 14.8% (95% CI, 3.6-26.1%). Conclusion: These findings indicate that the true area of weightbearing talar surface visible during an open exposure may be less than what many surgeons postulate. Clinical Relevance: Only a small fracture of the talus is visible via an open approach to the talus during fracture fixation. This could warrant arthroscopic evaluation of these injuries to evaluate and treat osteocondral lesions resulting from ankle fractures.

Periarticular lesions as actual problem of general practice: modern possibilities of diagnosis and boosting effectiveness of treatment

Background. Lesions of extra-articular soft tissues occupy a leading place in the structure of diseases of the musculoskeletal system in primary health care. At the same time, insuffcient attention is paid to this pathology, which leads to a decrease in the quality of care for patients with extra-articular pathology.Objective. Increasing the awareness of general practitioners about the clinical forms of extra-articular soft tissue diseases, current approaches to diagnosis and treatment.Basic provisions. The article presents the characteristics of the main forms of periarticular lesions: periarthritis, incl. painful shoulder, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, capsulitis, bursitis. The leading mechanisms of periarticular disorders are presented, the clinical picture and diagnostic signs of particular forms are described. The role of modern methods of visualization of periarticular lesions using ultrasound and MRI is noted. The main approaches to the drug therapy of periarticular disorders are presented, including use of slow-acting symptom-modifying drugs (SYSADOA). The authors present their own data demonstrating the connective tissue metabolism disturbance in periarticular disorders as well as the effectiveness of the drug Alflutop in the treatment of periarticular lesions of a ‘mechanical’ nature.Conclusions. Primary forms of periarticular disorders are a consequence of microtraumatization and can be attributed to ‘mechanical’ types of damage. The ultrasound is pivotal in the diagnosis and evaluation the severity of the lesion and its origin. Biomarkers of connective tissue damage can be detected in the blood of patients with periarticular disorders. The treatment results can be improved with drugs from the SYSADOA group.

The role of diacereins in the treatment of osteoarthritis from the point of view of a new paradigm of pathogenesis

Among the most common diseases of humanity in patients of the older age group, there is an articular pathology with degenerative changes in the hyaline cartilage, which significantly limits the functional activity of the locomotor apparatus. The rapid development of experimental scientific research in recent decades has made it possible to revise the concept of the pathogenesis of this process with confirmation of the leading role of inflammation in the development of functional and structural damage in this disease. These new data supported the change in the name of the disease from “osteoarthros” to “osteoarthritis” and justified the positive effects of individual drugs. The proposed lecture material discloses the topic of the modern understanding of the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and the additional benefits of using drugs from the diacerein group due to their anti‑inflammatory and chondroprotective effect.

Effect of Baseline Mental Health on 1-Year Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Patient factors, including mental health, sex, and smoking, have been found to be more predictive of preoperative hip pain and function than intra-articular findings during hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI); however, little is known about how these factors may influence patients’ postoperative outcomes. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that lower patient-reported mental health scores would be significant risk factors for worse patient-reported outcomes (PROs) 1 year after arthroscopic hip surgery for FAI and that baseline intra-articular pathology would fail to demonstrate an association with outcomes 1 year after FAI surgery. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A prospective cohort of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAI were electronically enrolled. Baseline and 1-year follow-up PROs were collected, including Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for pain (HOOS-Pain), HOOS–Physical Function Short Form (HOOS-PS), and Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey–Mental Component Score (VR-12 MCS). Intra-articular operative findings and treatment were documented at the time of surgery. Proportional odds logistic regression models were built for 1-year outcomes (HOOS-Pain, HOOS-PS, and VR-12 MCS). Risk factors included patient characteristics and intraoperative anatomic and pathologic findings. Results: Overall, 494 patients underwent hip arthroscopy for FAI, and 385 (78%) were evaluated at 1 year with at least 1 PRO. The median patient age was 33 years, mean body mass index was 25.5 kg/m2, and 72% were female. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that better baseline HOOS-Pain, HOOS-PS, and VR-12 MCS were significantly associated with improvement in the 1-year scores for each PRO. Higher VR-12 MCS was significantly associated with better 1-year HOOS-Pain and HOOS-PS, while current and former smokers had worse 1-year outcomes than those who never smoked. In ranking each variable’s relative importance, baseline HOOS-Pain and HOOS-PS and baseline VR-12 MCS were identified as the strongest predictors of 1-year HOOS-Pain and HOOS-PS in our multivariable model. Conclusion: During hip arthroscopy for FAI, patient factors, including baseline hip pain and function, mental health, and smoking, were independently associated with 1-year PROs of hip pain and function, while intra-articular pathology such as the presence of labral tear and its treatment, tear size, tear location, and anchors placed were not independently associated.

Distal Iliotibial Band Z-lengthening for Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Background: This technique video reviews an iliotibial band Z-lengthening procedure for iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome using a patient case example. Indications: Indications for considering surgical intervention include a diagnosis of iliotibial band syndrome, ruling out other possible etiologies of knee pain, and a minimum of 6 months of failed conservative treatment. Technique Description: There are several surgical techniques described in the literature, although the ITB Z-lengthening procedure is preferred at our institution. This technique uses a “Z”-type incision through the distal ITB to allow lengthening of the ITB and to allow access for surgical debridement of the underlying inflamed bursa. Nonabsorbable suture is then used for a side-to-side repair of the ITB in the elongated position. Results: Complications from this technique are uncommon, and the few published outcomes from this procedure show good clinical results and return to preactivity levels. Discussion/Conclusion: Preoperative planning should include analysis of lower extremity alignment and can include advanced imaging to rule out intra-articular pathology. Diagnostic arthroscopy is typically used at the start of the case for completeness. Distal iliotibial band Z-lenghtening can be a successful surgical option for patients who have failed extensive conservative treatment for iliotibial band syndrome.

Letter to Editor - A Clinical ‘PIC- Perspectives, issues & Concerns” on Idiopathic Transient Osteoporosis during Pregnancy with alarm bells on its Idiopathic nature - Response

Dear Editor, At the outset, I would like to congratulate the authors of the article published in your journal in the current issue entitled- Idiopathic Transient Osteoporosis during Pregnancy – Report of a Clinical Case JOCR November – December 2019 Volume 9 Issue 6 Page 54-57. However, I regret to mention that the workup mentioned in this article needs to be improved, before one can come to definitive diagnosis of Idiopathic Transient Osteoporosis during Pregnancy. I would like to highlight various perspectives, issues & concerns, the knowledge of which are must for the readers of this journal pertaining to this disorder. It is pertinent to mention no doubt the increasing utilization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has allowed physicians to investigate edematous changes in bone marrow, a clinically important entity which was previously undetected on conventional radiographs. The first use of the term “bone marrow edema” was by Wilson et al in 1988, and the term “bone marrow edema syndrome” was described in 1993 after the investigation of histological specimens [1]. Later on, importantly Hayes et al. advocated that the term “transient bone marrow edema syndrome” should be used for patients in whom the bone marrow edema pattern was not accompanied by radiographic evidence of osteopenia [2]. And thus separating the two entities i.e. “the transient bone marrow edema syndrome” and “Transient Osteoporosis” Occurrence of hip pain during pregnancy is quite common, although transient osteoporosis as a condition causing this symptom is uncommonly seen. Clinicians should also be aware of intra-articular disorders such as loose bodies, and labral tears; peri-articular pathology such as tendinitis and bursitis; or extra-articular conditions such as referred pain from the lumbar spine, the sacroiliac joint, and or from nerve entrapment syndromes. So, a detailed history and physical examination is helpful to narrow the differential diagnoses, which, in turn, dictate the modal