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Background: Palliative care (PC) has been shown to benefit patients with metastatic cancer by managing symptoms, improving quality of life, and facilitating advance care planning. Despite this, PC is often misunderstood and underutilized. Objective: To deepen our understanding of PC barriers seen among the spine metastasis population. Design/Setting: Between March 2021 and August 2022, people with metastatic spine tumors (MSTs) at a multidisciplinary oncology clinic were administered a survey on PC prior to their scheduled appointment. These responses were compared with the Health Information National Trends Survey 5 (HINTS 5), which is a validated survey created by the National Cancer Institute between February and June of 2020. Chi-squared statistical analysis was used. Results: Fifty-six people with MST were compared with 3795 patients from the HINTS 5 database. People with MST reported a significantly higher baseline understanding of PC when compared with the general population (GP) (chi-squared = 34.4, p = <0.0001). People with MST had a higher frequency of disagreement with the statement "PC is equivalent with death" when compared with the GP (chi-squared = 12.8, p = 0.0124). Over 25% of the MST group reported no understanding of PC. Conclusion: MST patients are often referred to PC services due to the extreme symptom burden of their disease. Based on this study, in comparison to the GP, people with MST tended to have a more accurate and well-adjusted perception of the goals and functions of PC. Although reassuring, there remains a high proportion of patients who have no knowledge of PC, and groups erroneously associated PC with hospice status.

Background: Resident physicians experience personal and professional stressors throughout training. These experiences may increase levels of burnout, depression, and grief. Understanding how these stressors impact trainees is essential for improving wellbeing during residency., Objective: We examined the prevalence and associations between burnout, depression, and grief among a national sample of psychiatry resident physicians., Methods: A survey including validated scales for burnout (Modified Maslach Burnout Inventory-Health Services Survey [MBI]), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]), and grief (Traumatic Grief Inventory Self Report [TGSIR]) was distributed to 296 psychiatry program directors in January 2023 for dispersal to their respective residents., Results: Fifty-seven participants completed the survey out of 245 participants who opened and started the survey (23.3%). All participants were current psychiatry residents. MBI scores averaged 21.2 (SD 6.5, range 11-40); 11 participants reported high levels of burnout (scores >27; 19.3%). PHQ-9 scores averaged 3.42 (SD 3.0, range 0-14), with 8 responses meeting the criteria for moderate depressive symptoms (scores >10-14; 14.0%). Suicidal ideation was reported by 5 of 57 participants (8.7%). TGISR scores averaged 12.2 (SD 11, range 0-43); no participants met the criteria for pathologic grief. TGISR scores were correlated with MBI (r = .30; P = .02) and PHQ-9 scores (r = .53; P < .0001). MBI scores were also correlated with PHQ-9 scores (r = .54; P < .0001)., Conclusions: Non-pathological grief was correlated with burnout and depression. 14% to 20% of psychiatry residents reported clinically significant levels of burnout and depression. Future studies should aim to further characterize burnout, depression, and grief in larger samples of trainees., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction: No prior study has assessed grief and bereavement curriculum in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) fellowship programs in the United States., Methods: A 14-item survey was created and distributed to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited HPM fellowship Program Directors to assess program demographics, curriculum emphasis, grief and bereavement programming, and attitudes toward grief and bereavement training for HPM fellows., Results: The overall survey response rate was 63%. Most palliative care programs were academic (74%) and had four or fewer fellows (85%). 90% devoted a minority (0%-10%) of their curriculum to grief and bereavement training. Most programs reported at least some program-led grief and bereavement programming (69%); however, 53% endorsed that fellows are not very or not at all involved in this programming. Almost half of programs only have a small amount of programming related to supporting families after loss (49%). The majority endorsed having a great deal of programming for debriefing or supporting fellows through professional grief (55%), and the most common modalities were debriefing sessions (62%) and ensuring access to mental health resources (41%). The most common ways of teaching grief and bereavement were through bedside/anecdotal teaching and lectures/case conferences. Most program directors felt that palliative care fellowships should provide grief and bereavement training (81%) and consider it important or very important for fellows to learn how to process grief and bereavement (92%)., Discussion: It was widely reported by program directors that grief and bereavement training are important curricular components for HPM fellows. Acknowledging professional grief remains an underrecognized need in palliative care training and practice. Our study suggests that for grief and bereavement curricula in HPM fellowships, the time dedicated, specific types, and amount of fellow involvement was highly variable. It will be critical for programs to disseminate best practices to help move toward a more uniform approach for ensuring basic competency in grief and bereavement training in HPM fellowship programs in the United States., (Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Spinal column tumors can be difficult to process for single-cell omic studies, given the heterogeneity in tissue. Here, we present a protocol for operating room-to-benchtop single-cell processing of clinical specimens from a prostate cancer patient. We describe steps for sample homogenization, red blood cell lysis, cryopreservation, and single-cell sequencing analysis. This protocol can be used to identify prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for patients with osseous spine metastases and better inform eligibility for clinical trials., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests C.R.G. is a consultant for the companies Medtronic and Stryker and is a Deputy Editor for Spine., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients with oncologic spine disease face a high systemic illness burden and often require surgical intervention to alleviate pain and maintain spine stability. Wound healing complications are the most common reason for reoperation in this population and are known to impact quality of life and initiation of adjuvant therapy. Prophylactic muscle flap (MF) closure is known to reduce wound healing complications in high-risk patients; however, the efficacy in oncologic spine patients is not well established., Methods: A collaboration at our institution presented an opportunity to study the outcomes of prophylactic MF closure. The authors performed a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent MF closure versus a cohort who underwent non-MF closure in the preceding time. Demographic and baseline health data were collected, as were postoperative wound complication data., Results: A total of 166 patients were enrolled, including 83 patients in the MF cohort and 83 control patients. Patients in the MF group were more likely to smoke ( P = 0.005) and had a higher incidence of prior spine irradiation ( P = 0.002). Postoperatively, five patients (6%) in the MF group developed wound complications, compared with 14 patients (17%) in the control group ( P = 0.028). The most common overall complication was wound dehiscence requiring conservative therapy, which occurred in six control patients (7%) and one MF patient (1%) ( P = 0.053)., Conclusions: Prophylactic MF closure during oncologic spine surgery significantly reduces the wound complication rate. Future studies should examine the precise patient population that stands to benefit most from this intervention., Clinical Question/level of Evidence: Therapeutic, III., (Copyright © 2023 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Study Design: Retrospective review of prospective, multicenter and international cohort study., Objective: To describe the effect of gender on HRQoL, clinical outcomes and survival for patients with spinal metastases treated with either surgery and/or radiation., Summary of Background Data: Gender differences in health-related outcomes are demonstrated in numerous studies, with women experiencing worse outcomes and receiving lower standards of care than men, however, the influence that gender has on low health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and clinical outcomes after spine surgery remains unclear., Methods: Patient demographic data, overall survival, treatment details, perioperative complications, and HRQoL measures including EQ-5D, pain NRS, the short form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Spine Oncology Study Group Outcomes Questionnaire (SOSGOQ2.0) were reviewed. Patients were stratified by sex, and a separate sensitivity analysis that excluded gender-specific cancers (i.e., breast, prostate, etc.) was performed., Results: The study cohort included 207 female and 183 male patients, with age, smoking status, and site of primary cancer being significantly different between the two cohorts (P<0.001). Both males and females experienced significantly improved SOSGOQ2.0, EQ-5D, and pain NRS scores at all study time points from baseline (P<0.001). Upon sensitivity analysis, (gender-specific cancers removed from analysis), the significant improvement in SOSGOQ physical, mental, and social subdomains and on SF-36 domains disappeared for females. Males experienced higher rates of postoperative complications. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of both the overall and sensitivity analysis cohorts showed females lived longer than males after treatment (P=0.001 and 0.043, respectively)., Conclusion: Both males and females experienced significantly improved HRQoL scores after treatment, but females demonstrated longer survival and a lower complication rate. This study suggests that gender may be a prognostic factor in survival and clinical outcomes for patients undergoing treatment for spine metastases and should be taken into consideration when counseling patients accordingly., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Online information influences health care decisions and may contribute to vaccine hesitancy among pregnant individuals. We assessed the quality (reliability and comprehensiveness) of YouTube videos about COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. We systematically identified videos and recorded video information and quality. 137 videos were reviewed. Comments, likes, dislikes, duration, reliability, and content scores differed between sources. Videos were low quality overall, but videos produced by medical sources tended to be higher quality. Quality was positively correlated with duration, but not views., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

UDP-glucose-6-dehydrogenase (UGDH) is a cytosolic, hexameric enzyme that converts UDP-glucose to UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GlcUA), a key reaction in hormone and xenobiotic metabolism and in the production of extracellular matrix precursors. In this review, we classify UGDH as a molecular indicator of tumor progression in multiple cancer types, describe its involvement in key canonical cancer signaling pathways, and identify methods to inhibit UGDH, its substrates, and its downstream products. As such, we position UGDH as an enzyme to be exploited as a potential prognostication marker in oncology and a therapeutic target in cancer biology.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic in parallel with concerns about bias in grading resulted in many medical schools adopting pass/fail clinical grading and relying solely on narrative assessments. However, narratives often contain bias and lack specificity. The purpose of this project was to develop asynchronous faculty development to rapidly educate/re-educate > 2000 clinical faculty spread across geographic sites and clinical disciplines on components of a well-written narrative and methods to minimize bias in the assessment of students., Methods: We describe creation, implementation, and pilot data outcomes for an asynchronous faculty development curriculum created by a committee of volunteer learners and faculty. After reviewing the literature on the presence and impact of bias in clinical rotations and ways to mitigate bias in written narrative assessments, the committee developed a web-based curriculum using multimedia learning theory and principles of adult learning. Just-in-time supplemental materials accompanied the curriculum. The Dean added completion of the module by 90% of clinical faculty to the department chairperson's annual education metric. Module completion was tracked in a learning management system, including time spent in the module and the answer to a single text entry question about intended changes in behavior. Thematic analysis of the text entry question with grounded theory and inductive processing was used to define themes of how faculty anticipate future teaching and assessment as a result of this curricula., Outcomes: Between January 1, 2021, and December 1, 2021, 2166 individuals completed the online module; 1820 spent between 5 and 90 min on the module, with a median time of 17 min and an average time of 20.2 min. 15/16 clinical departments achieved completion by 90% or more faculty. Major themes included: changing the wording of future narratives, changing content in future narratives, and focusing on efforts to change how faculty teach and lead teams, including efforts to minimize bias., Conclusions: We developed a faculty development curriculum on mitigating bias in written narratives with high rates of faculty participation. Inclusion of this module as part of the chair's education performance metric likely impacted participation. Nevertheless, time spent in the module suggests that faculty engaged with the material. Other institutions could easily adapt this curriculum with provided materials., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Increasing utilization of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and a growing number of targeted agents (TAs) have led to substantial improvements in outcomes among patients with cancer with actionable mutations. We sought to evaluate real-world experience with off-label TAs among Veterans who underwent CGP., Methods: The National Precision Oncology Program database and VA Corporate Data Warehouse were queried to identify patients who underwent CGP between February 2019 and December 2021 and were prescribed 1 of 73 TAs for malignancy. OncoKB annotations were used to select patients who received off-label TAs based upon CGP results. Chart abstraction was performed to review response, toxicities, and time to progression., Results: Of 18,686 patients who underwent CGP, 2,107 (11%) were prescribed a TA and 169 (0.9%) were prescribed a total of 183 regimens containing off-label TAs for variants in 31 genes. Median age was 68 years and 83% had prior systemic therapy, with 28% receiving three or more lines. Frequency of off-label TA prescriptions was highest for patients undergoing CGP for thyroid (8.6%) and breast (7.6%) cancers. Most patients harbored alterations in BRCA1/BRCA2/ATM (22.5%), ERBB2 (19.5%), and BRAF (19.5%). Among the 160 regimens prescribed > 4 weeks, 43 (27%) led to response. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 5.3 (4.2-6.5) and 9.7 (7.5-11.9) months, respectively. Patients with OncoKB level 2/3A/3B annotations had longer median progression-free survival (5.8 [4.5-7] months v 3.7 [1.6-7.7] months; hazard ratio, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.82; P = .01) compared with those receiving level 4 treatments., Conclusion: Although administration of off-label TAs is infrequent after CGP, more than one quarter of treatment regimens led to response. TAs associated with level 4 annotations lead to worse outcomes than TAs bearing higher levels of evidence.

Background: Few studies have assessed the impact of race on short-term patient outcomes in the brain metastasis population. The goal of this study is to evaluate the association of race with inpatient clinical presentation, treatment, in-hospital complications, and in-hospital mortality rates for patients with brain metastases (BM)., Method: Using data collected from the National Inpatient Sample between 2004 and 2014, we retrospectively identified adult patients with a primary diagnosis of BM. Outcomes included nonroutine discharge, prolonged length of stay (pLOS), in-hospital complications, and mortality., Results: Minority (Black, Hispanic/other) patients were less likely to receive surgical intervention compared to White patients (odds ratio [OR] 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.74, p  < 0.001; OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.84-0.93, p  < 0.001). Black patients were more likely to develop an in-hospital complication than White patients (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.28-1.41, p  < 0.001). Additionally, minority patients were more likely to experience pLOS than White patients (OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.41-1.57, p  < 0.001; OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.27-1.42, p  < 0.001). Black patients were more likely to experience a nonroutine discharge (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.19-1.31, p  < 0.001) and higher in-hospital mortality than White (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.03-1.23, p  = 0.008)., Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrated that race is associated with disparate short-term outcomes in patients with BM. More efforts are needed to address these disparities, provide equitable care, and allow for similar outcomes regardless of care., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: Poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) are used for patients with advanced prostate cancer bearing alterations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes. We sought to characterize HRR gene variants and describe real-world outcomes for patients on PARPi., Methods: The US Department of Veterans Affairs' National Precision Oncology Program's database was reviewed to identify patients who underwent somatic DNA sequencing and were prescribed a PARPi before May 15, 2020. Somatic and germline variants within HRR genes were reported, and pathogenicity was reviewed via OncoKB. In patients treated with PARPi for > 4 weeks, the rate of those achieving a 30% decrease in prostate-specific antigen (PSA30) and composite progression-free survival (PFS) were compared between patients bearing pathogenic variants of BRCA2 and patients without these variants using Mann-Whitney and log-rank tests, respectively., Results: Forty-eight patients bearing 67 total HRR gene variants were prescribed PARPi for prostate cancer. Twenty-one patients (43.8%) were found to have at least one pathogenic HRR gene variant. Eight (16.6%) were referred to genetic counseling, and five (10.4%) were ultimately confirmed with germline variants. The median PFS was 4.0 months, and PSA30 was 25.6% (11 of 43) for all 43 evaluable patients. Patients with pathogenic BRCA2 variants (n = 13) had higher PSA30 (69.2% v 4.0%; P < .001) and longer PFS (7.2 v 2.8 months; P = .0291) than those without., Conclusion: In a real-world setting, heavily pretreated patients with prostate cancer and pathogenic BRCA2 variants have a significant PSA response rate and a PFS > 7 months with PARPi. This work emphasizes the importance of determining pathogenicity and origin of HRR alterations to better inform clinical treatment decisions and highlights the need for provider education and other decision support tools., Competing Interests: Vishal VashisthaEmployment: UnitedHealthcare (I)Research Funding: IBM Watson Health (Inst)Other Relationship: IBM Michael J. KelleyResearch Funding: Novartis (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Bristol Myers Squibb (Inst), Regeneron (Inst), Genentech (Inst)Other Relationship: IBM (Inst) Bruce MontgomeryResearch Funding: AstraZeneca (Inst), Janssen Oncology (Inst), Clovis Oncology (Inst), Astellas Pharma (Inst), BeiGene (Inst)No other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program., Objective: The objective of this study was to identify preoperative factors that impact the decision to perform prophylactic muscle flap closure and assess risk factors for wound healing complications in patients undergoing spinal procedures with and without muscle flap closure., Summary of Background Data: Prior studies suggest that muscle flap closure following complex spine surgery results in a lower risk of wound healing complications. However, these studies have been limited to single institutions and/or surgeons., Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all patients undergoing spine surgery between 2005 and 2017 with and without concomitant muscle flaps. Preoperative and perioperative variables were extracted. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess risk factors influencing surgical site infection (SSI) and wound disruption, as well as to delineate which preoperative factors increased the likelihood of patients receiving flap closures a priori., Results: Concomitant muscle flaps were performed on 758 patients; 301,670 patients did not receive a flap. Overall 29 (3.83%) patients in the flap group experienced SSI compared to 5154 (1.71%) in the nonflap group (P<0.0001). Preoperative steroid use [odds ratio (OR) 0.5; P<0.0001], wound infection (OR 0.24; P<0.0001), elevated white blood cell count (OR 1.034; P<0.0001), low hematocrit (OR 0.94; P<0.0001), preoperative transfusion (OR 0.22; P=0.0068) were significantly associated with utilization of muscle flaps. Perioperative factors including a contaminated wound (OR 4.72; P<0.0001), the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of severe disease (OR 1.92; P=0.024), and longer operative time (OR 1.001; P=0.0024) were significantly associated with postoperative wound disruption. In addition, after propensity score matching for these factors that increase risk of wound complications, there was no difference in the rates of SSI between the flap and nonflap group., Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with a higher burden of illness preoperatively are more likely to receive prophylactic paraspinal flaps which can reduce the rates of wound-related complications., Competing Interests: M.J.P.: Received support from the Neurosurgical Research & Education Foundation Summer Medical Student Fellowship. D.A.B.: Received grants from the Plastic Surgery Foundation, the Duke Office of Physician-Scientist Development, and the National Institute of Arthritis, Muscle, and Skin (NIH K08AR074529). C.R.G.: Received grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, North Carolina Spine Society, and the NIH/NINDS K12 NRCDP Physician-Scientist Award. M.M.A.-E.-B.: Consultant, Spineology. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Healthcare workers often experience grief stemming from the loss of patients under their care. The impact of personal grief on healthcare workers' wellbeing is less well described, particularly for trainees. To better characterize the prevalence and impact of personal grief on the mental and physical health of medical students, we conducted a survey of medical students at our institution., Methods: An electronic Qualtrics survey was distributed to all currently enrolled medical students at our institution. After an initial question screening for loss before or during medical school, our survey assessed (1) basic demographic data; (2) relationship to the deceased; (3) impact of the loss on trainee health; and (4) utilization of institutional supports for grief., Results: A total of 344 (68.8%) students responded to our survey. Two hundred and 25 (65.4%) students had experienced personal loss prior to or during medical school. 53.7% experienced more than 1 loss, with most of these losses (62.5%) occurring more than 2 years prior to the survey date. Up to 40% of respondents reported at least 1 psychologically distressing symptom that persisted beyond 1 year. Most students (93.8%) relied on family members for support; however, 23.2% of students indicated they would use institutional resources if available., Conclusion: Most medical students have experienced bereavement before or during medical school, which has had significant impact on their well-being. While medical students did not typically utilize institutionally based resources, many students expressed interest in such resources.

Background: It is well established that insurance status is a mediator of disease management, treatment course, and clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Our study assessed differences in clinical presentation, treatment course, mortality rates, and in-hospital complications for patients admitted to the hospital with late-stage cancer - specifically, metastatic spine disease (MSD), by insurance status., Methods: The United States National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2012-2014) was queried to identify patients with visceral metastases, metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) or pathological fracture of the spine in the setting of cancer. Clinical presentation, type of intervention, mortality rates, and in-hospital complications were compared amongst patients by insurance coverage (Medicare, Medicaid, commercial or unknown). Multivariable logistical regression and age sensitivity analyses were performed., Results: A total of 48,560 MSD patients were identified. Patients with Medicaid coverage presented with significantly higher rates of MSCC (p < 0.001), paralysis (0.008), and visceral metastases (p < 0.001). Patients with commercial insurance were more likely to receive surgical intervention (OR 1.43; p < 0.001). Patients with Medicaid < 65 had higher rates of prolonged length of stay (PLOS) (OR 1.26; 95% CI, 1.01-1.55; p = 0.040) while both Medicare and Medicaid patients < 65 were more likely to have non-routine discharges. In-hospital mortality rates were significantly higher for patients with Medicaid (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.20-5.89; p = 0.016) and commercial insurance (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.09-2.27;p = 0.013) older than 65., Conclusion: Given the differing severity in MSD presentation, mortality rates, and rates of PLOS by insurance status, our results identify disparities based on insurance coverage., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As local disease control improves, the public health impact of brain metastases (BrM) continues to grow. Molecular features are frequently different between primary and metastatic tumors as a result of clonal evolution during neoplasm migration, selective pressures imposed by systemic treatments, and differences in the local microenvironment. However, biomarker information in BrM is not routinely obtained despite emerging evidence of its clinical value. We review evidence of discordance in clinically actionable biomarkers between primary tumors, extracranial metastases, and BrM. Although BrM biopsy/resection imposes clinical risks, these risks must be weighed against the potential benefits of assessing biomarkers in BrM. First, new treatment targets unique to a patient's BrM may be identified. Second, as BrM may occur late in a patient's disease course, resistance to initial targeted therapies and/or loss of previously identified biomarkers can occur by the time of occult BrM, rendering initial and other targeted therapies ineffective. Thus, current biomarker data can inform real-time treatment options. Third, biomarker information in BrM may provide useful prognostic information for patients. Appreciating the importance of biomarker analyses in BrM tissue, including how it may identify specific drivers of BrM, is critical for the development of more effective treatment strategies to improve outcomes for this growing patient population., Competing Interests: CA receives research funding from PUMA, Lilly, Merck, Seattle, Genetics, Nektar, Tesaro, G1-Therapeutics, ZION, Novartis, and Pfizer; a compensated consultant role from Genentech (1/2019–), Eisai (1/2019–), IPSEN (2/2019–), Seattle Genetics (11/15/2019–11/15/2020), Astra Zeneca (3/2020–6/2020), Novartis (5/2020–5/2022), Immunomedics (10/1/2020–9/22/2021), Elucida (9/2020), and Athenex (2/2021–2/2023); and royalties from UpToDate and Jones and Bartlett. AS receives research funding (paid to institution) from Bristol Myers Squibb, Immunocore and Merck and a compensated consultant role from Novartis, Pfizer, Iovance, and Regeneron. ZR receives royalties for intellectual property related to cancer molecular diagnostic testing that has been licensed to Genetron Health and is managed by Duke University. JC receives research funding (as PI) from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Spectrum, Adaptimmune, Medpacto, Bayer, AbbVie, Moderna, GlaxoSmithKline, Array, AstraZeneca, Grid Therapeutics, and CBMG; speaker at Merck and AstraZeneca; adviser at AstraZeneca (10/2018, 10/26/19), Guardant (12/18/18), Merck (3/8/19), Pfizer (1/10/20), NGM Biopharmaceuticals (1/20/20), Spectrum (9/18/20), Genentech (11/1/20); travel from Merck, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and NGM Bio; Board of Directors at Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina (uncompensated); and DMSC at G1 Therapeutics. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Shen, Van Swearingen, Price, Bulsara, Verhaak, Baëta, Painter, Reitman, Salama, Clarke, Anders, Fecci, Goodwin and Walsh.)

Background: Child with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection typically have mild symptoms that do not require medical attention, leaving a gap in our understanding of the spectrum of SARS-CoV-2-related illnesses that the viruses causes in children., Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of children and adolescents (aged <21 years) with a SARS-CoV-2-infected close contact. We collected nasopharyngeal or nasal swabs at enrollment and tested for SARS-CoV-2 using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay., Results: Of 382 children, 293 (77%) were SARS-CoV-2-infected. SARS-CoV-2-infected children were more likely to be Hispanic (P < .0001), less likely to have asthma (P = .005), and more likely to have an infected sibling contact (P = .001) than uninfected children. Children aged 6-13 years were frequently asymptomatic (39%) and had respiratory symptoms less often than younger children (29% vs 48%; P = .01) or adolescents (29% vs 60%; P < .001). Compared with children aged 6-13 years, adolescents more frequently reported influenza-like (61% vs 39%; P < .001) , and gastrointestinal (27% vs 9%; P = .002), and sensory symptoms (42% vs 9%; P < .0001) and had more prolonged illnesses (median [interquartile range] duration: 7 [4-12] vs 4 [3-8] days; P = 0.01). Despite the age-related variability in symptoms, wWe found no difference in nasopharyngeal viral load by age or between symptomatic and asymptomatic children., Conclusions: Hispanic ethnicity and an infected sibling close contact are associated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among children, while asthma is associated with decreased risk. Age-related differences in clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection must be considered when evaluating children for coronavirus disease 2019 and in developing screening strategies for schools and childcare settings., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Epidural spinal cord compression (ESCC) secondary to spine metastases is one of the most devastating sequelae of primary cancer as it may lead to muscle weakness, paresthesia, pain, and paralysis. Spine metastases occur through a multistep process that can result in eventual ESCC; however, the lack of a preclinical model to effectively recapitulate each step of this metastatic cascade and the symptom burden of ESCC has limited our understanding of this disease process. In this review, we discuss animal models that best recapitulate ESCC. We start with a broad discussion of commonly used models of bone metastasis and end with a focused discussion of models used to specifically study ESCC. Orthotopic models offer the most authentic recapitulation of metastasis development; however, they rarely result in symptomatic ESCC and are challenging to replicate. Conversely, models that involve injection of tumor cells directly into the bloodstream or bone better mimic the symptoms of ESCC; however, they provide limited insight into the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and natural hematogenous spread of tumor cells. Therefore, until an ideal model is created, it is critical to select an animal model that is specifically designed to answer the scientific question of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Critically ill patients with brain metastases (BM) face significant uncertainty regarding prognosis and survival and can benefit from Palliative care (PC). However, research regarding the role of PC in this population is lacking., Objectives: We sought to compare BM patients admitted to an intensive care unit who received an inpatient PC consult (PC cohort) to those who did not (Usual Care, UC cohort)., Methods: We performed a single-institution retrospective cohort analysis. Our outcome variables were mortality, time from intensive care unit admission to death, disposition, and change in code status. We also evaluated PC's role in complex medical decision making, symptom management and hospice education., Results: PC consult was placed in 31 of 118 (28%) of patients. The overall mortality rates were not statistically different (78.8% vs. 90.3%, P= 0.15, UC vs. PC cohort). Patients in the PC cohort had a shorter time to death, higher rate of death within 30 days of admission, increased rate of discharge to hospice, and increase percentage of code status change to "do not attempt resuscitation" during the admission. The primary services provided by PC were symptom management (n = 21, 67.7%) and assistance in complex medical decision making (n = 20, 64.5%)., Conclusion: In our patient cohort, PC is an underutilized service that can assist in complex medical decision making and symptom management of critically ill BM patients. Further prospective studies surveying patient, family and provider experiences could better inform the qualitative impact of PC in this unique patient population., (Copyright © 2021 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diversifying clinical residencies, particularly in fields that are historically dominated by majority male (M/M) cohorts, is critical to improve both the training experiences of residents and the overall physician workforce. Orthopedic surgery in particular has low numbers of females and under-represented minorities (F/URM) at all levels of training and practice. Despite efforts to increase its diversity, this field has become more homogeneous in recent years. To highlight potential barriers and disparate training environments that may contribute to this dynamic, we present 25 years' worth of institutional data on standardized exam performance throughout residency. We report that despite starting residency with standardized exam scores that were comparable to their M/M peers, F/URM orthopedic surgery residents performed progressively worse on Orthopaedic In-service Training Exams throughout residency and had lower first pass rates on the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery Part 1. Given these findings, we propose that disparate performance on standardized test scores throughout residency could identify trainees that may have different experiences that negatively impact their exam performance. Shedding light on these underlying disparities provides opportunities to find meaningful and sustained ways to develop a culture of diversity and inclusion. It may also allow for other programs to identify similar patterns within their training programs. Overall, we propose monitoring test performance on standardized exams throughout orthopedic surgery residency to identify potential disparities in training experience; further, we acknowledge that interventions to mitigate these disparities require a broad, systems wide approach and a firm institutional commitment to reducing bias and working toward sustainable change., (Copyright © 2021 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Primary spine tumors are rare neoplasms that affect about 0.62 per 100,000 individuals in the US. Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) are the rarest of all primary tumors involving the spine and can cause pain, imbalance, urinary dysfunction and neurological deficits. These types of tumors oftentimes necessitate surgical treatment, yet there is a lack of data on hospital length of stay and complication rates following treatment. Given that treatment candidacy, quality of life, and outcomes are tied so closely to potential for prolonged length of stay and postoperative complications, it is important to better understand the factors that increase the risk of these outcomes in patients with IMSCTs., Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was queried for all patients undergoing surgery for treatment of intramedullary spinal cord tumors between 2005 and 2017. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to assess patient risk factors influencing prolonged length of stay and post-op complications., Results: A total of 638 patients were included in the analysis. Pre-operative American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status classification of 3 and above (OR 1.89; p = 0.0005), dependent functional status (OR 2.76; p = 0.0035) and transfer from facilities other than home (OR 8.12; p <0.0001) were independent predictors of prolonged length of stay (>5 days). The most commonly reported complications were pneumonia (5.7%), urinary tract infection (9.4%), septic shock (3.8%), superficial incisional infection (5.7%), organ or space infection (5.7%), pulmonary embolism (11.3%), DVT requiring therapy (15.1%) and wound dehiscence (5.7%)., Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the significant influence of clinical variables on prolonged hospitalization of IMSCT patients. This should be factored into clinical and surgical decision making and when counseling patients of their expected outcomes., Competing Interests: Disclosures Disclosures unrelated to the current work include Romaric Waguia, Msc received funding support from the American Society of Clinical Oncoly (ASCO) Medical Student Rotation. Meghan Price, BS and Tara Dalton, Msc Received funding support from the Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation (NREF) summer medical student fellowship. C. Rory Goodwin, MD, PhD: Received grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, North Carolina Spine Society, and the NIH/NINDS K12 NRCDP Physician-Scientist Award. Daniel Sciubba, MD: Consulting Fee-Baxter International, Inc, Consulting Fee-DePuySynthes, Consulting Fee-Medtronic, Inc., Consulting Fee-Stryker. Isaac O. Karikari: consultant for NuVasive, consultant for Johnson and Johnson. Muhammad M. Abd-El-Barr, MD: consultant for spineology. No other authors have any financial disclosures, (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) gene panels are frequently completed for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with highly actionable gene variants have improved outcomes and reduced toxicities with the use of corresponding targeted agents. We sought to identify barriers to targeted agent use within the Veterans Health Affairs' National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP)., Methods: A retrospective evaluation of patients with NSCLC who underwent NGS multigene panels through NPOP between July 2015 and February 2019 was conducted. Patients who were assigned level 1 or 2A evidence for oncogenic gene variants by an artificial intelligence offering (IBM Watson for Genomics [WfG]) and NPOP staff were selected. Antineoplastic drug prescriptions and provider notes were reviewed. Reasons for withholding targeted treatments were categorized., Results: Of 1,749 patients with NSCLC who successfully underwent NGS gene panel testing, 112 (6.4%) patients were assigned level 1 and/or 2A evidence for available targeted treatments by WfG and NPOP staff. All highly actionable gene variants were within ALK , BRAF , EGFR , ERBB2 , MET , RET , and ROS1 . Of these, 36 (32.1%) patients were not prescribed targeted agents. The three most common reasons were (1) patient did not carry a diagnosis of metastatic disease (33.3%), (2) treating provider did not comment on the NGS results (25.0%), and (3) provider felt that patient could not tolerate therapy (19.4%). No patients were denied access to level 1 or 2A targeted drugs because of rejection of a nonformulary drug request., Conclusion: A substantial minority of patients with NSCLC bearing highly actionable gene variants are not prescribed targeted agents. Further provider- and pathologist-directed educational efforts and implementation of health informatics systems to provide real-time decision support for test ordering and interpretation are needed., Competing Interests: Vishal VashisthaEmployment: UnitedHealthcare (I)Research Funding: IBM Watson HealthOther Relationship: IBMUncompensated Relationships: IBM Watson Health Pradeep J. PoonnenHonoraria: M3, Sermo Jane L. SnowdonEmployment: IBMStock and Other Ownership Interests: IBM Dilhan WeeraratneEmployment: IBM David BrotmanEmployment: IBM Gretchen P. JacksonEmployment: IBM, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterLeadership: IBM, American Medical Informatics AssociationStock and Other Ownership Interests: IBMSpeakers' Bureau: IBMResearch Funding: IBMTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: IBM Michael J. KelleyConsulting or Advisory Role: IBMResearch Funding: Novartis, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Regeneron, GenentechOther Relationship: IBMOpen Payments Link: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/827136No other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

The healthcare system in the United States has been taxed in various ways throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing healthcare facilities to their breaking point. This has forced decision-makers in healthcare to make difficult choices, highlighting the need for effective leadership. However, there are little intentional leadership development curricula in medical education. Leadership skills can be taught and acquired similar to other skills in medical school, and we believe medical education institutions should cultivate these skills in their trainees. We hope that this will help inspire change in medical education curricula to intentionally teach and develop leadership skills in their students., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2021 Cabell et al.)

Objective: In patients with metastatic spinal disease (MSD), interhospital transfer can potentially impact clinical outcomes as the possible benefits of transferring a patient to a higher level of care must be weighed against the negative effects associated with potential delays in treatment. While the association of clinical outcomes and transfer status has been examined in other specialties, the relationship between transfer status, complications, and risk of mortality in patients with MSD has yet to be explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of transfer status on in-hospital mortality and clinical outcomes in patients diagnosed with MSD., Methods: The National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was retrospectively queried for adult patients diagnosed with vertebral pathological fracture and/or spinal cord compression in the setting of metastatic disease between 2012 and 2014. Demographics, baseline characteristics (e.g., metastatic spinal cord compression [MSCC] and paralysis), comorbidities, type of intervention, and relevant patient outcomes were controlled in a multivariable logistic regression model to analyze the association of transfer status with patient outcomes., Results: Within the 10,360 patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, higher rates of MSCC (50.2% vs 35.9%, p < 0.001) and paralysis (17.3% vs 8.4%, p < 0.001) were observed in patients transferred between hospitals compared to those directly admitted. In univariable analysis, a higher percentage of transferred patients underwent surgical intervention (p < 0.001) when compared with directly admitted patients. After controlling for significant covariates and surgical intervention, transferred patients were more likely to develop in-hospital complications (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.18-1.52, p < 0.001), experience prolonged length of stay (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.16-1.52, p < 0.001), and have a discharge disposition other than home (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.46-1.98, p < 0.001), with no significant difference in inpatient mortality rates., Conclusions: Patients with MSD who were transferred between hospitals demonstrated more severe clinical presentations and higher rates of inpatient complications compared to directly admitted patients, despite demonstrating no difference in in-hospital mortality rates.

Introduction: Given the high symptom burden and complex clinical decision making associated with a diagnosis of brain metastases (BM), specialty palliative care (PC) can meaningfully improve patient quality of life. However, no prior study has formally evaluated patient-specific factors associated with PC consultation among BM patients., Methods: We examined the rates of PC consults in a cohort of 1303 patients with BM admitted to three tertiary medical centers from October 2015 to December 2018. Patient demographics, surgical status, 30-day readmission, and death data were collected via retrospective chart review. PC utilization was assessed by identifying encounters for which an inpatient consult to PC was placed. Statistical analyses were performed to compare characteristics and outcomes between patients who did and did not receive PC consults., Results: We analyzed 1303 patients admitted to the hospital with BM. The average overall rate of inpatient PC consultation was 19.6%. Rates of PC utilization differed significantly by patient race (17.5% in White/Caucasian vs 26.0% in Black/African American patients, P = .0014). Patients who received surgery during their admission had significantly lower rates of PC consultation (3.9% vs 22.4%, P < .0001). Patients who either died during their admission or were discharged to hospice had significantly higher rates of PC than those who were discharged home or to rehabilitation ( P < .0001)., Conclusions: In our dataset, PC consultation rates varied by patient demographic, surgical status, discharging service, and practice setting. Further work is needed to identify the specific barriers to optimally utilizing specialty PC in this population., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The incidence of metastatic spine disease (MSD) is increasing among cancer patients. Given the poor outcomes and high rates of morbidity associated with MSD, it is important to determine demographic factors that could impact interventions and outcomes for this patient population. The objectives of this study were to compare in-hospital mortality and complication rates, clinical presentation, and interventions between female and male patients diagnosed with MSD., Methods: Patient data were collected from the United States National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from the years 2012-2014. Descriptive statistics were used to compare data from 51,800 cases; subsequently, multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the effect of gender on outcomes., Results: Males had significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality (OR 1.30; 95 % CI 1.09-1.56, p = 0.004) and were more likely to have received surgical intervention than females (OR 1.34; 95 % CI 1.16-1.55, p < 0.001). Additionally, female patients were more likely to present with vertebral compression fracture (p < 0.001), while metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) and paralysis were more common in male patients (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in rates of in-hospital complications between female and male patients., Conclusion: Given the significant differences in mortality, disease course, treatment, and in-hospital complications between female and male patients diagnosed with MSD, additional prospective studies are necessary to understand how to meaningfully incorporate these differences into clinical care and prognostication going forward., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background Context: Preoperative optimization of medical comorbidities prior to spinal surgery is becoming an increasingly important intervention in decreasing postoperative complications and ensuring a satisfactory postoperative course. The treatment of preoperative anemia is based on guidelines made by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), which recommends packed red blood cell transfusion when hematocrit is less than 21% in patients without cardiovascular disease and 24% in patients with cardiovascular disease. The literature has yet to quantify the risk profile associated with preoperative pRBC transfusion., Purpose: To determine the incidence of complications following preoperative pRBC transfusion in a cohort of patients undergoing spine surgery., Study Design: Retrospective review of a national surgical database., Patient Sample: The national surgical quality improvement program database OUTCOME NEASURES: Postoperative physiologic complications after a preoperative transfusion. Complications were defined as the occurrence of any DVT, PE, stroke, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, longer length of stay, need for mechanical ventilation greater than 48 h, surgical site infections, sepsis, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, or higher 30-day mortality., Methods: The national surgical quality improvement program database was queried, and patients were included if they had any type of spine surgery and had a preoperative transfusion., Results: Preoperative pRBC transfusion was found to be protective against complications when the hematocrit was less than 20% and associated with more complications when the hematocrit was higher than 20%. In patients with a hematocrit higher than 20%, pRBC transfusion was associated with longer lengths of stay, and higher rates of ventilator dependency greater than 48 h, pneumonia, and 30-day mortality., Conclusion: This is the first study to identify an inflection point in determining when a preoperative pRBC transfusion may be protective or may contribute to complications. Further studies are needed to be conducted to stratify by the prevalence of cardiovascular disease., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) offers efficient, noninvasive treatment of spinal neoplasms. Single-fraction (SF) high-dose SBRT has a relatively narrow therapeutic window, while hypofractionated delivery of SBRT may have an improved safety profile with similar efficacy. Because the optimal approach of delivery is unknown, the authors examined whether hypofractionated SBRT improves pain and/or functional outcomes and results in better tumor control compared with SF-SBRT., Methods: This is a single-institution retrospective study of adult patients with spinal metastases treated with SF- or three-fraction (3F) SBRT from 2008 to 2019. Demographics and baseline characteristics, radiographic data, and posttreatment outcomes at a minimum follow-up of 3 months are reported., Results: Of the 156 patients included in the study, 70 (44.9%) underwent SF-SBRT (median total dose 1700 cGy) and 86 (55.1%) underwent 3F-SBRT (median total dose 2100 cGy). At baseline, a higher proportion of patients in the 3F-SBRT group had a worse baseline profile, including severity of pain (p < 0.05), average use of pain medication (p < 0.001), and functional scores (p < 0.05) compared with the SF-SBRT cohort. At the 3-month follow-up, the 3F-SBRT cohort experienced a greater frequency of improvement in pain compared with the SF-SBRT group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, patients treated with 3F-SBRT demonstrated a higher frequency of improved Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores (p < 0.05) compared with those treated with SF-SBRT, with no significant difference in the frequency of improvement in modified Rankin Scale scores. Local tumor control did not differ significantly between the two cohorts., Conclusions: Patients who received spinal 3F-SBRT more frequently achieved significant pain relief and an increased frequency of improvement in KPS compared with those treated with SF-SBRT. Local tumor control was similar in the two groups. Future work is needed to establish the relationship between fractionation schedule and clinical outcomes.

Palliative care (PC) focuses on caring for the whole person, from birth to death, while managing symptoms and helping to navigate medical complexities. Care does not stop at the time of death, however, as assisting patients, families, and fellow clinicians through grief and bereavement is within PC's purview. Unfortunately, many clinicians feel unprepared to deal with these topics. In this article, PC and hospice clinicians define and explain bereavement, distinguish normative grief from pathological grief, offer psychometrically sound scales to screen and follow those suffering from grief, and discuss the interaction between grief and bereavement and the physical and mental health of those who are left behind after the death of a loved one.

Background: Juvenile osteochondritis dissecans (JOCD) lesions are rarely located in the trochlea and few studies have focused on the causes and outcomes of JOCD lesions in this part of the knee. The purpose of this study is to (1) evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who undergo surgery for JOCD in this unusual location as well as (2) assess the association between trochlear JOCD and participation in sporting activities that load the patellofemoral joint., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 34 trochlear JOCD lesions in 30 patients. Cases that involved traumatic cartilage shear or patella instability were excluded. Preoperative and postoperative magnetic resonance images and x-rays were evaluated and demographic data, sports played, comorbidities, surgical procedures, and clinical data were extracted from medical records. A case-control cohort of 102 femoral condyle lesions was used to assess the correlation between sports played and lesion location., Results: The cohort comprised 34 consecutive trochlear JOCD lesions in 30 patients (26 males, 4 females). Average age at surgery was 13.8 years (9.3 to 18.0 y). In total, 27 (90%) patients were active, and of these active patients, soccer and basketball were the most common sports played. In the case-control comparison, the correlation between playing either basketball or soccer and the presence of a trochlear JOCD lesion was statistically significant (P=0.017). In total, 21 knees (62%) received operative treatment. Sixteen of the surgical patients underwent repair and fixation with bioabsorbable nails. The average length of clinical and radiographic follow-up was 21.1 months. All patients who underwent fixation showed radiographic and/or clinical indications of healing at most recent follow-up. Thirteen of the patients who underwent fixation were active, and all of these patients reported successful return to sports. Thirteen knees underwent nonoperative treatment, and the majority of these patients had limited follow-up., Conclusions: We report a significant association between pediatric athletes who play basketball and soccer and the development of trochlear JOCD, suggesting that repetitive loading of the patellofemoral joint may play a role in the development of JOCD lesions. Patients with trochlear JOCD lesions were likely to undergo surgery, and repair and fixation of the lesions produced good outcomes at short-term follow-up., Level of Evidence: Level III-case-control study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the physeal safety associated with the use of an epiphyseal femoral socket for paediatric medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction., Methods: Fifty-four knees in 49 skeletally immature patients underwent physeal-sparing MPFL reconstruction performed by 1 surgeon at a tertiary care academic medical centre from 2007 to 2016. A femoral socket distal to the femoral physis was used for graft fixation in all the patients. To assess physeal safety, all included patients either had post-operative MRIs of the operative knee or standing hip-to-ankle radiographs. Physeal safety was assessed on MRI, and the distance between the femoral socket relative to the physis was measured at both the aperture and the end of the socket. Development of lower limb angular deformities and/or limb length discrepancy (LLD) was evaluated using post-operative standing hip-to-ankle radiographs, patient records, and clinical assessments., Results: The mean age at time of surgery was 13.3 ± 1.6 years. The median length of radiographic follow-up was 2.2 years (range 1.0-5.7 years). At most recent clinical follow-up, five patients (9.3%) had recurrent patellar instability, with three patients (5.6%) undergoing subsequent tibial tubercle osteotomy or revision MPFL reconstruction. There was no statistically significant difference in leg length between operated and non-operated extremities (n.s.). There was no statistically significant difference between non-operated and operated mMPTA (n.s.) and mLDFA (n.s.) measurements. On post-operative MRI, there was no evidence of physeal arrest. The median distance from the physis to the socket at the aperture and distal end of the femoral socket were 5.9 mm (range 1.9-12) and 7.1 mm (1.3-12.4), respectively., Conclusion: These results demonstrate that with fluoroscopic guidance, placing the femoral socket distal to the distal femoral physis is an effective method for avoiding physeal injury and subsequent growth disturbances in children with patellar instability. Clinically, this information is essential in optimal surgical management of these patients, as this technique allows for femoral fixation of the MPFL reconstruction graft within the epiphysis while also preserving normal growth., Level of Evidence: Level IV-case series.

Background: With sports specialization and level of competition on the rise, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in athletes under the age of 20 has increased significantly in recent years. Reports have demonstrated that the revision ACLR rate is higher and return to sport (RTS) rate is lower in this population., Purpose: To evaluate the 2-year clinical outcomes of 3 cohorts of primary ACLR in pediatric and adolescent athletes under the age of 20 based on skeletal age with a focus on RTS and the incidence of second surgery., Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4., Methods: This is a prospective evaluation of 324 athletes younger than 20 years of age who underwent ACLR with minimum 2-year follow-up. The surgical technique was selected predicated on skeletal age, which includes the all-epiphyseal technique with hamstring autograft in the youngest cohort in elementary and middle school (group 1), the partial transphyseal and complete transphyseal with hamstring autograft performed for athletes in the middle cohort (group 2), and bone-tendon-bone autograft in the skeletally mature high school athletes (group 3)., Results: The mean chronological age of the entire cohort was 15 years (range, 8-19 years) with 55% males. The 3 cohorts included 49 patients (15%) in group 1 (mean age, 12 years), 66 (20%) in group 2 (mean age, 14.3 years), and 209 (65%) in group 3 (mean age, 16.2 years). Group 2 athletes had a significantly higher revision ACLR rate (20%) compared with group 1 (6%; P = .039) and group 3 (6%; P = .001). Similarly, group 2 athletes had significantly lower RTS rates (85%) compared with group 1 (100%) and group 3 (94%)., Conclusion: The rate of revision ACLR was significantly higher and the RTS rates significantly lower in group 2 compared with groups 1 and 3. This age-related risk profile may be used to counsel athletes and parents preoperatively regarding the expectations of surgery with respect to revision ACLR and RTS rates.

Purpose: Clinical changes are best evaluated with standardized, validated outcomes, including both patient-reported outcome measures and surgeon-reported outcome measures (PROMs and SROMs). The purpose of this study was to describe the spectrum of outcome measures used in pediatric orthopaedic publications over the past 10 years and to determine the proportion that are in fact age-appropriate, validated, and appropriately applied in terms of condition and population., Methods: The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, The Bone and Joint Journal, Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics A and B, and Journal of Children's Orthopaedics were systematically searched for studies including children aged 18 and below, over a 10-year period from January 2005 to December 2014. Economic evaluations, letters, editorials, review articles, and clinical guidelines were excluded. SROMs and PROMs used were extracted, as were details on subject age and condition for which they were used. Each outcome scale was assessed for validity, and the proportion of scales used appropriately was calculated. Cochrane-Armitage test of trend was used to determine changes in PROM and SROM utilization over the study period., Results: A total of 4614 articles were identified, of which 2251 met inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, 259 (11.5%) of studies used a PROM, whereas 326 (14.5%) used a SROM. A total of 230 different outcome scales were identified; 115 were patient reported and 115 were surgeon reported. However, only 18.7% of SROMs and 38.3% of PROMs were applied to an age and disease-appropriate demographic. Overall, there was a significant increase in the overall utilization of PROMs during the study period (P=0.004), but no corresponding increase in pediatric-validated PROMs (P=0.164). SROM utilization did not significantly change over the study period (P=0.337)., Conclusions: Within the field of pediatric orthopaedics, an expansive variety of outcome scales are used, many of which have not been validated in children. Improved uniformity in reporting of outcomes and use of disease and age-validated outcomes scales is essential to improve multicenter research collaboration and data quality to generate appropriate evidence-based conclusions and treatment strategies in pediatric orthopaedics., Level of Evidence: Level IV-systematic review.

Patellar instability in children and adolescents is a challenging subset to treat. Varied forms of instability, ranging from episodic dislocation to fixed dislocation, have been recognized. It is of utmost importance for the treating physician to recognize these different patterns of instability and their associated risk factors, as more complex patterns of instability would require more extensive surgical procedures. Medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction, by itself, may not suffice or may not be appropriate for the more complex instability patterns. Appropriate and early treatment of such instability in children would allow for functional progression and possible remodeling of the trochlea. However, early treatment has the associated risk of growth disturbances when surgical procedures are performed around open physis or if adult-type bony procedures are performed in children. Recent knowledge about the relationship between trochlea, MPFL femoral attachment, and distal femoral physis could help to advance safe surgical care for these patients. This article reviews the pathophysiology, risk factors, and the existing classification systems for patellar instability in children and adolescents. It focuses on varied surgical techniques, which are unique to the pediatric population, and summarizes the outcomes of these surgical techniques., Competing Interests: Authors’ Disclosure Statement: The authors report no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this article.

Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is becoming increasingly common in the skeletally immature population. Historically, there was a reluctance to operate on skeletally immature patients due to potential damage to the physis and subsequent growth disturbances; however, more recently, ACL reconstruction techniques specifically developed for this young population have shown good outcomes and low complication rates. In this article, we briefly discuss the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for ACL injury in children, options for conservative management for ACL rupture, and outcomes for delayed operative management. The main focus of the manuscript is to describe three operative technique options designed for ACL reconstruction in skeletally immature patients and to review the literature on outcomes and complications of these techniques. Two of these techniques, namely the Modified MacIntosh and the all-epiphyseal techniques, are often referred to as physeal-sparing, while the third, i.e. the transphyseal technique, is not. While different in approach and technique, these procedures have been shown to produce good outcomes and minimal complications in the skeletally immature population. Despite these positive reports, it is also essential to be aware of potential complications and the potential risk of recurrence.

Purpose of Review: As anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is becoming increasingly prevalent in the population of active children and young adolescents, it is crucial to be aware of both the modifiable and nonmodifiable factors that place this population at increased ACL injury risk. Historically, there has not been a definitive consensus on all of these risk factors-particularly the nonmodifiable ones., Recent Findings: The present review has accumulated the most recent evidence for the nonmodifiable risk factors in ACL injury focusing particularly on female gender, generalized joint laxity, knee recurvatum, increased lateral tibial slope, decreased intercondylar notch width, structural lower extremity valgus, limb length discrepancy, family history, and history of contralateral knee ACL injury., Summary: Physicians should be aware of the nonmodifiable risk factors for ACL tears in active children and adolescents and should also encourage avoidance of modifiable risk factors in this population. Young athletes with nonmodifiable risk factors are at a particularly increased risk of recurrent injury following ACL reconstruction (ACLR). We believe that a primary extra-articular augmentation via iliotibial band tenodesis at the same time of ACLR may decrease the rate of reinjury for the high risk athlete with multiple nonmodifiable risk factors.